DAY 3 -- Fully Brainstorm Profitable Topics for Your Best Site Concept
SBI! Modules Used Today -- Brainstorm It!, Search It!
Your DAY 3 goal is to fully brainstorm and research your chosen Site Concept to develop your Site Content Blueprint.
Condensed Action Guide
This condensed version of the written Action Guide has all the essential elements of the full one. If you prefer to read and do not like too many details or fine points or distracting links, use this version. Close this window to return to the full guide.
Today's Action Steps
Time to mold "Site Concept" into "Site Content Blueprint." How?
- Complete the full brainstorm process on your Site Concept.
- Add more keywords to your Site Concept's MKL. (Optional)
- Steadily design your Site Content Blueprint.
- Finish Your Site Content Blueprint.
At the end of DAY 3, do a quick review of the Business-Building Checklist. (Adobe Reader is needed.)
Today's brainstorming and researching will more fully develop and define your Site Concept. You will...
- finish building a superb list of quality keywords related to your Site Concept (i.e., topics related to your niche). We call them Specific Keywords because each one will become the topic of a Keyword-Focused Content Page (KFCP). Your list will also include General Keywords (ones with a general focus, but that are related to your site's niche).
- know how much demand exists for each of those keywords, and how much real competition you face for each one.
- organize it all into a blueprint for your site's content ("Site Content Blueprint").
A General Keyword is usually one word (sometimes two) that is very broad in nature, too broad to be a Site Concept Keyword but which does relate to your Site Concept Keyword. For example, "travel" is a General Keyword for just about every destination site, and every mode of transportation. "Maps" is also a General Keyword, since it relates to destinations, travel, cars and car rentals, hiking and many other topics.
An architect creates a blueprint for the design of a building. The contractor does not start construction of the building when the architect has the plans only half done. He waits for the entire set of plans so that he has an idea of what needs to go here, what there, when he needs concrete, etc.
In the same way, by the end of DAY 3, you will have the blueprint you need to begin building your site (your "Site Content Blueprint"). You will be planning out which keywords will go where (TIER 2 or TIER 3), and how much you will be writing about each topic (how many TIER 3s for each TIER 2).
Fully analyzing your keywords and creating a complete Site Content Blueprint will pay dividends as you build your site, just as following the architect's plans pays dividends to the contractor, who is able to complete his project on time and on budget.
Let's get started...
Step 1 - Complete the Full Brainstorm Process on Your Site Concept.
On DAY 2, you did the Vertical Brainstorm > Site Concept Finder query, chose your Site Concept, and deleted all keywords related to the other Seeds Words. You now have an excellent starting list of keywords that contain your Site Concept Keyword, many of which will be the topics of future Keyword-Focused Content Pages ("KFCP," more on this below).
Your vertical-brainstormed keywords are usually your most important ones. Lateral brainstorming can stimulate new ideas for your niche, perhaps even give you a better idea for a niche, and will add depth to your Master Keyword List (i.e., more topics to write about).
If you really like your chosen niche and its list of keywords (and that niche has over 300 usable keywords in its list), you can, if you want, go directly to Step 3 (Steadily Design Your Site Content Blueprint) of DAY 3. Otherwise, proceed with a lateral brainstorm...
Vertical Brainstorming generates keywords that contain the Brainstorm Seed Word (ex., if you enter "anguilla," all brainstormed words will contain "anguilla" in them). You did this for your chosen Site Concept Keyword when you used the Site Concept Finder in DAY 2. These are likely to form the bulk of your most important keywords of your chosen niche.
Lateral Brainstorming generates keywords that are related to the Brainstorm Seed Word but do not contain it (ex., if you enter "anguilla," an example of a lateral word is "caribbean"). Lateral brainstorming is more "outside the box." It can point your niche in interesting new directions and add depth to your content.
Lateral Brainstorm To Grow Your Master Keyword List
Return to Brainstormer and begin a Lateral Brainstormer query...
STEP 1) Select Lateral Brainstorm.
A Lateral Brainstorm generates keywords that do not contain the Seed Word (ex., if you enter "anguilla," all brainstormed words will not contain "anguilla" in them -- St. Maarten is an example).
Brainstorm It! offers two types of Lateral brainstorming. Read the text in the gray area after clicking on each resource in Brainstormer to understand the difference between the Lateral Brainstormer and Ultimate Outside Lateralizer.
STEP 2) Select Lateral Brainstormer.
The Lateral Brainstormer visits the top 200 URLs that Google returns for the entered Seed Word. It brings back the keywords that other Webmasters brainstormed, excluding the keyword you entered (since keywords containing the Seed Word were already covered in the Site Concept Finder brainstorm during DAY 2).
STEP 3) Enter your Seed Word.
As usual, STEP 3 appears when you select the resource (in this case, Lateral Brainstormer). Enter your chosen Site Concept Keyword and click Brainstorm It!...
When the Lateral Brainstorm completes its work (which takes a few minutes because it visits the top 200 sites found in Google), you are sent to the MKL again.
All newly brainstormed words are in blue, at the top of your Master Keyword List ("MKL").
Don't be surprised at the incredible variety of lateral keywords. There's some garbage to delete, but some excellent new keywords, too.
Note: These "Top 200" Webmasters have different business goals and that's why you'll find great new keywords right after junk that has no relevance to your chosen direction.
Next...
Delete Irrelevant Lateral Keywords
Click on the Keywords heading label to sort your keywords in A-Z alphabetical order.
Go through your list of lateral keywords and add a check to words that are not relevant to your Site Concept...
Don't worry about Supply and Demand right now. Just check every keyword that has no relevance to your Site Concept.
What is a relevant keyword? Good question! Ask yourself if you could write a page about this topic that relates to your Site Concept. If the answer is Yes, keep it!
You'll notice two types of relevant keywords...
- related Specific Keywords (ex., "Bankie Banx" (famous singer), "Cap Juluca" (resort), "Barbados," "Caribbean real estate"), including common misspellings of your Site Concept Keyword (ex., "anguila" and "angulla")
- related General Keywords (ex., "car rental," "all inclusive," "maps") -- more on these types of keywords below.
Once you have added checks to all the keywords you want to delete, click on the "sort checkboxes icon" ( 
) at the very top of this column to sort the keywords with checked boxes to the top. Review them to ensure you are not deleting keywords you want to keep. All set? Delete all of the checked keywords by selecting Delete Checked from the Select Action menu, like this...
Next...
Blend With Vertical Keywords (from DAY 2)You now have two strong sets of keywords...
- the remaining, relevant Lateral Keywords brainstormed in DAY 3 (often around 200 keywords), and of course...
- up to 333 Vertical Keywords that you brainstormed in DAY 2 (this number depends on how many were returned by the Site Concept Finder query, and on how many words you deleted).
Let's blend both groups together by choosing All (from the Seed Word menu) and clicking on All Keywords. Then sort them alphabetically...
You now have a consolidated Master Keyword List that makes your upcoming keyword evaluation and additional research much easier.
Step 2 - Add More Keywords to Your Site Concept's MKL. (Optional)
Do you have over 300 keywords and you are happy with your Master Keyword List? You can jump straight to creating your Site Content Blueprint in Step 3. Before you do...
Never think that your MKL is finished. Maintain a 24x7 "on-the-hunt" mindset for new keywords. Think like your potential customers. What are they searching for?
Add each extra keyword to an existing Seed Word's list using the Add Keyword tool.
And if you want Brainstorm It! to generate more content ideas at a later date, come back here to Step 2. You'll have the added benefit of visitor response to your site to guide you towards areas that your visitors are most interested in.
Does your MKL have fewer than 300 relevant keywords? Then consider the following strategies, in order of importance. They will fill out your MKL with more relevant keywords. There is no need to do them all, though. Stop when your MKL has more than 300 relevant keywords.
Right about now, sometimes a little sooner, sometimes a little later, you may start to feel overwhelmed. Do you know the most common reason for feeling this way? We want to do it all now. It's not possible -- this is real e-business.
Slow and steady wins the race. There are many do-able steps...
You don't have to do them all today.
Use Important Vertical Keywords To "Deep Brainstorm" (Optional)
Several of your vertically brainstormed keywords will be your important "money words." In the case of Anguilla, it will be words like "Anguilla hotels" and "Anguilla villas," even "Anguilla real estate" (if the market is hot). You should already know those words if you know your Site Concept, but here's a quick way to find them...
- Filter for "Anguilla" (the exact Seed Word) by typing it into the Keyword filter box. This brings back all keywords that contain your Site Concept Keyword.
- Type 100 (adjust the number higher according to how competitive your niche is), set to greater than, into both the Value Demand and Real Supply filters.
Review this list of keywords. Then...
Do a Lateral brainstorm on each "money word" to bring back more keywords that are related to the Seed Word, but don't contain it (ex., "Exclusivity Villa," topics on renting villas, etc.). Don't bother with a Vertical brainstorm of a vertical keyword (ex., "anguilla villas"). That will bring back only a very small subset of keywords, and they will all contain the original Seed Word.
This is a quick way to load up your MKL with top-notch dollar-generating topics. Of course, you can do the same for less commercial topics like "Anguilla beaches." This will bring back more general interest topics to create content for.
After every brainstorm, delete irrelevant keywords. Develop this good habit in order to keep a tight, effective Master Keyword List.
Remember General Keywords? Those are the lateral keywords with a general focus that are related to your site's niche. They were blue (above) right after you did your Lateral Brainstorm.
They won't always be blue, of course. After you log out and return, they will be black. Here's how to find these high-Supply, high-Demand laterally-brainstormed keywords ...
- Click the All Keywords button to remove any filters or sorts that might have previously been set.
- Select your Site Concept Keyword (ex., "anguilla") in the Seed Word drop-down menu.
- Click on the Filter button and select excludes in the Keyword filter. Then enter that same Seed Word ("anguilla"). This excludes all keywords containing the Seed, which means that the Vertical Brainstorm keywords are excluded. Only those words that were laterally brainstormed (i.e., do not contain the Seed Word) are displayed in the MKL, automatically, like this...
- Choose greater than for the Real Supply filter and type 100000 into its filter box.
- Choose greater than for the Value Demand filter and type 50000 into its filter box.
- Click twice on the Real Supply column label to sort keywords with highest Supply to the top.
Keep only laterally brainstormed keywords if they are related to your Site Concept Keyword, or if they are related to a Specific Keyword that will form the topic of a future Keyword-Focused Content Page.
If you are unsure, ask yourself if a surfer might include the General Keyword in a search related to your Site Concept (ex., "travel to Anguilla" or "+Anguilla +travel" or "Anguilla hotels AND travel" -- all without quotes). They're asking the Search Engine to find pages for which both terms must be on the page (not necessarily together as a phrase).
This kind of search is called a Word Combo. If you do have a Word Combo, then the General Keyword is related and should be kept. If not, delete!
Word Combos are General Keywords that can be associated with your Site Concept or with a Specific Keyword (i.e., the future topic of a Web page). Keep them and use them in appropriate Web pages. Why?
If someone searches with your Specific Keyword and adds one of these General Keywords into the Search Term, you'll have a better chance to be found. As surfers become more sophisticated, they use this pattern more frequently. So hold on to General Keywords that can form Word Combos.
Your MKL should now look something like this...
Let's get back to Branch Brainstorming...
General Keywords provide useful "branch-brainstorming" opportunities. This branching may take your Site Concept in a slightly different direction than you originally anticipated. For example...
Suppose you were planning a site about "cholesterol." As you reviewed your MKL, you realize that this is a boring, rather unfocused theme. So now look for interesting keywords that might add a little sparkle.
You discover relevant General Keywords like "heart disease" and "stroke" and "recipes." So...
Perform a Vertical Brainstorm for "stroke" (without the quotes). You don't find many useful words, though, so you delete them all (prevent "keyword list pollution" -- delete unusable words as soon as you spot them). Next...
Do a Vertical brainstorm for "heart disease" (without the quotes). Bingo! You find a good set of heart-related keywords, many related to cholesterol. But maybe we can do even better...
Use Specific Lateral Keywords to "Branch-Brainstorm." (Optional)Here's an interesting twist on the previous step. Click All Keywords to eliminate the filters and sorts. Do a filter to retrieve Lateral Keywords (repeat the first 3 of 1-6 just above). You don't want General Keywords this time. Now...
Sort by Supply, clicking once to sort the lowest Supply Keywords to the top. These are Lateral Keywords (i.e., they do not contain your Site Concept Keywords), but they are very specific in nature (the lower the Supply, the more specific). As you scan, you find "coronary artery disease."
This time, do a Lateral Brainstorm on this term. An excellent list of keywords come back... "angina," "myocardial infarction," "heart attack," "stress test," etc., etc. You have found the motherlode of superb "heart-related" words to add to your "cholesterol"-generated MKL.
Important Tip for High-Yield Brainstorms
Do a Vertical Brainstorm on general keywords, especially if they are 1-word keywords (not more than 2). Why? Because vertical brainstorms bring back more specific (almost always related) sets of keywords by adding more words to your Seed Word.
Don't bother doing a Lateral Brainstorm on a general lateral keyword (ex., heart). It will only bring back a number of very broad keywords only slightly related to your niche (if at all).
But do a Lateral Brainstorm on a highly specific keyword (such as "coronary artery disease"). Why? Because this brainstorm identifies the top 200 sites about this very specific term, using them to return all kinds of keywords related to your highly specific Seed.
Once you find a "branch with potential," brainstorm and research it fully, using Vertical and Lateral Brainstorms as needed to flesh out the set of keywords that will be the topics of the pages of your new Web business.
Skip to Step 3 to start working on your Site Content Blueprint, or keep reading about one last option...
Use Search It!'s Brainstorming Tools (Optional)
Use Search It! to perform some supplemental brainstorming...
Select Brainstorming as STEP 1 ("Select Search Category"). Then explore STEP 2 options ("Select Search Types")...
When you find a relevant new keyword, you can either...
- Return to the Brainstormer tool and enter it as a new Seed Word, using a Vertical Brainstorm. This brainstorm will automatically add that word, plus several other keywords that contain the Seed, to your MKL!. Use this option only if you feel there is potential to bring back several keywords ("multi-word" potential). Or...
-
Add the relevant new keyword to a list of keywords that already belongs to an existing Seed Word.
Congratulations! You're heading towards a nicely developed niche, with a domain like "cholesterol-and-your-heart.com." (Or, if you had "branch-brainstormed" the keyword "recipes," perhaps your site would be "cholesterol-reducing-recipes.com.")
Actually, there is one more lateral brainstormer, called "The Ultimate." You probably won't need it at this point so you can safely ignore this resource.
However, if you are curious visit the help page for more information about this lateralizer.
Step 3 - Steadily Design Your Site Content Blueprint.
It's time to stop brainstorming. No more adding keywords to your MKL. Instead, it's time to get ruthless with your Master Keyword List.
Stay Plugged In!
The forums are the hub of the SBI! community. But there is no need to bookmark and visit them over and over to see what's new.
Instead, subscribe via RSS and let all the new posts come to you. How? By entering the following URL into your RSS reader...
http://rss.sitesell.com/latest.rss
And subscribe to forum posts by Ken Evoy (our head tortoise, he usually posts each day), too...
http://rss.sitesell.com/ken-posts.rss
And if that is "all geek to you," please visit http://sbitips.sitesell.com#RSS to learn about RSS. It's simple. (It's all simple -- you just have to do it.)
As you "chip away" (i.e., review and analyze) your Master Keyword List, you refine (or in some cases, merely confirm and tighten) your original Site Concept. You start organizing keywords (each of which is the topic for a quality content page) into logical groupings, and sub-groupings, within your soon-to-be Web site.
You also look at which keywords are good for interactive Content 2.0 invitations.
What Is Content 2.0?
Content 2.0 (also called C2) is an SBI! module that lets you build forms (invitations) to invite your visitors to participate on your site. When your visitors use an invitation, the end result is a new page on your site (you have total control over these pages, deciding whether to accept them as is, edit them, or even delete them). Other visitors can then comment on those submissions.
Some SBIers have used Content 2.0 to add thousands of pages to their sites. These pages have given their sites large boosts in Search Engine rankings, which means that even more people visit these sites. And the more traffic there is, the more income can be earned from those sites.
You'll learn more about Content 2.0 on DAY 6 (about building invitations), DAY 7 (about using it to bring traffic to your site), and DAY 8 (about using it to develop relationships that turn your visitors into fans).
Click here for an important video introduction to Content 2.0.
As you plan your site's architecture, start thinking about how you will implement Content 2.0 once you have several visitors coming to your site. Mentally flag a popular topic/TIER page for your first invitation, something provocative or with wide appeal that will make people want to jump right into the conversation. (For example, see how this invitation hit a chord with Nori's audience.)
Do any other TIER pages strike you as having good C2 potential? Store that information in your mind or make a note of it for later on when you are ready to add invitations.
So what's the end result of all this chipping and organizing? The groupings and sub-groupings become your Site Content Blueprint. Actually, your blueprint already exists in your MKL right now, just like that elephant exists in the block of concrete...
- TIER 1 (home page) This KFCP focuses on your Site Concept word (ex., "Anguilla"). It links to TIER 2 pages.
- TIER 2 (NavBar button pages) These KFCPs are the hub pages, linking from TIER 1 and linking to TIER 3 pages. Each is a major subcategory of the Site Concept (ex., "Anguilla villas" and "Anguilla shopping" and "Anguilla beaches"). And they should be "big enough" to break down into their own sub-subcategories...
- TIER 3 (most of your pages) These should logically be related to, or be subcategories of, their respective TIER 2 pages. For example, "Anguilla villas" can be logically divided into articles about Anguilla villas (ex., legalities, trends, how to find and rent them, etc.) and feature some special villas (who just may pay you for the special coverage).
These groupings and sub-groupings form your Site Content Blueprint.
As you follow along below, always keep in mind that each keyword should "fit" into your evolving 3-TIERed Site Content Blueprint, something like this...
How To Turn Your Master Keyword List Into a Site Content Blueprint
As you go through the process, delete from your MKL any keywords that you do not want and keep the best. Start thinking and taking notes about how you are going to group keywords into your 3-TIER structure.
Do you want to see the process in action? The TIER Structure Video demonstrates how to set up 3 TIERs using an Site Concept example. The video also includes an Excel spreadsheet template that you can use to organize your MKL keywords and research data. Or click here to download it.
Click here to view the TIER Structure Video. You will more than "understand." You will have the tool and knowledge to execute!
Do you prefer to download the video? Go to the Supplemental Videos section of the Video Action Guide for downloading instructions.
Tip: If you don't have Microsoft Excel (or you are using Microsoft Works on your computer), OpenOffice is a great free alternative. Click here for details. For Mac users, try NeoOffice.
Or use paper, index cards, your own mind-mapping software, or another system you are comfortable with, if you prefer.
Okay, let's get started...
Do a Qualitative Review Using Your Human Judgement
As you review all your Site Concept's keywords, ask yourself these two questions...
- Does each keyword really fit your (refined) Site Concept?
- Does this keyword fit into one of the 3 TIERs? Can you use it as the base for a Content 2.0 invitation?
From this big-picture thinking, let's zoom in now and ask these 3 questions about the quality of the keywords in your MKL...
- Is this a word you want to write about, knowing that your visitors are interested in this topic?
- Can you think of a way to monetize this keyword? If you can, leave a "DAY 4" note for yourself in the Notepad for that keyword. If you write "DAY 4" in the Notepad, you can use the Notepad filter using "DAY 4" to find those notes when you're ready!
- Is it a "keyweird"? Brainstorm It! is state-of-the-Web, but it is still only a tool. You need to interpret the data. It may bring back perplexing nonsense keywords. Do not be misled... human judgement rules.
An example would be good about now, right? At this point, you may have refined your "Anguilla travel" theme into "high end Anguilla." In that case...
Keep keywords that are still relevant and that fit into the 3-TIER site architecture. Ideally, you should also be knowledgeable and passionate about these keywords -- it's wonderful when "work" is "play." Passion shines on Web sites... without trying! We've talked about passion enough, but let's digress for a moment with these optional discussions on...
- the power of relevance and
- the power of knowledge (and how to supplement your knowledge with solid research).
The Power of Relevance
The best way to rank highly with both Search Engines and your human visitors is to focus your site on a single theme and to have each page focus on a topic (a Specific Keyword) related to that theme. Humans prefer to see a tightly focused theme across all pages. So, therefore, do the engines.
A diluted site will rank poorly with your visitors who do not see the quality and depth of information that they're seeking about a particular subject. As a result, your visitors do not consider you as a focused, credible source. Ditto for mini-sites/blogs with unoriginal content.
With a mouse click in a heartbeat, visitors are off to find a more satisfactory site. "Mother Google" sees that behavior. And once Google realizes it is being scammed (with fake content and links), millions of scammers/spammers are a heartbeat from extinction.
Keep all your topical keywords focused on your Site Concept, your site's central theme. Each keyword becomes the topic of one of your site's upcoming Keyword-Focused Content Pages ("KFCPs").
An effective KFCP wraps high-value content around a Specific Keyword (i.e., the topic for that page)... which both human visitors and Search Engines love. All pages must add something to your visitor's experience. Developing a high number of relevant keywords provides you with lots of opportunity for content creation...
You weave a wide web of topical pages of interest. They attract surfers (via search results) who are interested in those topics. Since each topic is related to your site's theme, the visitor is likely interested in the theme, too.
So your site gets multiple page visits as the surfer "surfs." It receives honest links and other "off-site" behavior by happy visitors. Google sees all this, one way or another, and recognizes a quality site, ultimately rewarding it with higher and higher rankings for more and more keywords. All that search traffic, of course, ultimately turns into income, as we'll cover in the next section and in DAY 4.
The Power of Knowledge
It's important to be able to OVERdeliver solid content ("PREselling"). This comes easiest when you have first-hand knowledge about the subject matter. Yes, of course, you can supplement with research...
If you know little-or-nothing about a keyword that would be great subject matter for your site, the Reference Library for Content in Search It! will be glad to come to your rescue!
For example, let's say that "Museum of Modern Art" turns up while brainstorming on "New York." It interests you, but you don't know too much about it. What's the solution? Research!
Use Search It!'s Reference Library for Content. Its set of reference tools is unmatched. (More on this in DAY 5.) Some people research so much they become experts in their own right. Remember...
Even though you can and should research, nothing beats the authentic voice of true experience. The stories you tell, the details you provide -- it all adds up to "R-E-A-L."
Keep keywords that you know. You'll shine as someone who really has "been there, done that."
Before we move on, let's first clear up a common misconception about Profitability and Monetization Potential...
Profitability and Monetization Potential are not the same!
Value Demand, Real Supply and Profitability relate to how in-demand/commercial your keywords are, how competitive they are, and the relative value (risk/reward) of "trying to win" for each keyword. You have to consider how much competition you are willing to face, how much Demand there is for those keywords (an indication of how much traffic you'll get), and the Overall Profitability when you look at the ratio of Supply/Demand across many of your keywords.
Monetization Potential is the income-earning potential of (how much money you can earn from) various monetization models for your e-business.
The bottom line? Value Demand/Real Supply/Profitability are keyword-based. They give you an idea of how much traffic you can get, for how many keywords, for what type of keywords, and how much work it will take to overcome the competition. It's not income itself, but it is definitely related to income and it is important to consider because...
Now, it's time for the second type of review...
Do a Numerical Review Using Pre-Set Tasks and Custom Filtering/Custom Tasks
Use pre-set tasks and custom filtering to evaluate keywords' Value Demand, Real Supply and Profitability.
Pre-Set Tasks
The Task Bar displays four pre-set task buttons. All Keywords acts as a reset button, bringing back all the keywords for a particular Seed Word, or All. The other three pre-set tasks will help you find particular types of keywords.
Each pre-set task consists of a sequence of filters and a sort. You can customize the values of the filters and change the sort for any pre-set task... giving you extra flexibility and power.
A pre-set task works on all the keywords brought back by the Seed Word you select. If you select All in the Seed Word menu, then these tasks work on every keyword in your MKL. If you select "anguilla" as your Seed Word, these tasks work on every keyword associated with "anguilla" (i.e., Vertical and Lateral keywords).
To learn how each of the pre-set tasks works, review this help.
We'll cover how to use pre-set tasks, along with filtering and sorting, to weed out weak keywords from your MKL, a bit later.
Obviously, keep the high-Profitability keywords. And hold onto high Demand keywords even if they have high Supply (i.e., lower Profitability), too. Why?
You may not win the Search Engine "wars" for these keywords right away, but when you do, they are valuable pages. They often make valuable TIER 2 pages. And visitors will also find these pages by navigating through your site from pages they do find at the engines.
Low-profitability keywords can also be valuable if they fit well with the Site Concept and within your 3-TIER site structure. Why? They usually deliver your first visitors because it is easier to rank highly for them. They have an important "start-the-traffic-snowball" role. And there are many of them, so the traffic adds up. (More about this in the Site Content Blueprint section below).
Those are general concepts. Now let's look at the numbers related to each of those concepts. We'll do that using the 3 pre-set tasks...
- Lower Profitability finds keywords that have above-average Real Supply and low Value Demand. The filters are pre-set as a starting point. Change the numbers to find better or worse profitability. Highlight the number, delete it and enter your own. Delete the worst of the bunch, especially if the relevance is shaky.
- General Competitive finds keywords with high Real Supply and Value Demand (highest 20% for both). These keywords are General Keywords. Eliminate them unless they are directly relevant. Change the numbers of the filters to find keywords with different Supply and/or Demand numbers.
- Solid Potential finds keywords that will form the core of your site. These "bread-and-butter" keywords have reasonably good profitability (above-average Demand and mid-range Supply). Some of these will be TIER 2 keywords, but most will be TIER 3 keywords.
There are several different ways to review and evaluate your keywords...
- Use each of the above 3 pre-set tasks as is.
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Customize each of the 3 pre-set tasks by clicking the Filter button to show the filter boxes and then experimenting with different filter values and different sorts.
If you find a filter and sort combination that you find very useful, create a custom task that saves that combo to your task bar. For instance, if you'd like to build low-competition pages first to get to the top of the Search Engine ranking quickly, a Solid Potential task with a sort of lowest Real Supply will yield the keywords for those pages. Save the current filters and sort as a new custom task...
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If you really like working with numbers, use completely custom, or free form, filtering. As mentioned above, create custom tasks to save anything that you find useful to you. (If number crunching is not your thing, you can skip this evaluation and still have a great set of keywords to build your Site Content Blueprint.) Sequential filtering brings back different sets of results when you change the filter order.
For example, you won't find the same set of keywords if you filter the best (highest) 50% Demand keywords first, and the best (lowest) 50% Supply keywords second... compared to vice-versa. Compare the two screenshots below for an example of the difference that filter order can make....
Highest (worst) 50% Supply followed by lowest (worst) 50% Demand, sorted by Profitability.
Lowest (worst) 50% Demand followed by highest (worst) 50% Supply, sorted by Profitability.
You may find that some keywords appear in the results of both the Lower Profitability task and the Solid Potential task. Why? Because of the overlap in the percentages used in these pre-set tasks.
For example, since Lower Profitability finds the 50% of all keywords with the highest Supply, and Solid Potential finds the mid-range of all keywords (20% to 80%), the same keywords can appear in the 50% to 80% range. Using those keywords, those at the high end of the lowest 30% Demand (Lower Profitability) may also be at the low end of the highest 60% Demand for words returned by the Solid Potential task.
Each of the three pre-set tasks and the custom filtering/custom tasks finds a different type of keyword. Your reactions to each word will vary...
- You will eliminate some (low Demand and Profitability).
- You will want to write about others very soon (ex., "the basics," which tend to have higher Demand and Supply -- Home Page, important TIER 2s and strong TIER 3 pages).
- Others are prioritized after that (ex., lower Demand with lower Supply before the lower Demand keywords with higher Supply and also before higher Demand with higher Supply -- these will all become solid, topical content, but you want to get the easier traffic started ASAP).
Here are some other types of keywords to look for...
- near-zero Demand Keep the highly relevant keywords, even if near-zero. But drop the rest. Use the Lower Profitability pre-set task to quickly find keywords with near-zero demand.
- near-zero Supply Many of these will be nonsense-type words. But do keep your eyes open for overlooked "keyword gems" (good Demand/low Supply). Low-Supply words are easy to rank highly at the Search Engines, and great for "starter traffic!"
- super-high Demand and/or Supply These words are usually highly generic. They are worth keeping if related to your Site Concept. You will scatter these General Keywords into the content of appropriate pages (useful for being found by searches for Word Combos. Use the General Competitive pre-set task to find these words.
- near-zero Profitability Again, keep quality, highly relevant words. There is long-term value in providing good content for low-Profitability words that are highly relevant to your Site Concept. But drop low-Profitability keywords with poor relevance.
- Keyweirds We discussed "keyweirds" during the Qualitative Review. There, this term related to words or phrases that made no sense to you based on knowledge of your niche. Here, keyweirds are based on weird Demand or Supply. As always... do not be misled -- human judgement rules.
Bottom line? Thinking about the results from your qualitative and numerical reviews gives you additional insight into your keywords, which are, after all, the raw material of your future.
Do Full, Well-Rounded Research
You may be thinking about using only one of the pre-set tasks, especially that tempting Solid Potential one. Sure, you could probably start your site after running only this one task. Even though you are creating your Site Content Blueprint here, remember to think of yourself as a building contractor and as an architect.
Invest the time you need now to get your blueprint right. Like the contractor, you'll save a lot of time later, because you will know exactly how to build your site, page by page by page.
Step 4 - Finish Your Site Content Blueprint.
Review of the Three TIERs
Your blueprint should be so clear and solid that the site can almost write itself! And your schedule should realistically enable you to execute the plan.
The following is a simple review for what you leave this day with... your 3-TIER Site Content Blueprint.
TIER 1 Where to start? Your home page!
Your Site Concept Keyword is one of your highest Demand keywords. Ultimately, it will be the most highly visited Web page. It won't be your first page to rank highly at the engines (it will likely be one of the last since it also has one of the highest Supply values among your Specific Keywords).
For example, "anguilla" won the DAY 2 selection process, having solid Demand and winnable Supply. And it has survived DAY 3, having added some good lateral keywords, and dividing up nicely into 3 TIERs. Assuming it "makes the cut" during DAY 4 (evaluating monetization potential), "Anguilla" is going to be the Site Concept Keyword (i.e., be the topic of your home page, TIER 1).
"Your Site Concept/home page keyword is the first page for which you create content. But it's the last keyword that will rank highly at the engines." Confused?
See The Tao of SBI! for the reason why. Download it at...
http://buildit.sitesell.com/TaoOfSBI.pdf
And don't miss the "Addendum to the Tao."
This "bottom-to-top" TNT HQ article deepens your understanding.
TIER 2 This is the all-important hub tier. Which keywords from your MKL make good TIER 2s? Choose the ones that sub-divide well, naturally leading to several TIER 3 pages that are sub-topics of each TIER 2. Here's an example...
"Anguilla Hotels" is a TIER 2 page that discusses the topic of "Anguilla hotels" in general terms...
- It links to TIER 3 pages that each cover a specific Anguilla hotel.
- It links to other TIER 3 pages that are contextually relevant.
- It also cross-links to another TIER 2 page, this one about lower-cost Anguilla hotels.
- And it offers a Content 2.0 Invitation (which you'll learn about on DAYs 6, 7 and 8), so it has links to yet more hotels.
The result is a high-powered, high-value page that ranks highly at Google. This page is her top AdSense earner (equal with her home page due to reasonable Demand and high CPC dollar-value of the keyword).
In effect, what Nori has done is create a mini-site on Anguilla hotels within the larger authoritative site about all of Anguilla.
And that brings up other, secondary considerations when choosing a TIER 2. A site's natural organization is the most important factor. But if many keywords subdivide well into TIER 3s, lean towards keywords with...
- high Demand, reasonable Supply -- it's nice if the TIER 2 is highly profitable, but sub-division is the most important criterion
- a good number of potential monetization options (DAY 4) -- again, sub-division is the most important criterion.
TIER 2 pages are the critical hub pages between your home page (TIER 1) and your TIER 3 pages (the last effective tier). They logically flow/subcategorize/link into TIER 3 pages. High Demand and high CPC are nice bonuses. Why?
These pages will, once your site matures, be found at the engines more frequently than TIER 3 pages. And since they are "NavBar button pages," visitors will click to visit them more often, too. So plan to monetize your TIER 2 pages, one way or another.
A NavBar is the column of buttons that you see, usually down the left side of a page, that provides easy navigation for visitors. These pages are all TIER 2 pages since they are links from the home page.
Here are more TIER 2 keyword examples... "Anguilla real estate" and "Anguilla shopping" both fill the key sub-dividable-into-TIER-3s criterion for TIER 2 pages. One is highly profitable/monetizable (a real estate agent pays a handsome monthly retainer for leads). And "Anguilla shopping" is not (although a new partner in Anguilla is going to try to secure local advertising income!). The key point to retain...
Site structure (i.e., natural sub-categorization/flow/linking to numerous TIER 3s) is most important. Humans must feel that you have sliced and diced a site in a logical, easy-to-understand manner.
TIER 3 The mass of your Content ultimately resides in TIER 3. Think of it as the big, solid foundation of your 3-TIER structure. If you have chosen your TIER 2s well, these keywords are easy to slot into place.
Your Site Content Blueprint is taking shape nicely. Once you have most of your TIER 2 pages nailed down, you can assign the remaining keywords to TIER 3. These are the pages that TIER 2 pages link to, in the same way that the TIER 1 (home) page links to TIER 2s. However...
While your home page links to TIER 2s through a graphic NavBar and a text Table of Contents, your TIER 2 pages should generally link to TIER 3 through contextual, within-the-body links. These TIER 3 pages should have something to do with the TIER 2 "parent," so that should not be difficult.
Do you want to see the process in action? The TIER Structure Video demonstrates how to set up 3 TIERs using an example Site Concept. The video also includes an Excel spreadsheet template that you can use to organize your MKL keywords and research data. Or click here to download it.
Click here to view the TIER Structure Video. You will more than "understand." You will have the tool and knowledge to execute!
Do you prefer to download the video? Go to the Supplemental Videos section of the Video Action Guide for downloading instructions.
Tip: If you don't have Microsoft Excel (or you are using Microsoft Works on your computer), OpenOffice is a great free alternative. Click here for details. For Mac users, try NeoOffice.
OK, now take this one step further...
Site Content Blueprint
Mini-Sites Within Your Site
Think of each TIER 2 and its TIER 3s as a mini-theme-site within your main site. Tie each TIER 2 and its TIER 3s all together for both your human visitors and the engines. Here's how...
Let's say you want to cover several mini-reviews of hotels on your TIER 2 "Anguilla hotel" page. You can't squeeze them all into the page comfortably. Or perhaps you add new ones later. List those in a brief "Table of Contents" near the bottom of the page. Use a brief headline (linking to the TIER 3), followed by a short description or teaser. Do that for each one.
Or perhaps your TIER 2 on "Anguilla condos" is an interview with a local real estate agent about Anguilla condos. You include a couple of in-context text links during the course of the article, naturally. You add updates and links to Anguilla condos in a "text TOC" at the end of the page, like this...
And turnaround is more than fair play...
Link the TIER 3s back to the TIER 2, either within the content or at the end of each page (or both). It is good navigation to link a TIER 3 back to its TIER 2 and the home page (TIER 1) with text links at the end of each page...
How Big/Detailed Should Your Site Content Blueprint Be?
Great question! The answer depends on you. How detailed do you like to plan? You only have to include the number of pages in your blueprint that you will have time to build during your first 6 months to 1 year.
Three quick examples...
- If you organize your MKL into 7 TIER 2s, and then lay out 7 TIER 3s for each TIER 2, that's 49 TIER 3 pages all planned out. Together with the 7 TIER 2s and the home page, you have the blueprint for a 57-page site.
- If you like to plan in more detail, map out 10 TIER 2s and, say, 10 TIER 3s per TIER 2. That's a 111-page site all planned out.
- Finally, the "mega-plan." Place 15 keywords into TIER 2 and 15 more for each of them into TIER 3. That's 241 pages, more than enough!
No, you do not have to write them all this week! Instead, make a schedule according to the time available for your SBI! site.
Suppose you can only spend an hour or two per week on your site, like the owner of anguilla-beaches.com. A 50-page blueprint is fine because you will build 1 or 2 pages per week. And if you think that doesn't amount to much, take a look at what happens over time.
Making a realistic schedule, and sticking to it, is one of the big keys to success, not just in SBI!, but in life.
Naturally, not all TIER 2s "divide up" with exactly the same number of TIER 3s. Some will have more than others. The key point is to start picking pages for TIER 2s (major subcategories of the Site Concept that also can be subdivided logically/naturally into TIER 3s). And the most important point...
3-TIER Structure Summary
The home page crowns the pinnacle. It's a Keyword-Focused Content Page that focuses on your Site Concept Keyword. And here's a critical error that many small businesses online (not you, though) make...
Your home page should never link out of your site -- it's too early. The only exception is when you monetize (ex., through Google AdSense). Your home page's main structural job is to link to approximately 5-15 TIER 2 KFCPs.
Each TIER 2 page should be a good "hub" page, working well as a logical link from the home page and naturally linking to 5-15 TIER 3 pages (which are related but more specific in nature, usually a subcategory of the TIER 2 subject matter). It's an added bonus if a TIER 2 also has high Demand (with reasonable Supply) and solid monetizability.
The TIER 3s? If TIER 1 is the trunk of a tree and your TIER 2s are its branches, then TIER 3s are the leaves. In the same way leaves fill our planet with oxygen, all those TIER 3s add up and fill your coffers with dollars.
And with that over-stretched analogy, it's time to wrap up!
Moving Forward...
Phew! Just about done. Blueprint in hand, you're roaring to register your domain. But first, let's devote DAY 4 to verifying and planning your monetization models. After all, you may have a wonderful Site Concept, one that excites you, and with theoretically profitable keywords.
But monetization is where the rubber hits the road. You could say...
It pays to be sure!
Let's go to DAY 4.
Warning!
DAY 2 (Develop Your Best Site Concept) and DAY 3 (Brainstorm Profitable Topics) literally build your Site Content Blueprint. It's critical to take your time and work through these DAYs until you "get it" and "do it" right.
These two DAYs may appear easy or hard, all depending on your niche and the keywords and data in your MKL. It may be tempting to fly through them too fast. Or it may be tempting to get frustrated and to give up. Either way...
Don't. Work these DAYs thoroughly. Take your time and you will get it right. Only advance to DAY 4 when you're confident and excited about your Site Content Blueprint.
And whenever you can't remember where you read something, use Find It!, your handy memory aid tool.
Need help or advice about DAY 3? Try some coaching time...
Or ask the SBI! community at the forums...