There is a free tool that people forget to use for keyword research. Google have the most searches on the internet, so the information in their database is likely to be the most accurate because it’s based on a larger database.
https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
Wordtracker
The paid tool that many small business owners use is Wordtracker. They have a free version too. It has a smaller database than Google but is very good at helping you to identify related phrases and decide whether a keyword is worth targeting.
Wordtracker offer a 7 day free trial you can use the full tool free for 7 days with this link.
http://lynnelee.com/wordtracker7daytrial
Keyword Elite
People who use ppc might prefer Keyword Elite. It's a powerful research tool with lots of features and there is no monthly fee.
http://lynnelee.com/KeywordElite/
Nichebot
I use Nichebot, because it’s more powerful than Wordtracker, drawing on data from Google and Wordtracker and Yahoo. They provide video tutorials that show you how to do effective keyword research and they offer a 14 day trial for $1
Keyword Research Strategy
Ideally, you’re looking for phrases that are searched for a lot but don’t have many web pages dedicated to them. And you‘re looking for as many relevant phrases as possible - the more ways people have of finding your site, the better.
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Choose a keyword tool you feel comfortable using and set time aside to do some brainstorming.
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Gather a master list of keyword phrases, check out the competition for those phrases and then build pages around your chosen keywords.
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Be sure to optimize each page around its own keywords. Don't use the same keywords for each page.
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The more pages you have with keyword rich content the more entry points there are to your site.
If keyword research seems like hard work, or you'd rather not spend the time doing it, you could hire someone to do it for you. It's a worthwhile investment.
