With the right tools, Keyword Exploration is straightforward. Tools like Wordtracker (a subscription based service) offer the capability to seek out keyword Semantic Variations and Popularity. The service lists similar keyword phrases and the number of search conducted across the 90th percentile of search per day.

However, as helpful as these tools are, they are not perfect. The sources for their data are typically based on a small sampling that may not represent the demographics of a served market. Some services source from foreign country search engines, others from the United States. Even with their flaws, they are the best resources for discovering keyword variations and estimating popularity.

Another helpful metric is the Pay-Per-Click (PPC) cost for a given keyword. Both Yahoo and Google offer tools to estimate the cost associated with a specific keyword, and define the relative market value. Higher prices, mean greater the perceived value for that keyword. Greater perceived market value correlates well to more intense organic optimization.

Keyword Relevancy is a measure of the average users intent. It is complex because keywords mean different things to different people. For example, “ball” may refer to a spherical object or a special event? Or, “java” may refer to a coffee bean, an island of Indonesia or a server script language? Without additional information, these keywords are ambiguous. Searchers may start a search using a single keyword term, but commonly refine their search by adding addition terms to form a keyword phrase. For example, “java” becomes “java bean” or “java software”. “Ball” becomes “soccer ball” or “formal ball” or “dance ball”. More terms reduce keyword phrase ambiguity.

At best, keyword Relevancy is subjective. Keyword tools can help provide some level of understanding by examining related phrases.

For example, consider the keyword “hot plate”. The list of related phrases helps define the typical user’s intension.

Read more about choosing keywords here.