When you’re a busy solo entrepreneur, you need the best free content research tool to get your content marketing work done as quickly and effectively as possible.
After all, researching content ideas before you get to the creation stage is key when you’re competing online. But, the problem with content research is that it can eat up a lot of your time. And time isn’t something you can spare!
So today we’re talking about one free tool that ramps up your marketing productivity by making your research process more streamlined and far less demanding.
TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:
[00:56] Google is the best free content research tool
[02:38] Why Google?
[07:19] Increase your research productivity with these browser extensions
[10:41] How Google supports your content research and productivity
[11:57] Why not other tools
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Google
Ubersuggest
Ubersuggest Chrome extension
Keyword Surfer
Keywords Everywhere
[Meghan] I’ve made a fairly bold statement with today’s episode title, and I may have exaggerated a bit by asserting that this one platform is the best content research tool.
But, for the average solopreneur who isn’t a marketing or SEO expert, I really do think that Google is probably the best overall tool for content research. It really ticks all of the boxes. It’s robust, easy to use, budget-friendly, and you can do everything all in one place.
[Theresa] When I first discovered how much Meghan uses Google, I was surprised. I thought for sure her number one choice would be Ubersuggest!
[Meghan] I really do like Ubersuggest! It’s up there in my top five content marketing tools that I use each week. But, Google wins out, and I’ll explain why in a moment.
Now, for Google to live up to the title of best free content research tool, it needs a little boost from an SEO Chrome browser extension. Together, these two are a marketing productivity powerhouse. We’ll discuss that more near the end of the episode.
[Theresa] That sounds intriguing! So, let’s talk about why Google is an awesome tool and how it supports your content research and productivity.
Google makes content research streamlined, easy, & reliable - especially if you're not an SEO expert.Click To TweetWhy Google is the Best Free Content Research Tool
[Meghan] Okay, I just alluded to some of the reasons why I think Google is the best option for content research. But let me get a little more specific.
1) Biggest search engine so it’s a great data source
First of all, Google is the most popular and biggest search engine, which means it’s an epic and reliable source of data.
If you want to know what people are searching for online, what content they consume, and user behavior, then Google doesn’t disappoint.
Even paid content and SEO tools don’t always incorporate this massive amount of data in their apps.
[Theresa] Look, your task is to research content, and if the data source is limited, then that could influence your results and that could impact your content.
So, you want to choose a tool that is powerful since you don’t want to waste time.
2) Reliable resources for your research
[Meghan] And Google is a powerful tool! Not just because it’s got so much data but also because of how it processes that data. Google compiles all of the data into easy-to-find resources that are available to you to use for your content research.
Let’s talk about those resources at a high level.
Autocomplete, People also ask, Related searches
There’s Google’s autocomplete feature. This means that as you’re typing in the search bar Google shows you all of these related terms and phrases.
Once you’ve searched for a specific phrase, you’ll see a “People also ask” section that shows other terms or questions people have asked related to the phrase you googled.
And at the bottom of the results page, Google displays related searches.
So right there are three resources for content ideas and topics.
These resources also help with search intent and context. You should always make sure that the terms you’re using mean what you think!
[Theresa] And you should be capturing that information in your preferred note-taking or productivity app! These could be great ideas for multiple content topics and for what to include in your content. At the very least, what you discover can serve as inspiration to lead you to another content idea.
Videos and Images
[Meghan] Yes, good point!
But we’re not done yet. At the top of each search page, you can filter search results by videos and images. This introduces you to even more content inspiration and research.
You can discover videos and images that spark ideas for content, including visuals.
[Theresa] Be sure to capture the URLs to any of the images and videos you want to refer to in the future.
We all think we’re going to remember a good idea or source of inspiration…but if you don’t record it somewhere, there’s a good chance you’ll forget about it!
Reviews
[Meghan] Another data point that could show up in a search is reviews. It depends on your search query. Google displays ratings and reviews of some businesses. So, you may be able to mine the customer feedback for more content inspiration.
[Theresa] It’s surprising that you can find content ideas in reviews! But people will say what they do and don’t like in reviews and that can lead to things you can address or talk about. And, be on the lookout because you may also discover some business ideas too!
Trends, News, Analytics and Search Console
[Meghan] So, everything we just talked about is based on doing a search in Google. But there are a few other apps within Google that are great for content research too.
You can go to Google Trends to see what’s trending to get more ideas.
There’s also Google news, where you can find the top news by industry, topic, and location.
And last but not least, Google Analytics and Search Console give you a view into the performance of your existing website content. So, while these two options are a bit more technical and aren’t as intuitive as some site audit tools, they’re still a research option available to you.
3) All in one place, easy-to-use, and free!
[Theresa] That is a lot of functionality, and it’s all in one place through one platform—and at a fee of zero! You can’t beat that price.
And those are the last two reasons to consider using Google for content research: it’s free and offers a lot of information in one place. So, you’re not having to jump from one app to another. This will decrease distractions and streamline the research process, which saves you time.
And, I’ll add that from a productivity standpoint, there’s a very low learning curve. You won’t need to spend a lot of time or energy figuring it out since you probably already use Google for searching. Although, Google does offer training on their tools if you want more info.
Even if you use only the first few Google resources that we mentioned, you’re still getting so much valuable, usable information for sourcing and vetting content topics.
Quadruple Your Content Research Productivity with a Browser Extension
[Meghan] Since Theresa just mentioned streamlining processes, now’s the perfect time to talk about that Chrome browser extension.
You can turn your productivity up a notch by installing an SEO browser extension, like Keyword Surfer (which is the one I use). This further streamlines your content research process since it displays valuable data as you are browsing.
With Keyword Surfer, you don’t need to leave Google to discover things like keyword ideas and search metrics for the term and for each webpage on the results page. Things like:
- search volume
- word count
- cost per click
- number of exact keywords
- estimated monthly traffic
This is super convenient since it’s all there at a glance. Huge time saver!
I’ve heard good things about Keywords Everywhere, although I don’t think it’s free.
[Theresa] Ubersuggest has a Chrome extension too. It’s cut my search time in half. Which, you won’t be surprised to hear, I love!
The extension allows me to combine the power of Google with the specifics of Ubersuggest right inside of Google Chrome. So it’s like using two tools in one space. Huge time saver, as it minimizes distractions because I only need one window open.
And it’s easy to use, so there’s practically no learning curve. I just type in my search query and right in the search bar it shares the search volume and cost per click.
I know immediately how often people are searching for information on a specific keyword. So, if there are only five searches a month on a specific keyword topic, I can move on. No more wasting time creating content that no one is searching for! That’s huge.
It does a lot more, but my favorite feature is that it shows me the estimated visits on each of the search results that come up. This helps me choose which articles I want to actually open. From a productivity perspective, making informed choices is more efficient than opening and scanning 10 articles.
The extension is free to use, plus you get three free daily searches on Ubersuggest as well. So, if you want to do a deeper dive on a particular keyword, you can get to that information in one click from Chrome.
How Google Supports Your Content Research and Productivity
[Meghan] I love how tools and apps have the ability to make our work easier and faster. And I love that content research doesn’t have to be the behemoth that people envision it is.
Okay, so we’ve talked about the data and tools available to you via Google. Let’s review just some of the ways you can take advantage of this information for your research.
- Find content inspiration, ideas, keywords, phrases and topics
- Figure out what not to do or what isn’t working
- Learn about the search intent and context of specific keywords
- Discover the most asked questions and related questions about your subject area
- Find out what’s trending and newsworthy in your industry
- Discover what content is resonating with your audience
That’s not all! But that’s enough to give Google a try if you’re not using it as a content research tool.
[Theresa] At the same time that Google is supporting your content research, it’s also saving you time and effort.
First of all, you will automatically streamline your research process when you focus your attention one one tool.
And, secondly, when you use data to create the right content, you avoid producing stuff that isn’t right for your audience. That’s way more productive!
Why Not Ubersuggest or Another Free Content Research Tool as the Best?
[Meghan] I wanted to explain real quick why I didn’t choose Ubersuggest or other tools.
Ubersuggest (by digital marketing expert Neil Patel) is an awesome tool. And when he first launched it, it was 100% free. But that’s not the case anymore.
The free version is more limited now, but it’s still worth using. However, if I had to choose only one free tool, it’s Google for me.
Other apps, like Semrush and Ahrefs, are amazing. I previously used Semrush for my content research for clients. But both of those content tools are super pricey and unaffordable for most. They don’t have free options other than a free trial period.
And with most paid apps there’s a steep learning curve for non-SEO folks. You’ll need to know what to look for and how to use the actual app to get your money’s worth. Even Ubersuggest could be more difficult to use than Google if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Of course, there are tons of free SEO and content tools, but we’re talking about ease of use and streamlining the content research task. So, Google was still the one that stood out—especially since most solopreneurs are likely comfortable with using Google.
[Theresa] That makes sense. I agree that Google offers a lot and is an effective way to maximize your content marketing productivity.
Whether you use Google, Ubersuggest or another tool, just choose one and stick with it. When you use tools in your business, they should help you, not make more work.
So, choose your content research tool, then learn it well to be more efficient at researching.
[Meghan] As usual, terrific insight Theresa!
That’s it for today. We publish a new episode every Wednesday, so don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so that you don’t miss an episode.
Thanks for listening and we’ll see you next week!
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