Macalua.com

In part 1 of the DrToy Story, we looked at some of the site’s basic search engine profile. This time around, we tackle keyword research.

Every serious SEO campaign should start with a thorough keyword selection process. Oftentimes client perceive this phase as just another high traffic keyword hunt in Overture, Keyword Discovery and Wordtracker. In a saturated and extremely competitive market like toys, keyword research actually means discovering profitable keyword niches your competition hasn’t discovered or exploited to the fullest.

If you’re looking to outsource this SEO phase, Dan Thies’ SEO Research Labs offers keyword research and analysis packages for $99.95. I can’t vouch for the service as I haven’t had the chance to work with them but from what I hear, the quality of their service is top notch. For the DrToy.com case study, I’ll be using commercial-grade tools like Wordtracker and Overture, but for the most part, keyword research will be done manually. Nothing beats marketing gut feel and good old competitive analysis.

The Keyword Mix

DrToy.com built a reputation on honest, non-commercial reviews of toys and I wanted the keywords to support that positioning.

For DrToy.com to benefit from contextual advertising, it has to attract a lot of first time visitors to the site. Visitors would typically come searching for toy gift ideas so I selected high traffic keywords with the [qualifier + toys] or [toys + qualifier] format, e.g. “wooden toys”, “educational toys” or “toys for tots”.

These sample keywords will form part of DrToy.com’s keyword glossary.

Keyword Research Tools

Aside from Overture Suggestion Tool and Wordtracker, there are tons of free keyword research tools available online.

• Aaron Wall’s keyword research tool set
• Todd Malicoat’s keyword research tool set

Remember, garbage in garbage out. These tools are only as good as the data you feed into them. Nothing beats hands on marketing knowledge.

NEXT: AdSense Placement Recommendations for DrToy.com.