Without a keyword plan, it’s hard to plan any online marketing or advertising initiative — nearly impossible. Inbound marketing, on Facebook or any other site, depends upon solid SEO, which is based on strategic keyword planning and usage. Content still matters, but if the right words aren’t used in that content, words and phrases that people are actually searching for, content by itself is limited.
This is where Google’s Keyword Tool used to come into play. By sharing search statistics and recommended keywords and phrases, marketers could easily formulate a keyword plan with specific outcomes and success as the result. However, since the Keyword Tool became the Google Adwords Planner, it’s become more difficult to find targeted results without becoming a paying customer. This doesn’t mean all is lost. There are alternatives for keyword planning, especially as it relates to Facebook advertising. Check out a few of the options below.
Keyword Discovery
Based upon statistics compiled from multiple search engines, Keyword Discovery is a research tool that allows users to properly optimize their content and meta tags while maximizing PPC campaigns. It creates a list of phrases and words that searchers use to find products and services similar to the ones offered by specific brands and gives information relating to words and phrases that drive traffic to competitors, giving users a one-up of sorts.
Available with a free trial to start, the service starts at $69.95 per month, with yearly discounts available.
If competitor’s plans are most important in your marketing scheme, Keyword Spy and SEMrush offer similar data points at a relative price point.
Advanced Web Ranking
Like Keyword Discovery, Advanced Web Ranking markets itself as a keyword research tool that combines data from search engine stats but it derives its data from other keyword tools and services — Google Adwords, Google Webmaster API, Google Trends, Wordtracker and Yahoo API Related Keyword Search, SEO Book Keyword Tool and more. Based on this information, brands are able to achieve efficient website optimization related to SEO browsers, content optimization, keyword priority and overall analysis. It’s a comprehensive tool that is unmatched by others.
Advanced Web Ranking is available for free for a 30-day trial, then offers lifetime memberships that range from $99 to $1499.
Wordtracker
For those interested in a free alternative to Google’s Keyword Planner, Wordtracker shares high-performing keywords through a simple interface that demonstrates high search traffic along with suggestions for phrases and additional keywords to enhance a campaign. Information on competition levels for specific keywords is also available.
A similar tool, also available for free is the WordStream Keyword Tool.
Ubersuggest
Ubersuggest takes the information available through searching on Google and Google Suggest and populates keyword lists based on popular searching. Results for images, news, shopping and more are also available. This free tool is basic yet useful for forming a Facebook advertising plan.
Keyword Eye
As a simple, basic tool, Keyword Eye offers a free way to simplify keyword research. The tool creates a visual display of keywords that increases and decreases in size based on search volume. This allows for 10 free searches a day with 100 results per search, for advertisers looking to simply hone in on their existing keyword plan, this is an excellent starting point. It’s also a great emergency backup generator for keywords.
While the limits inherent with Google’s Adwords Planner have changed the landscape of keyword planning for targeted advertising on social network, they have not made the process impossible. The tools above offer comprehensive keyword data that can be used by any brand looking to boost their advertising reach and effectiveness on Facebook.
To analyze your overall success, try out WebpageFX’s CrawlerFX tool, which calculates the score of your overall on-page SEO efforts.
