If you want to increase traffic to your blog, then search engine optimization (SEO) should be important to you. In order to optimize your blog for keyword search traffic, you need to start by doing some keyword research and long-tail SEO research to learn the keywords and keyword phrases people are using to find content like that offered on your blog. The 4 Web sites below can help you conduct keyword research. Once you find the keywords people are using to find content like yours, you can target those keywords in your blog posts and content (follow the link to learn the top 10 SEO tips).
1. Wordtracker
Wordtracker is probably the best tool for keyword research, but it does have a price tag associated with it. However, you can sign up for a free trial and give it a test drive. If you're serious about search engine optimization, then you should use Wordtracker for your keyword research.
2. Keyword Discovery
Keyword Discovery is another great keyword research site, but it also has a price tag associated with it. The results you'll get from Keyword Discovery are perfect for someone who wants to dive deep into keyword research. You can sign up for a free trial to compare it to Wordtracker and then pay for the tool you prefer.
3. Google AdWords Traffic Estimator
The free Google AdWords Traffic Estimator tool gives you an idea of how much advertisers are paying for certain keywords. Advertisers bid on keywords and serve ads on Web pages with relevant content. Popular keywords typically have higher price tags and higher traffic estimates.
The key to using Google AdWords Traffic Estimator for keyword research is to find the middle ground. Look for keywords related to your blog's content that are neither the most trafficked and highest priced nor the least trafficked and lowest priced. This way, you'll strike a balance between too much competition (meaning many other sites are already creating content related to those keywords) and too little traffic (meaning no one is searching for those keywords).
4. Google AdWords Keyword Tool
The free Google AdWords Keyword Tool offers a great way to learn the popularity of keywords in terms of traffic and cost-per-click. Additionally, when you enter a keyword into the search tool, a list of related keywords is returned to you as well, making it easy to broaden your research and find the best keywords for your blog. This is particularly helpful for long-tail SEO, which focuses on very specific keywords and highly targeted traffic.