other free keyword toolsWant some other free keyword tools to use for your SEO?

As you may have noticed, the Google Keywords Tool is no longer available for any business to research popular Google search words for their SEO efforts. You can only access the Google Keyword Planner if you have a Google Adwords account, however there are some other alternatives that I personally use for SEO.

Google Trends

In Google Trends, select the “Explore” option from the column on the left. You will then be taken to a page that says, “Explore Trends” and above it you will see a white box called, “Add Term”. Type in your search word, and you’ll get a list of the top seven search terms, related to your keyword, and the top rising searches, plus the most popular places in the world these keywords are being searched. You are best to go over and change the time and location options, so you can really narrow in on when and where your keywords are being searched.

Google Autocomplete

In the Google search box, you can always start a phrase and the most popular endings will show up in a drop down menu. For example, type in “How to” and the most popular searches come up in order such as “How to Tie a Tie”, “How to Cook Quinoa”, “How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies”, “How to Twerk” (so you can see they are timely). The problem is you do not get the words that come before the keyword, only the ones that come after.

Google Related Searches

If you want to get the most popular keywords/adjectives that come before your keyword, you can simply type your keyword in Google and then scroll to the bottom and see the Top 8 Related Searches. So if you type in “necklace” in the Google search box and then scroll to the bottom of the page you will see “Teething Necklace”, “Pandora Necklace”, “Necklace for Men”, etc.

Google Shopping

Want to know what people are looking to buy? Go over to Google Shopping, and using the Google Shopping search box, try their autocomplete to see what comes up. For example, I typed in “d” and I got “dress” “Disney Infinity” “digital camera” “dehumidifier”. You can be more specific and type “backpack” for example, and you will get “backpack diaper bag”, “backpack purse”, “backpack with wheels”, and “backpack cooler”. Great insight into the product features that buyers are looking for.

Other Free Keyword Tools

Google Trends Helps You See Popular Keywords and Which Ones are Rising in Popularity

FINAL WORD: So you see, Google does still offer you some other ways to find out what its users are looking for. You won’t get the actual statistics of how many searches, as with the Keyword Tool, but you may get new information about your market, such as features customers are looking for, or what new trends are coming, and that is important data as well.

If you need more easy and affordable ways to market (and grow) your small business, be sure to download one of my 12-Month Marketing Plans that’s right for your small biz.

© 2013 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Other Free Keyword Tools