Rethinking Keyword Research
I’ve received a great response so far on my little Squidoo Quest and am noticing some repeated questions on keyword/topic research so I feel that we should dedicate a few posts here to talking about it.
Here’s my general philosophy on researching new squidoo lens topics (or new niches in general)
- Don’t focus on just ‘one’ keyword to the exclusion of all others - I find this takes a very narrow minded view towards what you want to accomplish and doesn’t really result in the outcomes people are looking for (namely, traffic, attention, conversions, etc)
- You don’t need monster niches - There are plenty of people that search for specific models, styles, etc that there is no need to target a monster market unless you have a monster budget. For example, instead of going after everyone that wants to buy an appliance, focus on a specific brand of dishwasher.
- Target Buyers - Unlike most of the people reading this, nearly everyone spends less time on the internet then you. They aren’t up on the latest SEO news or conversion metrics or any of that stuff. They want to find something they are looking for, get good information about it, and buy it. Writing your content to focus on these people will astronomically increase your conversions.
- What is available? - Although Amazon has pretty much everything for a lot of verticals it is more ‘broad’ then ‘deep’ in some. I’ll often pick new topics based on what advertisers on some of the affiliate networks look interesting or cool instead of what some research tool tells me I should.
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Comments
Thanks for the helpful stuff on niches and keyword research.
BUT — Can you get just a bit more “basic” on Squidoo stuff for those of us pretty limited so far in lens building? I think I asked this as a comment to one of your earlier posts on this great topic:
1. Is there a way to look at a lens and tell which modules have been used?
2. If not — can you tell us what modules you used on those first 3 lenses, so I’ll have a better idea where to start?
Or am I the only one who doesn’t yet “get it” with such basics? (Probably. LOL!)
Gary
I concur with Gary. I’m new to Squidoo and would like to understand how to put together the best basic lens in the shortest time to publish. I think I understand that lots of decent lenses will be our goal - not the bestest lens ever.
Thanks for all the good information in this Quest. I think I hit on it at just the right time for me.
I’ve been trying to focus more on keywords so that I can attract as much traffic as possible but, I also make sure that my message flows smoothly.
Joe, this is a very useful post, because sometimes keyword research changes on a dime. I don’t think it is very cut and dried, and sometimes you just get lucky. Another thing is seeing what people type in to find your lens, and add those keywords to your lens to see if that attracts more people.
A niche by definition is very narrow. And some lenses take longer to mature. I have some that didn’t do that well last year but this year are doing very well, and I think it is partially just because I have improved them over time, and narrowed their keyword focus.
Wow, this is really useful! Would you mind sharing how you promote these? Are you doing anything special to get traffic?
Great advice, especially about not focusing on a general product and looking for something more specialized.
Great post. I can’t learn enough about keywords and niche research. I’m looking forward to your specific examples of exercises that help you decide if a niche is right.
To me, it’s not about how much traffic a lens gets but the money that it makes.
@Gary If you are looking for some really basic squidoo tutorials on how to actually build a lens you might check out these. http://internetmarketingformommies.com/articles/ Each link takes you to a post on the topic. Plenty of places to ask questions along the way. 
Jackie
@Jackie, thanks for that link. I just took a look around and there’s some good stuff there. Looks very helpful!
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Thank you for this article. Keywords confuse me and I have been doing this for several years.