I digress; here’s the latest feature I’ve noticed on the UK version of Google:

Nothing spectacular? In itself, no but when you take into consideration Googles acquisition of ITA there a new source of revenue/data gathering potential becomes visible. Online shoppers are well aware that, in many cases, you can buy goods from abroad for less than you can in the UK. Yes, there is tax to be paid but does everyone really pay it?

Travellers have long known that there are huge savings to be had on flight tickets when you buy them overseas i.e. instead of buying a ticket from the UK to the US from a British tarvel agent you buy the same ticket from a US supplier. It could just be another conspircay theory but do you really think Google does something like this without having a price tag assigned to it?

As SEO’s/link builders we’ve now got an even more impressive array of weapons in our link building arsenal. It’s time to start using them.

I’m going to cite Ontolo as an example of what you can expect to pay. First off, let me add that they do offer an exceptionally versatile set of free tools which certainly help you in your travels.

Prices start at $297 per month which is no small amount when you’re just starting out. Admittedy, the tools are exceptional (in particular the ‘Most linkworthy content’ tool which helps you to structure killer content that can become pillar articles for your site). As an added bonus, Ontolo also produce some very indepth guides and tutorials on how to research and build great content. One tip for anyone heading over to their site is to check out their Ultimate Guide 2 Ultimate Guides post – great stuff.

Ok, so we’ve established that many of us newcomers to marketing/SEO can’t afford to pay for these tools so what are the alternatives?

For me; it’s SEO for FireFox and the good old Google operators. I had a quick look at Ontolo’s ‘Content Research’ section and came up with an idea that replicates (sort of) what they’re doing. Here goes….

Scenario: I’m looking for websites/pages that rank highly for running shoes so I bounced this query across Google:

intitle:”running shoes” intext:”running shoes” +”follow us on twitter” +contact

What we’re looking at here is a search for any page/site that has the phrase ‘running shoes’ in the title tag and body of content. I then added ‘follow us on *’ and ‘contact’ to locate pages that have links to their twitter account and a contact page.

Once you have all the data in front of you, use SEO for FireFox to export it into a csv file and start tracking down those link opportunities.

Ok, I know it’s a little rough around the edges and you do need to do some manual work to see more information on how pages gain authority but it’s a cheaper way of doing your link building research.

P.S. Garrett, I love your work but can’t afford to buy the tools… yet

The Roman legions moved slowly into battle, shields interlocked with their swords ready for combat. On contact with the enemy, they would raise their shields to form a turtle-like structure and then stab at exposed areas such as the upper legs and groin. The obvious advantage the legions had was a disciplined approach to warfare: a rigourous fitness regime combined with constant training in combat produced an Empire that covered most of the known world of the time.

Compare this to the average barbarian. Before going into battle, the barbarians normally massed together, got really drunk then charged the enemy – it probably looked like a parody of the Anthill Mob! Most of the barbarian tribesmen carried huge axes or long swords which were ideal if you were going one to one with Mr Germanic lunatic from another tribe but was useless against the Romans.

The two ‘doctrines’ were polar opposites: the Romans primary aim was to incapacitate the enemy and mop up afterwards. The barbarians simply wanted to cut your head off, pickle it and talk to it on long, lonely winter nights (I made this bit up).

I know you’re wondering where this all fits in with your keyword research, right? We’re going to emulate how a Roman would probably approach the research.

Aim Low, Not High

Remember how the Romans aimed for the lower, unprotected regions of the body? We need to do the same with our keywords. Most of the short tail phrases are intensely competitive so we need to be stabbing the giants in the groin rather than slashing wildly at his neck. Like the Romans, we’re aiming to chip away at the edges until we can deliver the killer blow. Once we dominate the long tails in our niche then we can move forward to the big stuff.

Training

Train yourself. There’s no need to march 20 miles a day but you do need to teach yourself the ins and outs of keyword research. Dig deep into the longtail phrases and find the words people are searching for. Once you’ve identified your markets, bring your copywriting up to speed – you’re going to need content that, like the Gladius, stabs at the ‘low hanging fruit’ (that made my eyes water) with the specific aim of incapacitating your opponent.

The Keyword Shield

Interlocking shields protected the Roman legionnaires from enemy spears, swords and axes. Build yourself a shield with your long tail phrases and the interlock them by linking between your pages. Like the Romans formations, your website will be reinforced with (link) strength flowing between your interlinked pages.

So, give me your thoughts. Can you go one better than keyword research, Roman style?

In both cases, yes! Retailers like Comet, Currys, Dixons, etc, are the first stop for online shoppers looking to pick up bargains on things like new LCD TV’s, media centres, appliances, etc. So how does this help the average marketer? Simple: roll up your deals with your discount codes!

This is an obvious departure from the niche marketing and requires more effort but there’s method in the madness of doing more work. Ok, so your website ranks no.1 for, say, the Sony KD32EX403U LCD TV (that’s one of my links that I couldn’t resist…). You’re getting lots of traffic – 400/500 hits per month – but you’re making almost no sales. Problem? Discount code websites.

The internet shopper is savvy; they know how to find the latest deals and bargains. They also know how to do research so your stats are reflecting their initial research phase where they’re digging up info on a specific product. Deeper searches will use modifiers such as, reviews, specs, etc. Once the shopper is armed with all the information they need it’s time to search for… a discount/coupon code. Here’s where you can win.

Many niche markerters use price comparison units which, whilst good, don’t compensate for online buyers who are looking for coupons. The simple solution here is to add a coupon to your site. You could a retailer specific page linked to from you product page. Why not make it simpler for the shopper? Stick the voucher right beside the retailer. Make it easy for the buyer and watch your conversions rise.