Are you using Google Suggest to supplement your keyword research? I was talking to one of our clients the other day about keyword research and which keywords we both felt were best for his site and business.  I would love to mention his site here and drop a link but because we are considered our clients "secret weapon" they typically do not want to reveal their search engine marketing secrets to their competitors.

As we were talking he mentioned something about “this keyword shows up in the drop down menu” whereas “this keyword does not”.  I had no idea what he was talking about so I asked him for clarification.  He was referring to “Google Suggest”.  Google suggest is what you see when you start typing a query in to Google.com.  Google is trying to guess at what they think you want to find and it can give you some great insight in to what potential searchers may be using to find your products, service or information. After doing some research I realized this is not exactly a new concept but certainly one worth visiting.

My clients rationale was when someone starts typing his keyword in to Google what comes up first in the suggest list MUST be a “good” keyword.  Is his rationale right? I think it’s pretty safe to say it is.

After our conversation I went to Google.com and started typing in “link building service” which is one of our primary keywords here at Vertical Measures. By time I got to “link bu” I immediately spotted a new keyword we had not been focusing on.  See illustration below:

Here is Google’s explanation of Google suggest: "As you type, Google Suggest communicates with Google and comes back with the suggestions we show. If you’re signed in to your Google Account and have Web History enabled, suggestions are drawn from searches you’ve done, searches done by users all over the world, sites in our search index, and ads in our advertising network. If you’re not signed in to your Google Account, no history-based suggestions are displayed. Data you send to Google is protected by Google’s privacy policy".

The fine folks over at SEOmoz had a post on their YOUmoz blog about this same concept recently if you want to read their take.  Tony Soric also did a nice piece on it last year you can read here as well.

Here are some quick tips if you want to use Google Suggest for supplementing your keyword research:

1. Open notepad or your favorite text editor
2. Be sure to sign out of your Google account
3. Type one letter at a time and watch carefully! As you type each keystroke can reveal some valuable keywords.
4. The words that show up first in the suggestions with the fewest keystrokes are the most competitive which means they may not necessarily be the best.
5. Watch carefully as some words disappear as you type
6. As you see possible keywords add them to the list in notepad each on a new line
7. Repeat with other variations of your keywords
8. When done use the free Google adwords keyword research tool and check the search volume of the keywords.  The reason I had you create the list in notepad and one per line is because now you can just copy and paste the whole list in at once.  Be sure to click the link that says “filter my results” and check the box that says “Don’t show ideas for new keywords. I only want to see data about the keywords I entered.” Since these keywords did show in Google suggest it’s safe to assume they have search volume but this tool will allow you to quickly see which have the highest. 
9. Sort by either global or local search volume and export
10. Because you may have chosen keywords that are trending now but may not have solid long term search interest you may want to consider checking them in Google Insights before you bet the whole farm on them.

We would love to hear more about your experiences using Google Suggest for keyword research or any other keyword research “secret weapons” you would care to share with us and our visitors below in the comments.

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About a week ago I got involved in a discussion over on LinkedIn at the Search Engine Land group that was started by someone asking the question:  “Google showing different search results for IE and Firefox. Any explanation?” I gave my opinion which was that most likely it was personalized search impacting the rankings because one of the browsers was their “primary” and would have all the cookies and history, while the other would not. But some other possible contributing factors were also presented like “were you logged in to Google or not” or “was Google toolbar installed” and a few others.

So, after following the discussion a while I decided to put the topic to the test and actually run a series of tests (10 all together) to see if in fact Google rankings are different depending on the browser (or a combination of other contributing factors). Interested in the results? Read on to find out!

The browsers and versions included in the test are:

Firefox: v3.5.7, Internet Explorer: v8.0.6001.18828, Google Chrome: v4.0.249.78 (36714) Safari: 4.0.4 (531.21.10) 

Keywords:

I needed a couple unsuspecting keywords… I figured it best to use more than 1 keyword just to make sure the results were not impacted somehow by the keyword in question.  I chose “Indian motorcycles for sale” (the bike I learned how to ride on was an Indian) and “android phones” because I LOVE my new Droid Eris.  Worth noting: I have not recently done any Google searches for either of these keywords.

The 10 Tests:

Below are the tests I performed.  For clarification purposes “as is” means my browsers in the current state they were in. Nothing changed, cleared, modified. Just open and go.  And, for the record I use Firefox 98% of the time so it had tons of history, a number of toolbars installed and lots of cookies. Also, you will see references to the “personalization query” in the tests. In this instance I appended “&pws=0” to the end of the url Google generated, manually telling Google to turn off personalization for this query.   As you may or may not know, personalization is "on" by default now. That’s why it was important for me to use this command and ensure true results.

• Test 1:  Google each keyword using google.com on all 4 browsers “as is” signed out of Google with Google Toolbar installed, record the top 3 results
• Test 2:  Google each keyword using google.com on all 4 browsers “as is” signed in to Google with Google Toolbar installed, record the top 3 results
• Test 3:  Google each keyword using google tool bar on all 4 browsers “as is” signed out of Google, record the top 3 results
• Test 4:  Google each keyword using google tool bar on all 4 browsers “as is” signed in to Google, record the top 3 results
• Test 5:  Google each keyword using google.com on all 4 browsers “as is” signed out of Google with Google Toolbar installed, using the personalization query
• Test 6:  Google each keyword using google.com on all 4 browsers “as is” signed in to Google with Google Toolbar installed, using the personalization query
• Test 7:  Google each keyword using google.com on all 4 browsers with the cookies and cache cleared signed out of Google with Google Toolbar installed
• Test 8:  Google each keyword using google.com on all 4 browsers with the cookies and cache cleared signed in to Google with Google Toolbar installed
• Test 9:  Google each keyword using google.com on all 4 browsers with the cookies and cache cleared signed out of Google with Google Toolbar uninstalled
• Test 10:  Google each keyword using google.com on all 4 browsers with the cookies and cache cleared signed in to Google with Google Toolbar uninstalled

The results:

Can we have a drum roll pleaseeeeeeee………I got exactly the same results every time with every browser regardless of the conditions!  Disappointing huh?  I was really hoping to have something to talk about after the tests but I don’t.  That’s it!

Conclusion:

For now,  all browsers seem to be serving up the same results in Google so rest easy at night knowing that although you may have to test your website design with different browsers you don’t have to test your SEO with different browsers.

Have you found differences in your search results between browsers? What tests have you run?

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One of the best sessions I attended during PubCon 2009 in Las Vegas was one about Competitive Analysis. In SEO and Internet Marketing, competitive analysis is most often used to try to discover how a more successful competitor is out ranking your business or website online. 

Many times by performing comprehensive competitive analysis you will find information and be able to develop strategies to better compete and/or over take your competitors market share on the web.

Strategies:

Competitive Analysis Tools

1. TrendWatching.com: http://trendwatching.com/            
2. MajesticSEO.com: http://www.majesticseo.com/
3. Trackur: http://www.trackur.com/         
4. Compete.com: http://compete.com/   
5. SeoBook Firefox Extension: http://tools.seobook.com/firefox/seo-for-firefox.html       
6. Social Media For Firefox: http://www.97thfloor.com/social-media-for-firefox/ 
7. Quarkbase.com: http://www.quarkbase.com/ 
8. Twitter.com: http://www.twitter.com  
9. Topsy: http://topsy.com/           
10. TweetMeme: http://tweetmeme.com/
11. Social Mention: http://socialmention.com/
12. Twitter Circles: http://twittercircles.com/
13. SeoRush.com: http://www.semrush.com/
14. Quantcast.com: http://www.quantcast.com/
15. DomainTools.com: http://www.domaintools.com/
16. Oodle.com: http://www.oodle.com/job/
17. WhosTalkin.com: http://www.whostalkin.com/               
18. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com

Posted by Chris von Nieda, Director of Search Marketing at Vertical Measures. Twitter: @SEO4Vertical

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As one of the 3 lucky Vertical Measures employees soaking in all the fantastic, valuable knowledge here at Pubcon 2009 in Las Vegas I wanted to share all the best SEO related information in a fast, clean uncluttered way.  I’m not going to spend a bunch of time writing a compelling intro, talking about Vegas or parties or who is here and why. There are no links in this post, opinions or plugs for anything or anyone. 

These are tips, information and recommendations you can start using right now to get more traffic to your site, rank higher in the search engines and better conversions. This is from the most credible sources in the industry so don’t question it, just take action as quickly as possible and enjoy the success!  If there is something below you are not familiar with, Google it.

1) On Site SEO: Glossary pages are good content for SEO

2) On Site SEO: Use footer links sparingly and only link to your most important pages. Don’t waste pagerank on content that is worthless.

3) Search: You need to get your site in to the blended search results using images and video. A picture is worth 1000 words and people are clicking on it.

4) Keyword Research: Use Google Insights to make sure the keywords you are focusing on do not have declining interest.

5) Analytics: Measure your brand traffic and keyword traffic separately.

6) Analytics: Are you ranking #1 (or trying  to rank #1) for a keyword that will not provide any real benefit to your business? Check that.

7) Keyword Research: Perform ongoing keyword research. The way people search changes.

8:) Competitive Analysis: Read competitors press releases. Are they using words that may change the way people search? Think "Kleenex, Xerox, Dell"

9) Keyword Research: Use Google Trends to check traffic trends in different markets.  There may be emerging opportunities in other geographic areas..

10) Keyword Research: How long will it take to get a keyword converting? Will it be worth it when it does?

11) Launching a new product that doesn’t exist in the market yet? Associate it with one that does to make people more comfortable with it.

12) Landing pages: put the call to action above the fold.

13) Landing pages: keep forms above the fold and make them as short as possible

14) Conversions: 3% to 5% is decent

15: Bounce rate: 30% is good, 50% is ok, 70% needs work

16: Search: 80% of queries are informational. Give them the information they want and then lead them where you want them

17: Forms: make sure there are no questions they can’t answer or they will leave

18: Does your "Thank You" page cross sell or further engage? It should.

19: User experience: Screen size and resolution matters. Test, test, test

20: Local search: Just because you are closest doesn’t mean you get the business. You need to build your brand too. Build trust.

21: Local search: Pull out your phone and do a search for your business. What happened?

22: Local search: neighborhoods matter

23: Local search: Pull out your cell phone and search for your business. What happened? (duplicate)

24: Local Search: neighborhoods matter. Are you optimizing for a "bad neighborhood"?

25: Local Search: point your browser to getlisted.org and follow the instructions

26: Local search: Add photos and video to your local search listing

27: Local search: include city & state in the title tags

28: Even negative reviews help your rank. It’s all about the numbers

29: Offer an Incentive for reviews

30: Sign up to watch a video worked much better than sign up to download a white paper

31: 80% of your visitors will fill out an "optional information" form after completing your call to action

32: Most visitors will not watch more than the 1st image of a rotating image.

33: Your marketing purpose must be the #1 goal of your website

34: 7 choices tops for your main navigation. Too much = no choice

35: Don’t use a final forward slash on your URL’s

36: Buttons should never say "Submit". Try "Download Now", "Start Free Trial", "Request More Information"

37: When building links make sure they have a random life

38: Link magnets are more productive than link begging

39: Local Search: Local business’s need local links

40: Text links in a page carry more weight than alt text

41: Link Building: No follow one link on a page and all become no follow

42: Link Building: The sequence of links on a page matters. Put the important ones on top.

43: Check your analytics for pages that are getting links and no traffic and redirect them.

44: Always be testing and measuring results. Before you change something get a benchmark.

45: The order of links in the code is more important than the order of links in the user experience

46: Surface conversations about your product, service or brand that are happening

47: Google’s technology is emerging to be able to read text in images. (Think picture of a newspaper page)

48: Google’s technology is also emerging to be able to understand words spoken in Video and index the transcripts.

49: If you are going to do video write the script with keywords in mind

50: If you use a map on your site embed a real map versus using an image.

I hope you found this information useful!  Visit http://search.twitter.com and type in #pubcon to hear the chatter all around Vegas.  Posted by Chris von Nieda, Director of Search Marketing at Vertical Measures. Twitter: @SEO4Vertical

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When most of us think about website analytics we think of charts, graphs, numbers and probably Google right?  What if I told you there is a company called ClickTale who has the technology to put a camera on your website visitors shoulder pointed at their monitor and feed back to you a video of exactly what they did while they browsed your website.  Would that be of value to you?  I think so!

Think about it…how great would it be to actually "watch" what they clicked on, how long they stayed on a page, what path they took through your website and if they encountered any problems along the way.  Better yet watch as they fill out a form or add items to their shopping cart and "see" exactly what they are doing.  You are probably asking yourself now, how could this be? No one can do that?  That is too good to be true! Think again…I give you "ClickTale".  If I have already peaked your interest and you can’t stand it anymore you can visit the clicktale website now. However if you would rather not leave yet and have about 2 minutes here is a Video for you to watch to learn more about this amazing service!

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