June 3, 2010 – One of the methods we use to build a keyword list requires good, old-fashioned research. In the days of 4×6 notecards, library time was an essential first step. We recently learned about a shortcut that is rumored to be popular among some of the search engine optimization specialists. We wanted to share the process because it is a variation on some of the industrial-strength methods used by some firms that specialize in developing seed term lists.

The first step is to obtain a list of high traffic or important Web sites in a particular subject field. Most of the Web analytics firms publish these lists. We have seen them in the ClickZ newsletter. Then download a product called KeywordThief 3.0 from a shareware site like Brothersoft. (Note: we are not recommending this method. We want to call it to your attention. We are not making any guarantees about the method.)

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Once the KeywordThief has been installed, it will go to each site on the seed list, locate the keywords, and output a list of these words. Among the claims made for the software, which costs about US $20, are that it:

  • Extracts the keywords from the Keyword Metatag, from the sites listed in the SERPs (search engine result pages) of Google, AltaVista, Open Directory or other search engines.
  • Calculates the occurrence number and percentage of every keyword found.
  • Sorts the keywords in frequency or alphabetic order
  • Exports keywords into plain text file.

The system generates an ASCII file of terms. The developer’s Web site is here.

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