How To Use Google's Keyword Search Tool
92Are you looking for tags to use in your hub?
So was I, until I polled the experts here to set me on the right path and then did a little bit of research on my own. It seems everyone is more than willing to tell you where to go, but once you get there you realize you forget to ask them what to do when you get there, and find yourself feeling too embarrassed to inquire any further.
Wonder no more, as I will share the knowledge I have slave over finding for several years (well, okay, several days - but it felt like several years). I will also tell you the importance of having great tags ... and I'll tell you it right now ... more outside traffic and the possibility of a better payout.
We'll get to how tags generate better traffic and payouts, but first we need to all know something ... there is no great cabal that exists to keep any of this information secret. Every senior hubber points us to the shiny brass ring, realizing – given enough time – we will all figure it out on our own. However, wouldn't it be nice if someone just wrote a hub explaining it all?
Certain that somebody already did, I looked all over for it and found some hubs that were close, but none that hit the mark. That's why I'm writing this, and I intend to include pictures to help everyone out. After all, if you're like me, the explanation goes over your head, but the pictures deliver the message.
Okay, enough of that. I'll get on with my explanation, but I want to take the time to let everyone know that I am learning (just like you) so I know someone will comment later that there are better ways to arrive at the same information I will help you find. All the better, as we all win if that happens. For now, I will share what I have learned in my short duration here, with the hopes it will work for some – or perhaps all of you.
What are tags?
Okay, so where do I go to find the good ones?
- Google AdWords: Keyword Tool
Glad you asked! For that answer you will need to open up another browser window and take a journey with me. The link above takes you to Google Adwords, where many great keywords can be found. I recommend bookmarking the site.
The Google Adwords Main Screen
What is Google Adwords?
For those not in the know, Google Adwords is a great site for seeing the earning potential of keywords. However, it's also a great place to discover possibilities. You see, you can type in phrases and see how many hits they get, or you can allow it to comb through your hub and offer ideas (wheels turning? They should be).
Let's begin by doing a standard keyword search. I created a hub about publishing short stories and I want to try out some keywords. I'll enter them into the search and we'll see what pops out. Sounds like fun, eh?
I started out with the two tags I chose when I created the hub, hoping to find better tags to use. (no offense, but the ones suggested on the Hubpages site don't tend to pan out well, and I certainly do not fault Hubpages for that – far better we learn to search for them ourselves).
With the information entered in (and you could enter more keywords that come to mind) we then enter in the characters we see in the picture and click the 'Get keyword ideas' button.
What you see before your eyes is a list of tag phrases, with a bunch of information following each one. Under each column is a question mark that will explain the term above it if you hover over it a few seconds. Of course, this information is not very useful to us – not yet. Let's add some more.
Click inside the box where it says 'Show/hide columns, and then click 'Show Estimated Avg CPC'. A new column shows up, aptly titles 'Show Estimated Avg CPC. So to speak, this is the average cost an advertiser pays each time a user clicks on an ad associated with that keyword. So, what does that mean in layman's terms? It's the cost the advertiser pays for each click … and part of that is kinetic profit, just waiting to roll down the hill to you.
Now, don't think for a moment that means a bigger dollar figure means you will get paid more. It doesn't necessarily have to roll like that, but it *does* mean Google values certain tags higher … and so should you … as those are the tags producing hits (and possibly revenue).
Click on this column until the higher numbers appear on top and then scroll down through. The ones with higher pricetags on them should be the ones that catch your eye. Look for any that match the content of your hub and write them down. As for the high ticket ones that don't match your hub … disregard them, as they might bring you traffic … and the ire of Google as well.
Even if Google never discovers your evil act, your users will, and they will run screaming away from your hub. Trust ole Yoshi when he tells you this … the secret of a successful hub is directing traffic to your hub that is already interested in the content that you offer, and there's no better way to do that than to pick tags (known on adwords as keywords) that identify strongly with the content of your hub.
There's a second option!
Ah, yes! Indeed there is, and I like this one even more than the first. Of course, I will allow it for you to decide which is better. Let's go back and choose the second option on the main screen.
Where it says ' Enter a webpage URL to find keywords related to the content on the page.' You will enter you’re the address of the hub page you are trying to find keywords for. Then, click the 'Get keyword ideas' button. You will then see this:
As you can see, things have changed. This time around, Adwords is making suggestions based on the content of your hub page. Of course, you still need to drill through them for ones that are appropriate and you need to bring up the Avg CPC to see which are worthy - and which are not. Let's check the CPC on these tags, shall we?
Adwords is easy to use
Now that I have shown you how, you need not fear looking up your own tags anymore. Once I complete this hub I intend to run it through Adwords to see what pops up and then tag it appropriately. After all, to teach one must also be willing to apply what is taught.
I hope this helps everyone out there, and if anyone has any questions, error corrections needing to be fixed, things I forgot to mention, or finds themselves still bewildered and confused, drop me a line and I will do what I can to help.
So, I hope I helped clear the fog for a few members out there and I will go on to share more in time, but I feel it best I learn more first - after all, a teacher must learn a subject well before sharing it with others.
In time, I will conjure up better ways to use this info Adword provides us, and when I do, you can be certain I'll share it all with you. Until then, keep hubbing ... and don't forget to feed the cat. ;)
An Important Addendum!
When I originally wrote this article I neglected to add a very important fact (I'm old, so be easy on me, eh?). So, here is the bonus money maker:
You want to use your keyword (or keyword phrase) on the URL line when you create your hub.
For example, let's say Maytag Washers is a good paying keyword you want to write about (I doubt it is, but you can check if you want). So, when you create the title for your hub, erase your URL line and type in your keyword or keyword phrase. Be aware that some will already be taken, so you might need to add a word i.e. reliable Maytag Washers.
If you do this one small trick, your hub stands a better chance of rising up the Google ladder. Just make sure you do it BEFORE you save your hub, as you will never get a chance to change the URL once you save your hub.
I can't believe I forgot to mention that before, but I am human after all (or so I hope). As such, those who previously read this article have my humble apologies for missing this very important sniglet of information. :)
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Comments
Thanks Shalini!
I hope to write more hubbing 101 articles as I discover more arcane secrets (there aren't really any secrets - just things that take time to learn).
My goal is to lessen the steep learning curve I experienced myself upon joining and, perhaps if I'm lucky, make a few new friends along the way. :)
Thanks so much for putting in lucid terms the morass that keywords are (at least for a technophobe like me). This has been very helpful indeed. I will of course have to return to this write up again and take myself thru the process. One baby step at a time :)
It does seem like a minefield to walk through, but once you walj through it a few times it all clicks in.
Update: I took one of my old hubs last night that wasn't seeing much outside traffic and applied method #2 on it - the hub's traffic is on a rise today. :)
very nice! alot of info I was curious about. I will be recommending this hub!
Thanks Janetta! I also just wrote one on using the Amazon box. It took me some time to make it useful, so I thought it best to share what I learned, to prevent others from suffering the same frustrations I experienced. :)
Your Amazon capsule hub is super too - there's no Comment Box though :)
Doh! I'll go fix that right away! :)
Thanks. I wondered what that website box was for on google adwords.
As did I, popintervention. And when I popped my first website address in there and saw what popped out ... well ... I considered being greedy and keeping the knowledge to myself, but that's just not my nature. :)
I wanted to add this update. My first day of adding this method to all of my hubs upped my outside traffic by 148%, so yes, even over a one day period it makes a significant difference in outside traffic. :)
Great hub, Yoshit. Very easy to understand and great information. It's in my bookmarks now.
Nice job, Yoshi. Nice flow and lots of great information.
Well done! Thanks for demystifying a lot of this for me. It was easy to understand, thankfully. Like Wordscribe, I'm bookmarking it for future reference.
Thanks everyone! Like you, I was mystified by the tags when I first joined Hubpages. Thankfully, it's easier to find good keywords than it would see. :)
This is an amazing resource for understanding tagging and how to use the AdWords tool.
Wonderful hub on using Adwords, I used them to find my keywords a lot of the time. Congrats on the hubnugget wanna-be status! :)
Thanks Cam Anju! To say I'm honored would be an understatement. :)
Thanks for the easy to understand information. I liked how you included the pictures. :D
Adwords can be helpful
Howdy Yoshi! Wow, so much information to someone who finds it hard to grasp all these things. I am bookmarking this one for reference. Thanks!
By the way, here is a wonderful news for you today! You are one of the Hubnugget nominees! Yeeha! This link http://hubpages.com/_143/hub/Get-In-Shape-For-Summ will explain more. Get moving and voting! Have fun with the nuggets!
Congratulations on your nomination, yoshi. Glad to meet you, and looking forward to reading more of your hubs.
Thanks Ethek, Ripple, and RedElf ... Now I need to thing of something else important to write ... any ideas? ;)
Wow, great hub, Yoshi! Very well written and easy to understand. You sure took the mystery out of tags for me. It takes so much time to learn your way around, so it's great when someone shares what they have learned. Thank you for sharing your hard-earned research with us! Congrats on your nomination!
Thanks DoodleLyn ... For my next project ... the meaning and purpose of life!
Oh wait, that would take a bit long to research, now wouldn't it - I better go with something a bit easier.
I'm a rookie, and you have opened up a new world for me. Bookmark for sure. You have served us.
Thanks Steve! I remember being a rookie not too long ago. It was a scary world until I started figuring things out.
Am I rich yet? Not even close, but I can see the forest through the trees, and it looks like I'm headed in the right direction for a nice source of supplemental income. :)
A method I often is Google's search suggestions. Simply start typing a keyword or phrase into Google's search box and it will suggest several phrases starting with the keywords entered so far. Coincidentially this also turns out to be a great inspiration for new hub topics.
Thanks for the tips, Yoshi, I tried to add some of the suggested tags to see how it works. Interesting to see how topics pay very differently. However, I found in a couple of my hubs that the suggested keywords did not really match the content.
Yes Kya, this is the rainy side of this technique. For some topics, the words focus the keyword generator off on a tangent and you need to work hard to find any keywords that are related. This mainly occurs when you are dealing with a topic that repeats a theme or series of words a lot.
Foir example, if you did a hub on Michael Jackson's funeral and then went on and on about this performance and that performance, you might find a lot of keywords revolving around performances, when the hub was really about the funeral itself.
In some instances I find this feedback useful, as it can tell you (in some instances) that you have focused your hub more on something else than on the material at hand, and other times it can show us just how non-human machines still can be.
Of course, when all else fails, you can enter a few phrases and see what adwords spits it. It's pretty hit and miss in nature, but some of the hits make the game worthwhile. :)
Good to know, that our brain is still in demand :)
I agree ... so long as we can outthink the machines, we continue to earn our right as the most sentient beings on this planet ... next to dolphins, of course. :)
Wonderful hub, Yoshi! I did not realize you can find average CPC from inside AdWords. Thanks! dawei888
Yep, average CPC is wondoerful for getting an idea on what keywords have the capacity to pay more than others and which are just ... um ... duds. :)
great hub indeed
all very technical now if you could put this into a poem, I may get through it...
I have hope again! I love puzzles and games, I knew hubbing was just a matter of figuring out the puzzle and the rules of the game. I would like to make money, but even so I am really enjoying, you know, talking with such a vast community. I have felt pretty much out of my element and was re-thinking this new undertaking, now I will keep with it.
Thanks for these tips. Too often we hear about selecting the right keywords and tags yet nobody really tells how to do this.
Welcome to Hubpages and congratulations on your nomination to Hubnuggets.
Your hubpage article is relevant and easily understood with the photos at each change in topic. Of course, I am familiar with the GoogleAdword Tool and the Google Keyword Search Tool but have never entered the URL in the website field as the Google "bot" would have scanned the document for popular internet searches.
I use the Keyword searches to add to the tags that is automatically assigned from the article. Whenever you update a Hubpage article, you are rewarded with increased readership as Google likes updates.
Also it's a good thing to add web links within the content but no more than two or the hubpage could be flagged as over promotional.
I shall enter the appropriate website of the hubpage article needing keywords because of the information provided. Your contribution to the hubpage community and especially to learning more about keywords is much appreciated.
I am familiar with Adword, but never thought of using it for hubpages. Thanks yoshi97 for showing the light.
These are really brilliant tips.
This is da best hub I have read on adwords. Thanks a ton for sharing. Keep rolling in da good ones
Thank you very much for this heads up. After playing around with some words including google, I suspect you are diabolically clever.
haha! I like that ... diabolically clever! Unfortunately, I'm just someone who studies the heck out of something until it makes sense then spoons out what I learn to others. Still, I do appreciate the complement. :)
Using slightly or niche-related keywords as one's hub's tags is a good idea, something many hubbers may not have thought of. It's good to start with a niche, and to find keywords, and then write articles around those keywords. The temptation of course is in using niche-related keywords that are hard to use naturally in a sentence, like those misspelled keyphrases. Good hub.
Great Hub. I was using the site and had no idea of the other features before I read this. Thanks.
Geez, I think I've been doing it all wrong! Thanks for putting me on the right track.
really thorough and useful hub, thanks
thank you for a brilliant hub!
Great hub, but I don't see any Ads by Google, what gives? Your hub is bookmarked for future reference.
OH MY GOSH!YOU ARE TERRIFIC,SUPERB,EXCELLENT...I AM SORRY I DON'T KNOW HOW TO EXPRESS.YOSHI,I WAS SO CONFUSED FOR EVERYTHING,IT SEEMS LIKE GOD HAS SENT YOU TO HELP NEWBIE LIKE ME.I SWEAR I MEAN THIS BECAUSE NOBODY GAVE ME SUCH AN EXPLATION TILL NOW,ESPECIALLY BECAUSE OF YOUR SCREEN SHOTS THIS IS REALLY REALLY GOOD.THANKYOU VERY VERY MUCH TO SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE WITH EVERYBODY.NOW WHENEVER I SIGN ON HUBPAGES I FIRST MAKE SURE THAT I READ YOUR HUBS ABOUT THESE KIND OF INFORMATION AS I FEEL THIS IS JUST GREAT GREAT GREAT
THANKS AGAIN
MITALI KADAKIA
Thank you Yoshi for this excellent information. I'm going to redo the keywords for all of my hubs using the Adwords Keyword tool, then march onward and upward into the HubPages 30-hub challenge. I have learned a ton from your hub. Thank you thank you thank you!
What can I say other than 'nice work'. Oh yes, and you have a new fan.
Great information. Thanks!
I joined hubpages 4 weeks ago and I have to say this article had helped a lot. Very useful tips! Thanks.
Thanks to everyone! I'm still doing more research, as I'd like to do another hub to take this info to the next level ... but as they say, we need to start by explaining the basics before we find a way to present the advanced stuff. :)
Thanks Yoshi, I bookmarked this so I can refer back to the URL idea. Good work.
hello Yoshi,
This is superb, but it has not yet answered all my question which is, after carrying out all these research, how do you enter it in the add tags column in an alphanumeric way, cos ave not been able to publish my hub, they wont let me go any further until i fix d errors. please i await your answer.
frestuffvendor
On the right side of your hub you will see a textbox to type in your tags. Type them in one at a time and click the 'add tag' button.
I hope this helps. :)
Thank you, Yoshi, for answering my question! And, thank you for this great hub! :)
No doubt its a brilliant tool. Great set of tips.
Thank you! That's a lot of useful information.
Thank you for this hub. It helped me out. I am new so I need all the help I can get!
Hey Yoshu97,
Thanks a lot for your articles/hub pages. I have read your both articles and have learned a lot. I would like to know a more about the second method that you talked about in this hub page. You said to enter your address of the hub page you are trying to find keyword for.
Here my question is : How do you know the URL Address when you have not finished creating your page? You are just trying to find your keywords. Could you please explain this matter.
Other than that your article and the video that you posted from WWW.InternetMarketingSmarts.com are fantastic.
Thanks
Kamrul
kochi97@gmail.com
Standard Info
Standard Info ... the second method is for finding tags ... not keywords. It's best to get your keyword before writing your hub and then when you finish your hub use your URL for your page to generate your tags (the keywords you chose on the right side of the screen).
These tags will help you cue adsense on what ads are more appropriate for your page, though page content also plays a big role in things. It also helps other hubbers find your page, which helps get the page count rolling. :)
Thanks yoshi, you are truly a selfless guru helping us all out like that.
Just bookmarked your wonderful and generous hub... :)
Thank you very much Yoshi...
Yoshi just use this hub of yours in one of my Hub in in guiding the newbies... Thanks... :D
If you feel like you don't like the idea feel free to say it to me hehehehe... :D
No problem General. I posted this to help other hubbers, so I don't mind the information being shared around. :)
Really helpful i didn't know How To Use Google's Keyword Search Tool i had just a little bit idea of this but after read this article i can say i got very good tips and idea's for Google's Keyword Search Tool.Thanks..........
You're welcome! :)
Thanks a lot this hub is my current fave, I am playing along with the tool for already two weeks now and it was a total blast. Thanks a lot yoshi and Happy New Year too, Buddy!!!
You're very welcome - I'm currently using another program that is even better - I'll share on that in the new year. :)
Shalini Kagal says:
6 months ago
That's one of the best articles I've read on how to use Adwords - thank you!
And welcome to HubPages - look forward to reading many more of your hubs.