I truly believe that small business owners should be able to do as much of their own research, Search Engine Optimization, and marketing as they want to do. A couple of tools have been introduced the past year or so that makes this easier than ever, and I wanted to take the opportunity to put them up here so everyone can use them. There are paid versions as well, which you are welcome to buy if you find the products useful, but I always think you should try things out first, especially if internet marketing isn't your primary business.
Market Samurai is still my favorite research tool-- they have a comprehensive "dojo" where you can learn in detail all the different things this program can do, and it's great even if you just want to feel confident about the words you're putting into your site. Here is the free trial>>
http://bit.ly/c2nRZq Here is one I'm trying out (while it's free): expert marketer Ryan Deiss has developed a "Cherry Picker" software that tells you the competitiveness of your chosen word or niche. This is an interesting angle, and I always like to see what Ryan comes out with. Here's the link to download his free report, after which you'll be invited to download the software (also free):
http://bit.ly/ckWSJW
