Whether you’re setting out to create new content that can attract traffic to your site, or optimise existing content that isn’t getting enough traffic, using a tool to provide data on keywords is going to be really useful.
I use a selection of different Keyword Research tools in my SEO coaching work with clients, and I’d like to share these with you in this blog post.
A caveat before we get started: Just because the search volume is low, does not mean that you should not create content around a keyword. Longtail, niche terms can provide excellent targeted traffic, so should not be discounted. As I recommend to my clients, a balanced strategy should include a mix of higher volume and lower volume longtail keywords. The important thing about those keyword phrases is not so much the volume, but the intent.
What is ‘Intent’?
When we are creating content, we need to think about the client journey, where they are on that journey, and what they are looking for.
Are they at a research phase?
Or a buying phase?
When creating content to monetise through things like affiliate links or ads, we should focus on keyword phrases and blog titles around the buyer intent phase.
Our current global situation is a great help in clarifying buyer intent. We’re pretty much mostly at home, with many parents becoming school teachers overnight.
What Keyword Research Tools do I recommend?
These are 3 main Keyword Research Tools that I recommend for photographers or wedding industry professionals:
Keyword Surfer (Free)
The first is Keyword Surfer.
This is a chrome extension that is quick and easy to install with no complications.
I have found it to be the least accurate of the three, but it’s still not a bad tool and great for a free temp check on keyword volume and related keywords.
If you’re on a super tight budget right now, go ahead and install this one.
Any limitations? It appears you can’t switch country as it chooses the country for where you are located, so if you are based in France but targetting US-based traffic, this will be unsuitable.
Keyword Everywhere ($10)
Keywords Everywhere is my favourite and in my view the most accurate of any keyword research tool that I’ve used.
It costs $10 for every 100k keywords, so should last you ages. It can be switched off when you are not using it, so I would recommend that to preserve your credits.
From looking at hundreds of photography websites over the last few years, I believe this one to be the most accurate. It also seems to have more accurate data for smaller countries like the UK and New Zealand.
This is the tool that I help my clients install, and use myself daily.
Any limitations? It’s not suitable for providing a list of SERPS (Search engine results)
Ahrefs ($7 trial, $179 pcm)
Ahrefs is a popular tool for SEO professionals that has some keyword research features the other two tools don’t have.
A really useful feature is that you can see a list of the search engine results (SERPS) for your chosen keyword phrase, and export this to a spreadsheet.
This is really valuable for doing competitor analysis, as you can see all of the other websites that rank for your term.
If you’re a photographer, then the $7 trial may be worth doing to gather some data for your target keyword terms.
Any limitations? I have found keyword volume for smaller countries like Scotland or New Zealand is not particularly accurate, and the data seems to be weighted towards the US.
