Keyword Research

Selecting the right keyword / keyphrases is massively important. If a web site is built around keywords that nobody is looking for or for which there is huge competition, the chances of it failing are very high. Therefore keyword research is something that needs to be conducted as early as possible in the preparatory stages, and definitely before considering the layout and content of the site.

Web sites are normally established for purposes other than AdSense. On one hand it may be to promote a company’s activities or services, on the other it may be to share interests with likeminded people, or any number of other reasons.

If a site is set up with AdSense revenue being the primary reason, it is important to recognize that ideally it should be based on a topic which the publisher is interested in because it makes the ongoing upkeep of the site so much easier, in other words it is a joy rather than a job.

Obviously where the AdSense Study project is concerned this is a little different. Those of you that have been following the progress will know that the study group have set some targets designed to test the earning potential behind AdSense on a single web site. Consequently the group can’t allow itself to be restricted by the luxury of selecting subjects that are near and dear.

If when researching various keywords it transpires that a niche is found that one of the group is interested in it will, however, be a bonus.

Keyword criteria

• Average Bid Price
• No. of Google Ads
• No. of Searches
• AllInTitle
• KEI2
• PageRank #1, #2, #3 & #10
• Back Links #1, #2, #3 & #10

Let’s now look at each of the above criteria in greater detail.

Average Bid Price

The higher this value the more you’ll be paid each time a visitor clicks on your AdSense ads.

We will be going for reasonable high value keywords, BUT if you are new to AdSense DO NOT blindly create an AdSense site around a high paying keyword! This is because a high paying keyword is also a VERY COMPETITIVE NICHE!Unless you are an expert in Search Engine Optimization, we suggest you stay away from high paying keywords initially.

If you are new to AdSense publishing, the best niches to target are those with average bid prices of between 2 and 5 US dollars.

Number of Google Ads

We are looking for a niche with a high inventory of AdWord ads. Preferably 10 plus.

Remember, NOT ALL Google Ads that show up in the Google search results will show up as an AdSense ad on your content-targeted web site. This is because a lot of AdWords advertisers switch-off “content-targeting”… meaning they specifically DO NOT want their ads displayed on content-targeted web sites like yours.

If you build an AdSense site around a niche with too few Google Ad inventory, you may find your site showing AdSense Ads that are “Public Service Ads by Google” and do not provide you any revenue!

Searches

This tells us the number of times a keyword is searched over a given period.

Obviously, the higher this number, the better.

You’ll NOT want to build a site around a keyword that NO ONE is searching for!

AllInTitle

This tells us how many web pages contain the keyword in their title tag and is indicative of your “real” online competition.

So, the lower this number the better.

Try choosing a niche with less than 500,000 competing “AllInTitle” web pages, although this data should be analyzed alongside ‘Searches’ & ‘KEI2’ data.

KEI2

This tells us the effectiveness of a keyword in relation to the keyword ‘demand’ (i.e. number of ‘Searches’) and ’supply’ (i.e. ‘AllInTitle’ competing webpages).

A keyword with a KEI2 value of 100 or higher is considered a good keyword, although this data should be analyzed alongside ‘Searches’ & ‘AllInTitle’ data.

PageRank and Back Links

If you’re aiming for a top ranking for a keyword (which you should, in the medium to longer term), you’ll want to analyze the PageRank and number of Back Links of the top 10 web pages for that keyword.

To this end, you’ll want to target keywords where the top 10 web pages have a PageRank of 5 or less and have less than 500 Back Links.

Watch the FREE AdSense Study Group keyword research video.