Solutions to Find the Right Local Keywords

Using the "right" keywords in ad copy, marketing campaigns and website copy is one of the most important jobs a Web professional has, because it could mean the difference between a visitor and a buyer, as keywords must be relevant to why a visitor clicks on a search results (organic or paid), follows through with a referral link or goes directly to the site. 

That said, here are some of the top solutions that SEOs use to research the "right" keywords for their sites or their clients' sites.

SEMrush ($69.95/mo. - $549.95/mo.)

One of the best benefits of SEMrush is the ability to perform keyword research. With paid or organic search, it becomes easier to find related or exact-match keywords marketers can use for their campaigns.

Fernando Angulo, head of international partnerships at SEMrush, thinks the most useful report within its service is Ad Copies, because it displays a list of chosen competitors' websites' AdWords ad copies shown exactly as they appear in search results. What's more, users can leverage the Ad History report to further analyze how their competitors have changed their ads to make them more relevant for their audience.

Keyword Planner (Free)

Google AdWords Keyword Planner is where most SEO professionals start their keyword research, because it not only helps them find new keywords, but it also helps them plan their paid search budget and get insights for keywords (e.g. search volume data and trends and a click and cost performance forecast). SEOs can also see the level of competition for certain keywords to influence their campaigns. For example, "most reliable cars" is less competitive than "safest cars" yet "most reliable cars" gets more searches each month but has a higher suggested bid (at $1.27 compared to "safest cars" at $0.40).

Google Trends (Free)

Used for a variety of reasons, Google Trends can be leveraged for keyword research by comparing the popularity of search terms, seeing similar queries and viewing regional interest. A retailer selling tuxedos may want to broaden the keywords used to include the findings or use it to inform content creation, like a blog, "Best Short Prom Dresses for 2015."

Wordtracker ($27-$99/mo.)

For those looking for vast keyword options, Wordtracker is a good choice. Its tool produces more than 2,000 relevant keywords in a single search (Google's free keywords tool can list up to 200). This can help SEOs target niche markets based on relevant keywords and how competitive those keywords are.