WordTracker: The Key(word) to Effective SEO? Working with WordTracker for Search Engine Optimization Vangie Beal
WordTracker is an online keyword/keyphrase analysis service designed to help Web site owners with SEO by identifying keywords and phrases that are relevant to their business. With WordTracker, you can determine how many competing sites are using the same keywords and also identify the keywords, including misspelled words and phrases, that have the greatest traffic potential in major search engines and directories.
WordTracker works by compiling a database of over 300 million search terms that have been collected from MetaCrawler.com and DogPile.com. The database of search terms is mainly derived by searching other Web sites' keywords, comparing them in a thesaurus for alternate keywords, and also by adding in the phrases and words that people are typing into search engines.
The subscriber service basically helps you identify the best niche keywords and phrases for your e-business, which can be difficult to do after you run out of the first few obvious choices. You can also see how many people are using major search engines to look for those specific those keywords. Additionally, you can find related keywords that you might not have otherwise considered, and also see how much competition there is in search engines for those keywords you choose.
You can also use WordTracker to help you climb higher in search engine rankings or to build successful AdSense or affiliate-based marketing programs for your Web site.
Dashboard Options
One thing we noticed right away is that while WordTracker offers several separate tools, these tools are combined where needed to enable you to dig down deeper to find the best keywords and phrases for your Web site SEO. In testing WordTracker, we opted to use the service to help find the right keywords for a small shop that offered custom-designed gold jewelry. After you log into WordTracker as a member you will first access the user dashboard, which is laid out into the following sections.
Keyword Universe
Keyword Universe lets you find niche phrases and related keywords that you may not have even considered. To use this tool you simply enter in two or three words that best describes your business or products. Here we entered "handcrafted gold jewelry" and in seconds had a list of 300 related keywords and phrases. Each result is actually a hyperlink that shows how popular the keyword is when you click on it.
In the results, the Count shows how many times a particular word has appeared in the WordTracker database over the last 100 days. The Predict result indicates the maximum total predicted traffic for major search engines (pay per bids and directories). The Dig option lets you dig down to the next level of keywords to let you find the more specific ones. After choosing your keywords, you can export or e-mail the keywords and, finally, you can also perform a competition search to see which of the keywords from your chosen list have fewer competing Web pages in the major search engines.
The competition results are probably one of the best that you will find in any keyword program.
WordTracker also offers you the option to see the Keyword Effectiveness Index (KEI). This feature compares the count result with the number of competing Web pages to pinpoint exactly which keywords are going to be the most effective for your campaign.
Here you will want to examine the popular keywords with a higher KEI as these are the keywords that will have less competition. The less competition you have in the search engines the higher ranking you will have on those searches.
Full Search
To use the Full Search feature, you first provide one generic term that describes your business or service. For instance, if you sell apparel, you would simply enter "clothes," or "golf" if you sell golfing equipment. Here we used "ring" to see a full list of related words. From the results list, you then choose all the similar terms that are applicable to your site. The next step will provide you with details on how popular the keyword is, and you can then complete a competition search to find your own little niche in the search engines.
