These are some of the tools I use when I am selecting a new niche. Whether it is for a blog, a website or an ecommerce store, you must select a niche that is searched regularly and has low competition. These tools will help you generate long tail keywords; those three and four keyword phrases which are very, very specific when trying to focus in on a low-competition niche.
Google Keyword Planner
Keyword Planner is a free Google Ads tool for new or experienced advertisers that’s like a workshop for getting started in keyword research. You can use Keyword Planner to search for keywords and see how a list of keywords might perform.
Google Keyword Planner gives you two options to get started, which are:
- Find keywords: Get keyword ideas that can help you reach people interested in your product or service;
- Get search volume and forecasts: See search volume and other historical metrics for your keywords, as well as forecasts for how they might perform in the future.
These days, Google unfortunately prompts users for ad campaign and credit card information before granting access to the Keyword Planner. But, there is a quick and easy workaround.
1. Go to Google Adwords here.
2. Skip Google AdWords’ guided setup.
- Once you’re on the AdWords page, do not click “Continue” — doing so will take you to the campaign setup process, for which there is no back button. If this happens, you’ll need to restart the process with another email address.
- Instead, click “Skip the guided setup.”
3. Find “Keyword Planner” on the AdWords dashboard.
- To access the Keyword Planner, click on the wrench icon in the dashboard’s upper right corner. From there, you’ll find “Keyword Planner” listed as the first option under the “Planning” heading.
I believe you need to have a personal Google account to use this workaround. If it doesn’t work and you still can’t access this FREE site, I suggest you do a Google Search for the latest fix.
Google Trends
Google Trends is a website by Google that analyzes the popularity of top search queries in Google Search across various regions and languages. The website uses graphs to compare the search volume of different queries over time.
The website also provides additional information on Interest by Subregion (so you may want to only target regions specifically searching this niche), Related Topics and Related Queries.
I recommend you play around in Google Trends and familiarize yourself with this tool.
MOZ Keyword Explorer
Keyword Explorer helps you figure out what keywords people are searching, what keywords you’re already ranking for, the demand for certain searches, and the strength of other sites competing for your target keywords.
Starting your keyword research is as simple as typing your keyword or website into Keyword Explorer.
Do you sell fishing gear? Type in “fishing gear”. After you have entered your keyword in the search bar, you’ll see a Keyword Overview Report with keyword metrics for your searched keyword. The report provides information on Monthly Volume, keyword difficulty (competition), organic Click Through Rates (not necessary to understand at this time) and Priority (prioritizes keyword based on all above metrics). The report also provides:
- Keyword Suggestions
- SERP Analysis (later!)
- Mentions
- Find Keywords by Site
- Top Ranking keywords
- Ranking Distribution
You can sign up for a couple of free trials of the software (10, I think) but then it becomes very costly. Not a strong recommendation!
Further information and resources are available on the MOZ website.
Niche Laboratory Pro
Niche Laboratory Pro is a niche research tool that allows you to find valuable opportunities for making money online. You can research entire niches in seconds. Find long tail keywords, related niches and a lot more.
You can use the free website version by typing your keywords into the box at their website then click on the Run Niche Laboratory Lite button. After a minute or two the Niche Laboratory will then generate you a report with a lot of useful information about your keywords. You can use this report to give you ideas when brainstorming a new micro-niche site.
Or for a one-off payment of $10, you can purchase the Pro version which generates a much wider-ranging report than the free version. Purchase options include Clickbank if you want to purchase by credit card or PayPal or you can purchase with Stripe at JVZoo. All of these options are available on the website.
Although it is clunky, I use this tool all the time. It costs $10 for the full version but the amount of information it provides is exceptional.
Jaaxy
With over 500 Million “brand new” search terms being searched every day, it is important that you have a keyword tool that can offer accurate traffic, competition, and domain insights into billions of keywords. Jaaxy is that tool.
With the Keyword Research Tool, you are going to be able to quickly discover unique, hot and untouched keywords that you will then be able to use to drive your SEO and PPC campaigns to new heights.
There are literally millions of niches online, many of which have little to no competition. Having access to the Brainstorm, Affiliate Search, and Alphabet Soup platforms within Jaaxy are going to give you true insights into brand new niches…without you having to do the dirty work.
Whether you are looking for a new business idea or looking to dig into the deepest corners of your existing niche, Jaaxy is going to be your power tool.
Jaaxy is my “go to” tool and I use it on a daily basis. You can sign up and get 30 searches completely free. Prices for a full membership vary depending on the level you request but there always seem to be ongoing promotions and you should be able to join for around $19/month.
Conclusion
I use most of these tools on a regular basis. I love the information that MOZ’s Keyword Explorer provides, but the price tag will be a challenge when the freebies run out. If you can afford it, Jaaxy is a great tool and will really help you hone in your perfect niche.
Any of these tools will help you in selecting a niche if you are low on ideas. Start out with a single keyword and use the suggestions the software provides to dig deeper and deeper.
If you need any more help or would like to suggest the software you use, drop me a comment below.
