Comparing the Alternatives for Start-Up Internet Business’ Keyword Research
Is it best to hire a consultant for researching keywords or can our company handle that internally?
A number of related issues go into the answer to that core question. Among the most important of those are these:
1. The extent to which you understand how to locate keywords and track down keywords that are closely related
2. Access to the tools that are available to assist in this process
3. Your skills at using the software
4. Your knowledge concerning determining which keywords are actually beneficial from a business perspective
5. The total funds that are available for you to grow your business
If we look at those five variables they ultimately come down to how much you know and how your budget is allocated. Let me address each of those in a bit more detail.
What You Need to Know
There is no aspect of online business that is more important than identifying appropriate keywords. The lengthy list that you generate is central to all of your marketing efforts. The tactics impacted include your article marketing, your search engine optimization, your paid advertising and your copywriting. The entire future of you business is directly related to the quality of your keyword research.
Some available tools are free to use, such as Google’s keyword research tool. Others can be purchased as desktop software or as online membership applications. You must be willing and able to use a mix of these resources in order to develop the most comprehensive list. You should gather information comparing various keyword research tools.
Most of the tools are relatively easy to use, but the interpretation of your results can be difficult unless you have experience in doing so. Not all of the keywords that are uncovered are of equal value to a business, and a high volume of searches for a certain keyword does not automatically make that keyword of greater importance to you particular business than another keyword that draws much less traffic.
Financial Issues
If the amount in your budget for early business development endeavors, this area merits the allocation of its share of those funds. The expense of outsourcing keyword research is rather modest when it is compared to the potential benefit. I recommend that, if you do hire professionals for this task, that you make sure that they also do a competitive analysis of your industry or niche and offer advice concerning how to use the findings of the study to your competitive advantage.
Sometimes, although not always, researching keywords is part of an overall search engine optimization (SEO) package. Consequently, if you plan to invest in such a large scale purchase, there is usually no point in buying a keyword or niche research package as well. However, if you choose to go this route (contracting for an SEO package), make sure you understand exactly how thorough your SEO company will be.
Bottom line: You can do this task yourself if you already know a great deal about the process (or are willing to take the time to learn what you need to) and if you have the critical tools.
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Tags: internet marketing, Keyword, keyword research, outsourcing, professional services, SEO, tags
This entry was posted on Monday, March 15th, 2010 at 1:48 pm and is filed under SEO. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.