Lesson Two: Finding Keywords

Serious online writers know that without the proper keywords and phrases, readers can't find their work. It's not like the movies where "If you build it, they will come." Online writers need to optimize their work so it will show up in a Google search.

If you are anything like I was when I first started writing, you may think using popular keywords or using  tools to find them  means you are selling out and not remaining true to your craft. But don't let that false belief stop you from finding success as an online writer.

Using the Google Adwords Tool saves you a ton of time and increases your chances of finding those very readers who can benefit the most from your work.

Sure, some writers use the Google Adwords Tool to find the highest paying keywords or to develop long tail keywords that are calculated to bring in the most money and write drivel about the topic hoping to get rich quick.

But that's not what I'm talking about here. I'm talking about using the adwords tool to find words and phrases your readers already use to search for the information you are providing.

There is no selling out. You still write about things you have passion for while taking advantage of helpful tool to make sure that your work reaches its intended audience.

USING GOOGLE ADWORDS KEYWORD TOOL IMPROVES PERFORMANCE 


FIND KEYWORDS
Choose your basic topic first to get the most value from the Google Adwords Keyword Tool. Once you are clear on what you want to write about, go to the Keyword Tool and type in word or phrase that you think your readers will search if they are looking for the information you are providing. You may be surprised to find that people search for your information in a variety of ways and that simply changing the word order or using a similar term will match more searches than your original keywords.

FIND SIMILAR KEYWORDS
When you type in your keyword, the Ad Word Tool displays 100 of the top keywords Google  determines are similar to your keywords. These are the most popular keywords readers are using to find information similar to yours. With this list, you now have list of keywords and phrases you can use in your article or blog post instead of repeating the same words and phrases throughout your article. Your work reads better and doesn't sound like an advertisement, yet it contains the very words people are likely to use when searching your topic.
 
FIND KEYWORD POPULARITY
You can now determine how popular your keywords are, as the Google Adword Tool displays the average number of searches for each of the top 100 related keywords. This information allows you to choose the words that are searched by the most people so you work will be found easily. If your goal is simply to be read or to gain traffic to your blog or site, this information will put you on the path to success.


IMPROVING SEO (SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION)
Use a variety of similar words throughout your blog or articles instead of relying on one or two keywords or phrases to improve SEO. The notion that Google simply looks for repetition is outdated.  Google recognizes similar words in your writing and determines whether your writing is about the topic the reader searches. Using the keyword tool to discover words Google interprets as similar to yours improve overall SEO and improves your chances of ranking high with search engines such as Google.







Lesson Three: Avoiding Common Mistakes