HELP! Keyword Research for articles YIKES!!! NO WAY!

I am as confused, as the day is long!

I'll be honest "keyword research" has left me totally confused!
I want to write some articles and submit to directories, but just don't want to be spitting into the wind....you won't believe me but I have read sooo much on KWR and it's like everything contradicts everything else!

if I were to focus on Google's KWT monthly searches and google serp's (only those two for the time being, and I mean just "serp #'s for now!)

can anyone give me a ratio of what kind of numbers would be in a good range for both?[/B]

and if I should be doing a "exact" or "broad" search in KW search tool?

and in serp's, should I use "allintitle" or "quotes" or what combination of the two?

and PLEASE give me an example of good "numbers" or ratio of the two


HELP!! I have read so many conflicting pieces of info on what is the right way, so trying to get some opinions

hali~!

Use exact search to find keywords worth taking. There's no good "number ratio" as it depends on the value of the keyword. A low searched loans keyword can be much more profitable than a high searched adult keyword. Don't search in quotes or allintitle, that's not what people will search for in the end. To gauge competition, search it out of quotes and look for web 2.0 sites. If page 1 contains EZA, wikihow, hubpages, or any of those kinds of sites it probably is not a hard keyword to rank for. Keyword research takes patience, don't jump on the first keyword that looks good. Build a list and compare the results side by side.

Good numbers, well what can you handle? Numbers don't mean everything, onsite seo means a lot too. Under 10,000 exact comp and over 1,000 searches is great.

You are talking as if you were me, I am facing exactly the same problem. The most unexpected keyword when I search it on google without " " has over 42,000 results, I tried thousands. Just give me one example of a keyword that would have less than 10,000 results on google if you search without the quotes. Thanks guys for trying to help.

I suggest getting Market Samurai - at least trial - and watching their videos. This has been the single best thing for market research I've done.

alcapon3 said:

Don't search in quotes or allintitle, that's not what people will search for in the end.

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So you think that.... oh, nevermind.

The fact is that, at best, SERP result numbers can give you an idea of places to do further research, but that's about it.

Imagine you just bought a new Porsche and want to do some racing. Will you be able to determine your chances of winning based on the number of drivers in the race? No. There might be 10,000 people in the race, but maybe they are all driving 1972 Ford Pinto's. Or they've never driven before. Or they don't even realize they are in a race. On the other hand, NASCAR races have less than 50 drivers. Same thing with SEO. Get a good keyword tool and analyze the actual strength of the top 10 competitors.

Nerevar said:

I suggest getting Market Samurai - at least trial - and watching their videos. This has been the single best thing for market research I've done.

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Is it easy to be used? Do they provide a "how to use" guides? I have tried Good keyword and didn't understand a thing on how it works.

Ninawa: Yes, it's very easy to use and they have great videos which show you how to use it.