Hello!When I search for a keyword in singular(sometimes,but not always) I find that the number of competitions sites are 2 233 456(for example) and after that when I search for the same word in plural the number is - 222 345!My quesion is-if that means that this is a good niche to start with or not?
Keyword question?
- Thread starter supergo6o
- Start date
Those results are general references. It's not really your competition.
Competition is the amount of pages that try to optimize for a keyword.
A good way to find out if a keyword is competitive do the following searches for that keyword:
intitle:"keyword"
inanchor:"keyword"
If you see big numbers when doing those searches then you can say it's very competitive.
What number is too competitive for you i can't say because i don't know your experience with getting pages to rank, so that's really something for you to decide.
If you see a high amount of inanchor results versus a small amount of intitle search results, then you can say you're dealing with a very competitive keyword.
Because people optimizing their pages use anchor links when creating backlinks to their site/page.
Also, when you search for your keyword, how does the top 10 look like?
Do you see domains ranking? like domain.com or do you see pages ranking like domain.com/page-about.html
Do you see big company names in the top 10?
Big companies can afford big SEO campaigns and hire SEO professionals, so that is what you would be up against, something to think about.
On the other hand don't let that scare you off right away, analyze what makes their page or domain rank so well, and try to beat that.
Sometimes it's doable, sometimes it's virtually impossible.
But doing intitle:"keyword" and inanchor:"keyword" searches gives you a good idea of the amount of competing pages.
Competition is the amount of pages that try to optimize for a keyword.
A good way to find out if a keyword is competitive do the following searches for that keyword:
intitle:"keyword"
inanchor:"keyword"
If you see big numbers when doing those searches then you can say it's very competitive.
What number is too competitive for you i can't say because i don't know your experience with getting pages to rank, so that's really something for you to decide.
If you see a high amount of inanchor results versus a small amount of intitle search results, then you can say you're dealing with a very competitive keyword.
Because people optimizing their pages use anchor links when creating backlinks to their site/page.
Also, when you search for your keyword, how does the top 10 look like?
Do you see domains ranking? like domain.com or do you see pages ranking like domain.com/page-about.html
Do you see big company names in the top 10?
Big companies can afford big SEO campaigns and hire SEO professionals, so that is what you would be up against, something to think about.
On the other hand don't let that scare you off right away, analyze what makes their page or domain rank so well, and try to beat that.
Sometimes it's doable, sometimes it's virtually impossible.
But doing intitle:"keyword" and inanchor:"keyword" searches gives you a good idea of the amount of competing pages.
The difference is what you already pointed out, in singular and plural, if the results show different results as well, then you need to look at the results to judge the competitiveness of the singular or either plural.
If there is a significant difference , as in the plural having much less competition then the singular (viewing the results by doing intitle and inanchor searches) or vice versa, then it is less competitive in most cases.
If there is a significant difference , as in the plural having much less competition then the singular (viewing the results by doing intitle and inanchor searches) or vice versa, then it is less competitive in most cases.
Certain words the plural is more likely to be used, which means the singular may not have as many competing pages (or vice versa). But that also may mean that not very many searchers search for the singular. If the singular is 2 million less competing pages (am I reading your numbers right) then I suspect there could be an issue.
So use the free version of wordtracker and put in the root KW and see whether singular or plural is more often searched and weigh that into your calculations.
So use the free version of wordtracker and put in the root KW and see whether singular or plural is more often searched and weigh that into your calculations.
I always say that there's nothing wrong with a little competition. Otherwise, if there weren't any other people in the niche then it probably isn't a niche that makes much money. At this time in Internet history, there are so many ways to get your prospective customer's attention that I think it's ok to get into a moderately competitive niche.
Now, I'm not saying that you should jump in using the keywords "internet marketing" or something like that but some competition is OK, in my opinion.
Sheree
Now, I'm not saying that you should jump in using the keywords "internet marketing" or something like that but some competition is OK, in my opinion.
Sheree
Competition is a good sign of how viable the keywords are. Now opting to optimize them and have high rankings in SERP is a whole new ball game.
In cases when there are a lot of competition, it would seem that your keyword optimization would seem futile. The trick is to opt first for longer keywords and vary your anchor texts. You vie for the major keyword you are after while also vying for the long tail KW.
Just remember that your onpage factors(title, headings, meta, etc.) are attuned with your offpage optimization.
In cases when there are a lot of competition, it would seem that your keyword optimization would seem futile. The trick is to opt first for longer keywords and vary your anchor texts. You vie for the major keyword you are after while also vying for the long tail KW.
Just remember that your onpage factors(title, headings, meta, etc.) are attuned with your offpage optimization.
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