What to use for UK keyword research?

[Sticklebrick]

Hi guys - first post, so please be gentle!

So, for a while we used the Overture Keyword Suggestion tool for our keyword research, but upon learning they were over inflated, looked elsewhere.

We've now been using Wordtracker for a bit, but have become increasingly skepticle about its UK results. Reading their FAQ suggests that the US results are taken from MetaCrawlers, which can predict volumes, but when it gets down to UK results it becomes rather hazy. They say they get their search date from ISP numbers and a search engine, but they can't reveal who. My guess is therefore that it'd be AOL and some little ISP, maybe Orange.

But this proves a problem, because we know for a fact that some traffic (and not insignificant volumes either) is being generated through our PPC campaigns for keywords that Wordtracker denies anyone is searching for.

My question therefore is, do you still use Wordtracker? Do the results bother you? Can you suggest a better alternative?

I'm coming to the conclusion that keyword research just replaces guess word with more guess work...

[Drabdesign]

I use the Google keyword tool as a guide

[temi]

Sticklebrick,
Just like the previous poster suggested, why not use the Google AdSense keyword tools, its free and it give you the list of keywords being search for in Google, the only downside is that it only gives you words search one Google and no information on other search engines.
You can use the tools from inside your AdSense account if you have one, you can also use this tool.

[Drabdesign]

Thanks temi, I did not have enough posts to place the link, but think this is my tenth post now, so will be able to do in the future.

[BenjArriola]

Keyword Research for UK I use Keyword Discovery. Once you login to the tool, you have the freedom to choose which database to query from. Here is the list in their drop down menu of keyword data databases:



Now if you are wondering where they are getting their UK search data, unlike how Wordtracker is doing it, Keyword Discovery get's their UK keyword data from:

• Google.co.uk
• Google.ie
• MSN.co.uk
• Searchanything.co.uk
• Ask.co.uk
• Kelkoo.co.uk
• Blueyonder.co.uk
• UKirectory.co.uk
• Excite.co.uk
• Wanadoo.co.uk
• Yahoo.co.uk

I got the above data from here. At work, we subscribe to the Enterprise API package and we create our own keyword research tools using the API to customize the reporting well.

[Sticklebrick]

Thanks for the replies, guys!

Okay... I've been using the Google tool a bit, and so far it seems okay, although the interface is a bit tricky for extended sessions and it seems very much guess work based. On the bright side it does show up the keywords which we know are being search for, which Wordtracker spectacuarly failed to do.

As for Keyword Discovery... I actually used that for a good while, and found the results a bit suspect there as well. Really oddly ordered phrases outranking sensibly written ones and such - true, I can't prove it was wrong, but it felt a bit fishy nonetheless. Secondly, the data for UK searches was recorded over a really long period IIRC, although they didn't specify what it was. Given most our work is travel websites, this is tricy because searches are seasonally dependent.

Also, they say they get their data from Yahoo, Google etc - I thought none of the major search engines revealed their numbers... isn't that right?

Thanks for your continued help in unraveling this mystery

Sticklebrick

[temi]

Originally Posted by Sticklebrick

Also, they say they get their data from Yahoo, Google etc - I thought none of the major search engines revealed their numbers... isn't that right?

You are right, non of the major search engines hand the keywords to you on a database but some using lateral thinking and some clever tools you can extract the keywords from leading search engines.

[BenjArriola]

Very true. I totally agree. Sometimes the most fishy results are super long tail with tons of searches that seem impossible. But that's all I can see find with this functionality.

And the age of the data, yes it is a bit old. Keyword Discovery uses two main databases, the Historical Global and Global Premium, up to now I am not really sure what the difference is. And aside from that, when you choose the UK database, I do not know if it is using the historical global or global premium.

[OldWelshGuy]

Keyword discovery is withut doubt the best keyword research tool opn the market. I personally know David who is CEO of Trellian who produce KD (as well as other tools), and he is a superbly clever guy. I have known him now for many years via Jill Whalen @ high rankings.

BUT, when I research, I use KWD, word tracker, adwords, overture's tool (via API) and then combine them all, compare them all, and live test them piece meal.

NEVER rely on one tool, ESPECIALLY not overture data as it is the most flawed in the industry.

[seo_india]

Originally Posted by Sticklebrick

Hi guys - first post, so please be gentle!

So, for a while we used the Overture Keyword Suggestion tool for our keyword research, but upon learning they were over inflated, looked elsewhere.

We've now been using Wordtracker for a bit, but have become increasingly skepticle about its UK results. Reading their FAQ suggests that the US results are taken from MetaCrawlers, which can predict volumes, but when it gets down to UK results it becomes rather hazy. They say they get their search date from ISP numbers and a search engine, but they can't reveal who. My guess is therefore that it'd be AOL and some little ISP, maybe Orange.

But this proves a problem, because we know for a fact that some traffic (and not insignificant volumes either) is being generated through our PPC campaigns for keywords that Wordtracker denies anyone is searching for.

My question therefore is, do you still use Wordtracker? Do the results bother you? Can you suggest a better alternative?

I'm coming to the conclusion that keyword research just replaces guess word with more guess work...

You should try using google adwords keyword suggestion tool.

These tools provide approximation of traffic.