Crush the Competition – 10 Keyword Planning Tools for SEO

I was teaching a corporate SEO course recently. One of the things we talked about was finding keywords to help them rank on search engines. There is some science to the keyword ranking game, but most importantly it’s where you place those keywords that has the most impact. Here are some tips I shared with them.

Keyword Tools

Use these (mostly free) tools to help you find relevant keywords for your web pages, blog posts, image alt tags, and content.

1. Wordstream [https://www.wordstream.com/keywords?cid=Web_Blog_InContentTextLink_FKT]
2. Google keyword planner [https://ads.google.com/home/tools/keyword-planner]
3. Microsoft keyword planner [https://about.ads.microsoft.com/en-us/solutions/tools/keyword-planner]
4. Keyworddit [https://www.highervisibility.com/free-seo-tools/keyworddit]
5. QuestionDB [https://questiondb.io]
6. Google search console [https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2021/06/16/how-to-use-google-search-console]
7. Google trends [https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2013/09/18/google.com/trends]
8. SEMRush (free version) [https://www.semrush.com/blog/what-can-i-do-with-a-free-account-from-semrush]
9. KeywordTool.io [https://keywordtool.io]
10. Answer the Public [https://answerthepublic.com]

Title Tag Best Practices

1. Use the target keyword as close to the beginning as you can
2. Title length > 65 chars
3. Use one keyword phrase per title
4. Write compelling, shareable titles: title tags should make people want to click on your page to learn more

• • • Be specific
    • Why this page unique from your other pages
    • Do not use your company name in the title
    • Write for the user

The formula is Primary Keyword + Secondary Keyword

How to write a powerful title tag.

1. Think about the formula Primary Keyword + Secondary Keyword
2. Go to a browser and open a private or incognito window (top, right corner)
3. Enter a search term, like real estate investing
4. Scroll to the bottom of the page. What are people most often asking about?
5. Write a title based on that. Use it on your page or post, e.g., Real Estate Investing for Beginners – The Checklist
6. Go to https://moz.com/learn/seo/title-tag to see what it will look like in search engines.

Description Tag Best Practices

• Keep it > 160 characters
• Use active voice and make it actionable
• Include a call to action
• Use the focus keyword
• Ensure it matches the content on the page
• Make it unique for each web page, post, or piece of content.
• Use Easy Word Count [https://easywordcount.com ] to calculate its length.

Description Tag Formula

Here are some formulas that brands have used successfully and you can too.

Backlinko: This is a [content overview]. Learn how to get [specific benefit] from this [content description].

Example: This is a complete guide to on-page SEO. Learn how to get higher rankings with this in-depth post.

Deep Field Inc.: The [product name] is [product description]. [call to action]. Or, [call to action] [product name]. [product description]

Example: The White Nike Air 7000 is a lightweight yet supportive running shoe that will last for years. Shop now.

Example: Buy the White Nike Air 7000. This is a lightweight yet support running shoe will last for years.

Would you like me to speak at your conference or offer an in-person or virtual SEO training at your company? Complete the from on this page and let’s schedule the event.

Want more SEO tips, view:

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