केय्वोर्ड टूल्स Discovery

In my early years as Internet marketer, I used couple of paid and free keyword tools to help me in my keyword research. The popularity of these tools in forums, yahoo groups, and SEO related websites convinces me to use them.

I then did a keyword research, bought a domain, write content, and launch a website based on the data reported from these tools.
Few months after launching and easily ranking first in Google in my target keywords, I learned my first big lesson in keyword research. That is— don’t put you faith on these tools. Their data are faulty. They may give you what you’re looking for but not “exactly” what you’re looking for.
Since then, I did a research of how and where these tools getting their data. Why are these tools so popular and vastly promoted?
So how and where these keyword research tools getting their data? Here’s the result of my research.

WordtrackerThis is the most popular paid tools out there. According to them, “Our database is entirely made up of Metacrawler/Dogpile queries for the past 130 days and makes up approximately 0.63% of the search engine market.”
source: http://help.wordtracker.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=66
With only less than 1% of search market, search count results can be diluted easily by any sudden search market swing.This tool may still be useful but they use big search engines only for competition research and not on their search volume count.

Keyword EliteClaims they uses Google and I believe so. But since there’s no API or direct access to Google keyword database, they’re just doing it manually in a browser level like every ordinary person does it using Google Adwords Keyword Tool. With billions of keywords out there, importing a substantial data manually from Google is an impossible task.
Here’s a quote from their web site:“The search engines listed below either provide their complete search logs and these are imported in full into our databases, or samples are collected directly at the browser level from our user panel and other sources.”

SeoBook Keyword ToolThey are using Wordtracker data so their reports are the same and using only 0.63% of entire search engine market.

NichebotClaims to use Google as source in their web site but does not exactly tell us how much of their data are from Google. They also use Wordtracker and Keyword
Discovery.

WordzeClaims to use Google, Yahoo, MSN Search, and AOL but like Nichebot they don’t tell us how much of their data from big search engines
Some of them tell you where are they getting their search count data but some of them completely ignore the importance of informing their users or subscribers of the fact about their data. Is there a conspiracy?

A sad fact, due to rapid changes in search engine marketing, there are still tons of books and website promoting the tools without precautionary advice. New to online marketing has to go through trial and error to realize errors in the reports.
Good thing Google Keyword tool now reveals the search count. But please note that the search volume count is the total count from Google website and all it’s search partner.


Kelvin Too
Fujitel Sales & Services