Is it better to hire a consultant for researching keywords or can our company handle that internally?
The answer to this central question depends upon a number of related variables. Here are some of the most significant of those related variables:
1. The depth of your knowledge concerning directly and tangently related keywords
2. The keyword software that you have at your disposal
3. Your skills at using the software
4. Your interpretive abilities when it comes to the surprisingly complex task of keyword analysis
5. The overall amount of money that you have available for business development
If we look at those five variables they ultimately come down to how much you know and how your budget is allocated. Let me address each of those in a bit more detail.
Your Familiarity with Keyword Research
There is no aspect of online business that is more important than identifying appropriate keywords. Your list will form the basis of all of your search engine optimization efforts, your advertising campaigns (PPC and others), your copywriting and your article marketing efforts (as well as your other content syndication). The entire future of you business is directly related to the quality of your keyword research.
There are many tools available online. Some are free to use, such as Google’s tool; others are not. It is important to use multiple tools for your research, because results will different based upon the databases that the tools consult and the formulas with which they conduct their searches. You should gather information comparing various keyword research software options.
Most of the tools are relatively easy to use, but the interpretation of your results can be difficult unless you have experience in doing so. Not all of the keywords that are uncovered are of equal value to a business, and the number of searches for any given keyword does not automatically make that keyword of greater importance to you particular business than another keyword that draws much less traffic.
Financial Issues
If the amount in your budget for early business development endeavors, this area merits the allocation of its share of those funds. The expense of outsourcing keyword research is relatively small when you consider the potential return on that investment. It is especially useful if the professionals that you hire also provide a competition analysis and include advice regarding how to compete with the established businesses in your market.
Sometimes, although not always, researching keywords is part of an overall search engine optimization (SEO) package. Consequently, if you plan to invest in such a large scale purchase, there is usually no point in buying a keyword or niche research package as well. If you choose to go this route (contracting for an SEO package), be absolutely certain that your SEO company will be extremely thorough in its keyword research and that the complete keyword list is included in your report from that company.
Bottom line: You can do this task yourself if you already know a great deal about the process (or are willing to take the time to learn what you need to) and if you have the critical tools.