While the recipe for a good keyword strategy is unique on a case by case basis, Google provides a keyword research tool that can help make some effective determinations. The tool is called Google Insights for Search and it has made it into my repertoire of tools I use to compile data for making keyword decisions.

Using the tool is a fairly straightforward. Enter the search terms of interest, in this case, the geographically relevant phrases being considered (i.e. phoenix real estate, scottsdale real estate, chandler real estate and mesa real estate). Filter your results as desired; in this example the filter is set to Web Search – United States – Arizona – Last 12 Months. Press “Go” and Google Insights generates a chart of the keyword usage and also provides some related keyword stats.

A quick review of the stats show us that Phoenix is the most popular area, with Scottsdale, Mesa and Chandler performing behind it in that order. The graph also shows searches for these areas trending downward, especially “scottsdale real estate” whose search interest has recently dropped to the levels of Mesa and Chandler.

One other key finding is that the related search phrase “real estate listings” is up 170 percent over the past year. This is valuable information to consider when crafting a keyword strategy for a Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaign or On-Page SEO.