Picking the right keyword research SEO tool is critical if you wish to boost visitors to your website. In this article I will go over seven criteria I used when I deciding on keyword research software:
1) Easy to Use. The software program should be easy to use. While this can be tough to ascertain until you actually try the software some software sellers feature videos on their website showing how their software works. Other sellers may provide screen shots on their sites. Some may perhaps even offer free demos. You can also read reviews on the software.
When I was choosing keyword research software I mainly watched the videos on their websites and read reviews. This gave me a good idea as to which one appeared the most user friendly.
2) Search Features. Beyond the basic search function the software should permit you to expand or narrow a search for a particular keyword, give you a keyword count of supply versus demand, show you what products or articles are tied to a particular keyword, etc. The software package should also let you to filter and rank results.
3) Keyword Scoring. This is vital. The more comprehensive software packages out there will analyze the data generated for a keyword and provide you with an indicator regarding the amount of competition.
As an example, with the software I have I can check the amount of competition on specific keywords I am interested in using. This indicator is exclusive to the software and works like a traffic light: Green means light competition, yellow means moderate competition and red means strong competition. Although these indicators do not guarantee success with a keyword but they do give me an idea of supply and demand for a particular keyword. Thus far I have only used keywords with a green indicator.
A number of keyword research SEO tools have their own proprietary scoring systems. I used one in the past that rated keywords on a numerical scale (the lower the number the better). But once more, when choosing software you will want to make certain some sort of scoring system is included.
4) Technical Support. There may perhaps be times when you have a technical problem with your software and need help. This is where first-class technical support becomes key. Try to find a seller that has a stated turnaround time to technical support inquiries. Using the software I have as an example the seller has a stated turnaround time of typically around 24 hours Monday through Friday.
5) Updates. Be certain the program you are considering offers updates. The software package I ended up choosing provides free updates for life. This is nice because I do not want to purchase software and then end up having to pay for updates in the future..
6) Price. Price is surely a consideration. In my experience, the better keyword research software packages out there cost around $ 97.00 or more. It goes without saying you can get hold of less expensive software packages but they may possibly not have as many features. Although it really depends on the specific software package you are considering.
7) Money-Back Guarantee. Whenever I purchase software I want to make sure that it comes with some sort of money-back guarantee just in case it doesn't work on my computer or I'm simply unhappy with it. The longer the guarantee period the better because this gives me time to try the software program. Look for a guarantee period of a minimum 30 days. And read the terms of the guarantee.
Those are the seven criteria I applied when deciding on a keyword research SEO tool. You might come up with extra criteria of your own or change mine. But hopefully the items covered in this article will provide you with a starting point as you begin looking for keyword research software.
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