It’s the second Monday of the month, so it means that it’s guest post day.
Today I have the pleasure to introduce a successful online entrepreneur whom I met last year. Here is my special quote for her:
Take a smart business lady who knows her stuff and who is known by her students as a coach with a heart, and you get Carol Amato!
Researching a topic to write about can be one of the most formidable tasks of Internet entrepreneurs. Whether you’re going to write about the topic yourself – or give it to a professional content writer, some information must be gathered before it can turn into the content you need.
The actual definition of “research” as a noun is “The systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.” Used as a verb, “research” is defined as, “…to investigate systematically.” When you know how to research, you’re not all over the board wasting your time and effort.
After you know what topic you want to write about, the research stage begins. For example, if you have a blog about traveling and want to write a post about Costa Rica, you should first attempt to narrow down the subject matter. Costa Rica is a wide subject, but you may choose to write about “The Pacific Coast of Costa Rica.”
Before the Internet, you’d probably take your topic idea to the library and search through books and magazines for information. Now, we have the entire world at our fingertips and the information you need is only a click or two away – if you know what to search for.
In fact, you may have so much material that’s excellent for your research that it becomes overwhelming. This guide, “How in the World Do I Research,” will get you started on your research journey by providing a few simple steps that you can use to build on. Eventually, your skills will grow and you’ll be able to research effectively and quickly for any topic you want to write about.
Research Steps from Beginning to End
If you’re new to researching for blogs and website content, there are a few simple steps involved for finding specific resources you’ll need to refine the results you desire. Determine if you need more resources which are academic in nature or other websites or blogs written by online experts that may offer the inspiration you need for your article or blog post.
Here are some beginning steps that will be the catalyst for finding the information you need:
- Determine your content. It’s important to determine what you want to find for your article before you spin your wheels on research that’s not really related to your topic. For example, if you’re writing about the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, you wouldn’t begin the research with the key words, “Costa Rica.”
Instead, you might begin with the keywords, “Pacific Coast of Costa Rica.” That narrows down your resources (in a google search) to the exact area you want to write about.
- Be sure the information is up-to-date. When writing an article or post on a timely subject matter such as traveling in a certain area, you’ll want the most up-to-date information you can find. You wouldn’t want to reference a book written about travel to Costa Rica in 1998. Choose from the latter information.
Choose from the volumes of timely and pertinent information available about traveling to the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. You can visit online sites, download books, find travel articles and so much more when you research online. Don’t discount your local library for research information. You may stumble on something there that you wouldn’t find online.
- Perform a research overview. When you enter your keywords and find resources which match what you want your topic to be, give them a quick overview by skimming the information.
If a site happens to contain some data you need for your article or blog, copy or take notes on the site or some of the information and store it in a special folder for that project. Be sure to record the source of the data in the folder.
- Narrow the focus. After you’ve reviewed and decided what you want and need to make your topic stand out, it’s time to narrow the focus of the content. As you narrow the topic, the research will become easier and move much faster.
For example, in a travel blog about Costa Rica, you may have begun with the keywords, “Costa Rica,” then narrowed it down to the “Pacific Coast of Costa Rica,” then decided to focus on the “best surfing beaches (on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica).” There will still be tons of material, but you can now focus on the specific area you want your readers to know about.
- Organize your research information. You may have changed your focus several times during the research phase. That’s okay because it’s helped you come to conclusions about what you want to include in the content.
For example, you may decide that you want some maps indicating the best surfing beaches on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica – or some suggestions about lodgings and restaurants. As you organize, you’ll be able to fill in the gaps of your post or article just like a puzzle.
At the end of your research, you should have come to a conclusion about the content of the article. Now, you can choose from the notes you’ve gathered about the topic and begin to write the article.
Online Tools Designed for Research
There are many online tools you can utilize to help your research move fast and reveal the information you need to write an article that will be eye-catching and draw your readers in. Here is just a handful:
- Google Keyword Planner – An effective tool to help you plan and conduct your research using keywords. Google keyword planner lets you find interesting niches by simply narrowing the focus.
You must have a Gmail account to access this tool. Then, go to “Search for keywords and ad groups ideas.” Enter your first keywords (such as Costa Rica) and the search will target the words by rankings.
- Long Tail Pro – This powerful research tool is software which lets you generate tons of exclusive keywords in just a few minutes time. There’s a simple wizard which allows the user to bring in targeted information and focus on a particular niche for your research.
- Blog Searches – Blog specific search engines are available through “Technorati” or “Blogpulse.” Blogs offer a lot of information in a short amount of time, and these search engines can help you zero in on data you need for an article or post without spending too much time.
Step-by-Step Research Example
Since the “Surfing Beaches on Pacific Coast of Costa Rica” was mentioned earlier, the example will be about how you would research this specific area systematically and get the results you need to write a post or article.
Research Topic: “Surfing Beaches of Costa Rica”
- Enter your keywords in the “Google” search bar. You’ll see many choices for the research topic.
- Choose a site to look at. If you choose, “Costa Rica Beaches – Best Beach Destinations in Costa Rica,” you’ll see a list of beaches in Costa Rica, but some are on the Caribbean coast and others are on the Pacific Coast.
- Dig deeper into the various beaches. Limit your searches to only those along the Pacific Coast. For example, one of the best is “Manuel Antonio,” along the central Pacific Coast.
- Gather notes about each beach. You can copy and paste information into a document and then save it into a folder designated for your project research or jot down sites and information.
- Decide on sub–headings for your content. If you’re researching best surfing beaches on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, you may want to offer a section in your article about lodging and rental cars.
- Simply keep narrowing your search. Keep taking notes and narrowing your search until you have all of the information you think you need for your article or post.
Don’t let researching a topic intimidate or overwhelm you. If you’re really in to your subject matter and attempting to establish yourself as an expert in the subject matter, the research will be fun and exciting and you’ll learn all sorts of information.
After all, it’s not so much about getting to a place – it’s the journey that’s fun.
You can visit Carol by clicking here!
I hope you enjoyed Carol’s post. I know I did. Please, leave your comments and questions below and we’ll be sure to reply to all of them!
Ciao, Sylviane,
Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to share with your readers, Sylviane, it means a lot.
This is a topic that is essential to online success, yet so many folks are skipping over it.
If I can help one person to be a better researcher, I will have succeeded. 🙂
I’m grateful to be your guest today, and thank you so much for the kind words!
˜Carol
Carol Amato invites you to read..7 Vital Action Steps To Succeed As A Blogger
Hi Carol, and welcome to Sylviane’s blog 🙂
Good to see you on the other side this time, as her guest and with such an interesting topic 🙂
I am glad you wrote about this topic, as it would surely help a lot of people who wish to venture into freelance writing, or even wish to research topics to write for their posts. Reminds me of my time when I started writing and later, blogging.
Yes, Google is your best friend there, and other search engines too, if you use them. Also, if you are researching for a specific topic or term, it can become a little tricky at times – writers would know that more, when clients ask for specific termed content. But otherwise when you write content after researching for a topic, you gain such a lot of knowledge. Yes, depends a lot on how you research. Some would just open 2-3 links and find their matter, while people like me prefer doing a thorough research and sometimes going deeper into case studies and other papers, if required and one has the time.
I agree about Google Adwords, the best free tool to use. Haven’t tried anything else so far, though heard that Longtail is good too.
Thanks for sharing. Have a nice week ahead, both of you 🙂
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Hi, Harleena,
Thanks so much – I really appreciate the kind words. 🙂 You are always such an encourager, and you stand out above the rest because of this.
Research is one of those dreaded topics because so many folks associate it with getting in the trenches, spending tons of time on a boring and tedious task…
I wanted to shed some light and give some actionable tips so that folks won’t dread research. Hopefully they will read the article and get some good advice to make it easier, and yes, even a pleasant experience.
You are very welcome, and I thank you for your comment, always a pleasure. You too! Hope the start to your week is just what you desire.
Take care, and I’ll be talking with you soon,
˜Carol
Carol Amato invites you to read..7 Vital Action Steps To Succeed As A Blogger
Hi Harleena,
I’m glad you enjoyed Carol’s post here. She sure did a great job, and what a help it was for me today with the comments as this was heck of a day for me 🙂
Thanks for coming and commenting, dear.
Hey Carol,
Welcome to Sylviane’s blog. A wonderful step-by-step instruction on how to perform research. Given that bloggers do research almost on an everyday basis, this is something that all bloggers absolutely need.
Yes Google is a wonderful tool that can help us with any time of research – it can be a very random research, it doesn’t matter – yet Google can help us in various ways.
If I have to dig deeper I use SEMRUSH, Long Tail Pro and Fresh Key. Basically LTP and FK are used for keyword research. But Semrush helps a lot with digging deeper on various aspects. To be honest it is my #1 researching tool.
Your example is great. We not only have to dig deeper but also wider – the additional keywords (research) can be based on LSI, relevant or sometimes irrelevant terms. Anything can make sense.
It is important though, that we know where to stop researching and start producing LOL!
Thanks for bringing up this wonderful topic and for the examples 🙂 Have a wonderful week my dear 🙂
Cheers,
Jane.
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Hi, Jane,
Thanks so much for the wonderful comments, I really appreciate you visiting and sharing such valuable feedback. 🙂
I agree wholeheartedly, research is something we do almost on a daily basis so it definitely needs attention, whether some people like it or not. LOL
I also use Long Tail Pro, and I think it’s a fabulous tool but my favorite is good ole Google. I do like SEMRUSH as well, and can understand why it’s your favorite resource for digging deeper.
You made an excellent point about knowing when to stop researching and start producing… that is sort of the reason why I kept the key points of my article what they are. I wanted to provide a simple and basic guide for beginners and mid-level/beginners so they wouldn’t dread research so much!
My goal is to encourage bloggers to actually take action to begin researching before just sitting down and writing out their thoughts. I’m aware that many bloggers STILL do this, which is not the best for their goals.
You’re very welcome, Jane, and I hope you have a wonderful Monday evening where you are.
Talk soon,
˜Carol
Carol Amato invites you to read..7 Vital Action Steps To Succeed As A Blogger
Hi Jane,
Thanks for the tips about Semrush. I’ve got to try this, as it seems interesting.
I’m glad you liked Carol’s post.
Thanks for coming 🙂
Hi Sylviane and Carol,
Nice choice today Sylviane!!!
Carol, it’s nice to see you on Sylviane’s site. Specificity is the key to success online, isn’t it? You did a great job of sharing concepts and ideas that will help anyone who is trying to succeed online.
The days of just coming up with an idea and posting for success are long over. It takes some creativity and as you said; most importantly it takes knowing your topic and subject with a lot of detail.
Thanks for sharing your ideas Carol. I know a lot of people will benefit from your strategy!
Have a great week!
~ Don Purdum
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Hello, Don,
Thanks, I appreciate it. 🙂 Yes, most definitely – specificity is vital in understanding our market, researching for that market, and communicating with our market. Love it!
Research is the foundation to writing, and I fear many bloggers are skipping this altogether so wanted to provide her a fun, quick and easy way for them to dive right in.
Thank you for your encouraging comments, I really appreciate it.
I usually love Mondays but had an appointment this afternoon that took a lot longer than I expected, so I’m playing catch-up. 🙂
Talk to you soon,
˜Carol
Carol Amato invites you to read..7 Vital Action Steps To Succeed As A Blogger
Hi Don,
Yes, the days of just writing whatever are over and that type of content doesn’t help anyone anymore either. Research is super important.
As I am writing specific French tutorial blog posts for that new company I’m writing for I know all about that for sure. Research helps me and give me ideas 🙂
Thanks for coming and have a great day!
Hey Sylviane and Carol,
What a nice surprise to see Carol here today and sharing such an important topic too.
The first thing that I thought of Carol when you said to make sure the information is up to date are those posts that they don’t date. How embarrassing to share something that you found so good only to learn it no longer applies today.
Google is our best friend though still for finding such great information and of course their keyword tool is a must. The tools they have available today to do research are continuing to improve as time goes by. I don’t do as much keyword research as I use to but if I’m going to share some relevant information I definitely do dive in.
I appreciate you keeping this information on the simpler side because I know that we can dig even deeper, be introduced to even more sites that can help with our research but the bottom line is sharing some great content that will help our readers.
Thank you Sylviane for having Carol share her knowledge with us this month and I hope both you ladies have a wonderful week.
~Adrienne
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Hi, Adrienne,
You got that right, my friend – keeping things up to date is just common courtesy in my book, (and yours too) and the folks that ‘think’ their content is evergreen are touched in the head! LOL
I’ve rarely found a blog without dates that truly has evergreen material, meaning it will never ever go out of date and always will be relevant. Extremely rare!
Yeah, most of us have a love/hate relationship with good ole Google, but they are hands down the best for researching, in my opinion. Lots of other fancy shmancy tools, free and paid, but when it comes down to it, Google doesn’t disappoint.
Thank you so much, Adrienne – that was my intent, and YOU got it. I wanted to keep it on the simpler side because my goal is to encourage the beginner bloggers to go ahead and start researching. There are still so many folks who don’t, it’s alarming. No wonder they’re not making progress.
Yes, helping our readers is key, that’s why straightforward help in the area of researching will allow us to put forth more relevant posts in order to do just that, connect with and help our reader. 🙂
Loved your comment – thanks so much!
Hope you can have a relaxing evening! Talk to you soon.
˜Carol
Carol Amato invites you to read..7 Vital Action Steps To Succeed As A Blogger
Hi Adrienne,
I know what you mean. I can’t stand it when blog posts don’t have a date, and I never feel like reading them when they don’t unless I know for sure it’s recent.
I have to do lot of research with that new writing job of mine so Carols’ tips can come handy.
Thanks for coming Adrienne.
Thanks for the excellent step by step “how to” tutorial Carol!
And you are so right when say, in today’s world (provided) of course that you have
Internet access.LOL!
Your research, no matter how involved and in depth it may be, it’s simply a few
clicks away!
Our grand parents can only blush and sigh at the thought of this ultimate convenience!LOL!
I also like “how” you demonstrated the proper way to narrow and focus your search as much as possible, in order to be sure you are really pinpointing a specific subject.
It almost always gets down to some type of niche and or specialization, doesn’t it?
Especially when you’re doing really effective keyword research of some kind.
Thanks for sharing such an excellent and easy to understand at apply tutorial Carol!
And thank so much for featuring her Sylviane!
I can’t remember how or where I originally stumbled across Carol’s excellent blog, but the moment I did, I joined her list and have been diligently following her excellent instructions ever sense!
Mark invites you to read..Three Simple Reasons Why Newbie Marketers Should Create A Blog Post As Often As Possible!
Hi Mark,
Yes, aren’t we lucky to live in today’s technology? I know I am very grateful for that. Don’t want to live in my grandparents days for anything in the world 🙂
So glad you enjoyed Carol’s post. Great stuff 🙂
Thanks for coming.
Hi, Mark,
You are most welcome, and I really appreciate your visit and wonderful comment.
Yes we have most definitely come a very long way from our grandparents’ time that’s for sure. Yes, narrowing in and focusing on drilling down is a skill we need to develop in many areas of our online business.
I wanted to keep it simple and easy to understand simply because that’s the way we need to approach research.
If we make it 157 steps and show how to do all the fancy in-depth things right away, the beginners are never going to start researching.
My goal was to encourage those who do not research now, just to start. So I really appreciate your kind words, and hope you have a wonderful evening.
Take Care,
˜Carol
Carol Amato invites you to read..7 Vital Action Steps To Succeed As A Blogger
Hi Carol,
Great to see you here on Sylviane’s place! You are spot on how to properly do research. Your step-by-step guide is one great way to follow when doing research on a topic.
With so much information out there we need to always be aware of dated material. (the latest and greatest lol) There is nothing worse than trying to read something without a date.
As long as we know our topic, the research can begin. Sometimes I even go to Youtube for certain information too. Kinda fun!
Thanks again for a wonderful post!
-Donna
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Sorry about that, I clicked reply, or so I thought I did, and the reply posted as a new comment. LOL Thank you again!!
Carol Amato invites you to read..7 Vital Action Steps To Succeed As A Blogger
Hi Donna,
Glad you enjoyed Carol’s post.
I know what you mean, I don’t like it either when I can’t find a date on a blog post, but there are many out there still. When I land on a post it’s the first thing I look, because if I’m on their latest post and it’s 3 month old, I don’t feel like reading 🙂
Thank you for pointing that out and for coming, my friend.
Hey, Donna!
Thanks much. 🙂 I really appreciate your encouragement. I was trying to keep it really simple to encourage anyone who has not come on board yet with researching to take action and do so…
Ugh, I agree. Irks me to no end when someone thinks their stuff is evergreen, and it’s obviously not but insists on no dated content. Nothing but ego and self-serving purposes, not at all acting with the reader in mind, in my opinion.
Hey, now that’s a great idea – YouTube for certain info… Thanks for the tip, Donna. I need to dedicate a little time each week or two to just spend looking around on YouTube. Almost forgot about it. LOL In some circumstances could uncover some gold…
Appreciate your visit and comment, and am so happy Sylviane invited me to share.
Talk soon,
˜Carol
Carol Amato invites you to read..7 Vital Action Steps To Succeed As A Blogger
Hey Carol (and Sylviane),
Loved the post. I, for one, love research! However, I am aware, not everyone shares the same affinity for this subject.
However, as bloggers (and really, people in general), we all have to buckle down and get some research done from time to time. This is a nice step-by-step tutorial on how to make it happen.
I, especially, like how you hit on a few key points that are important for when one gets frustrated and are not coming up with the answers one desires. Such as, narrowing your keyword research and making sure the content you are reading is as up-to-date as much as possible.
I would also like to mention kifi. It’s a social bookmarking platform that has made my life a heck of a lot easier when it comes to organizing ones bookmarks. It even has them show up in your Google search results in case you can’t remember a site’s specific URL.
As always Carol, You’re Awesome!
Thanks for the great tips!
Mark
Mark Curtis invites you to read..How to Boost Traffic by Promoting Other People’s Content
Hi Mark, and welcome here.
I love doing research too. We are so fortunate to live in this 21th century where research is literally at our finger tips.
Yes, this bookmark thing is great, isn’t it? There’s also the fact that when you have researched a certain topic, then Google puts all those ads related to your previous search. Quite amazing if you think of it. That machine is track us LOL!
Thanks for your feedback.
Hi, Mark,
Well then, we’re a rare breed, aren’t we? (including Sylviane!) 🙂
Thank you so much for the kind words, I really appreciate it, Mark.
Absolutely right, research is an essential. Thanks for sharing your specific takeaways, and I couldn’t be more pleased that you enjoyed my tips. My goal was to keep it simple and provide actionable tips that even a brand spanking new beginner could use.
Yes, I have heard of Kifi, although I haven’t used it yet. Have to check that out. Thanks for mentioning it.
I appreciate your visit very much, and I’ll be talking with you soon.
˜Carol
Carol Amato invites you to read..Multi-Tasking Can Slow You Down
Hello Carol/Sylviane – Great topic for a post.
It seems new bloggers always seem to discount the amount of time that goes into researching a topic. They think you can sit down and crank out a post in an hour. What they fail to realize is the topic being written about typically takes some degree of research in order for it to hit the mark.
You kind of touched on this Carol, with your point about ensuring the information is up to date, but I’d also add that you need to be sure it is factual. In today’s world with everything at your finger tips, some seem to think that because they read it on the Internet it must be true. It’s almost like you need to research the research just to make sure.
You’re right about making the research fun and exciting. I often find myself getting sidetracked during my research as I keep stumbling across other information that I’d like to educate myself on. Pretty soon I’m off on some tangent researching beaches in Costa Rica planning my next vacation, when I started looking at Internet providers in Central America.
Thanks for the great information Carol and thanks Sylviane for hosting Carol on your site!
Craig
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Hi Craig,
Yes, good point, that’s actually what a lot of new bloggers think. They think that if you write about a certain subject, it’s because you know everything you wrote about. But even if we do to a point, the more detailed our post will be, the more research will have gone into it.
Nice to see you here, Craig and have a great day ahead!
Hello, Craig,
You are absolutely right, my friend, your assessment about new bloggers is correct, and we can encourage them in a big way by sharing these types of posts.
Even though it seems boring and tedious, if we just force ourselves to go through the motions a couple of times, it becomes habit. Then we can proudly share our content knowing that we’ve done our best, and are giving much value to our readers.
Great point about making sure the research is factual. Using several sources to confirm is a good idea. I remember Sylviane sharing a story about something she found on Wikipedia that was absolutely untrue about France – she knew without a doubt firsthand…
Thanks much for your visit and kind comment, Craig, I really appreciate it.
I’ll be talking with you soon, and hope you have a productive day.
Take care,
˜Carol
Carol Amato invites you to read..Multi-Tasking Can Slow You Down
Hi Carol,
I use Google Planner to do research, but I also like the software, Power Suggest Pro. It has many features that help you drill down a topic — which is perfect for blog posts or any other article you wish to write.
I’ve even used it for infographic data too!
You can usually tell when people don’t do enough research. Many blog posts are short and to the point, but you can tell when they lacked research because they could have added more content to the article.
I hate to admit it, I’ve lacked adequate time to create a blog post and didn’t do enough research at one time or another. Now, I haven’t done this recently, but I have done it early on in blogging.
I won’t do it again, I can tell you that!
Thanks for being so thorough in your explanation. I also want to share that forums are a good place to research too! If nothing else, it helps provide questions from readers that you can answer on your blog at a later time! 🙂
– Bonnie
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Hi Bonnie,
Very true. You can tell when someone hasn’t done their research. As you said the post is short, and there is little meat under each subheading. Yes, at times, time can be an issue or laziness too 🙂 But we need to do our best at all time.
Thanks for coming Bonnie.
Hi, Bonnie,
That’s great! 🙂 I use Long Tail Pro for the same thing. I also have Market Samurai but probably prefer Long Tail Pro.
You definitely can tell when folks have cut corners and just slapped up random thoughts… It doesn’t make me feel very valued as a visitor, that’s for sure.
Yes, we’ve all taken the lazy shortcuts from time to time, but if we have developed the good habit of researching on a consistent basis then all is well. 🙂
Forums are great place to find out the pain points of our target audience so that we know what to cover in our content creation. I’m so glad I was introduced to forum marketing early on in my business, because there’s a wealth of information in forums if we do the groundwork of finding an active one and specific to our niche.
Thank you for such a wonderful comment, Bonnie, I really appreciate your visit and that you shared this valuable feedback.
I hope you have a productive rest the day. Take care of yourself.
Talk soon,
˜Carol
Carol Amato invites you to read..Multi-Tasking Can Slow You Down
Hello Carol,
Good to see you here, like you rightly said “Researching a topic to write about can be one of the most formidable tasks of Internet entrepreneurs.” I tell you the truth, it is a work of its own, it is not for the lazy ones; but once the passion and dedication is there, it is half done.
Thanks Caro.
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Hello, Emebu,
It’s so nice to see a comment from you, my friend, thanks so much for stopping by – you are a blessing! 🙂
Yes, it does take effort, You’re absolutely right! If a blogger wants good results and engaged readers, then research is where to start with that whole process.
Passion and dedication are key components also, I agree completely. It only takes once or twice of going through these steps (not all, just a few) in order to make research a habit. This good habit will yield a lifetime of better results.
Thanks so much for your visit and comment. I was thrilled when Sylviane asked me to share with her readers.
Have a blessed day.
˜Carol
Carol Amato invites you to read..Multi-Tasking Can Slow You Down
Hi Emebu,
I agree, it takes work to do research and, depending on how deep you go, it can get really good too.
Thanks for coming.
Hey Carol,
Lately it’s been taking me a lot more time to publish a blog a week. This is due to all the research I do to get the information I want.
And I do have to say that I go through the same routine you mentioned here. The only thing that I do different is that I bookmark the sites that I find. I have a special bookmarking folder that I put all the sites in for me to go back to.
Then of course I do the keyword search and use sites like copywriter and the EMV site to come up with engaging content and a great first sentence. Now if you would’ve told me that it would take this much work when I first started, I wouldn’t believe you LOL.. but yes, if you want to put out great content that your audience can enjoy and use for themselves, you definitely want to do your due dilligence and do as much research as your time allows.
Thanks for sharing Carol! I was always curious on what resources and how others do research. Take Care! Thanks for having Carol as your guest Sylviane!
I found your post on kingged.com under Content Marketing
http://kingged.com/how-in-the-world-do-i-research/
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Hi, Sherman,
That’s absolutely wonderful! I’m so glad that you’re enjoying research and the awesome fruits of your labor!
Oh, I bookmark also, but just neglected to mention it. Thanks for bringing that tip up, I appreciate it – others can glean from that too.
I’m just so glad that you have a system in place for researching your topic for discussion – you’re proving that you care about them by taking these steps and putting forth so much effort. I applaud you, Sherman! 🙂
I didn’t mention everything that I do in this blog post because I wanted to keep it pretty basic. I have Market Samurai that I use, but honestly, I probably prefer Long Tail Pro even more.
You’re very welcome. I was thrilled when Sylviane invited me to be a guest writer on her wonderful blog. It’s been a lot of fun.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts here today. I’ll talk with you soon.
˜Carol
Carol Amato invites you to read..Multi-Tasking Can Slow You Down
Hi Sherman,
It looks like you’ve got a great system, and it seems that you’re very organized too as well.
Sorry for this late reply of mine, but I’ve been so busy this week, preparing my going away and other things in the middle. Thank goodness it was Carol’s post and not mine, so she could take on this commenting thing for me 🙂
As always, thank you for coming.
Hi Carol,
Great post here on Sylviane’s blog. Research is one of those things that I really wasn’t into at first. But since I changed the path of my blog, I’m realizing how important research really is. Especially when you give specific facts on something, rather than just your theory.
I love the step-by-step example you gave there. Very specific and to the point.
I don’t do as much keyword research as I should, but I’m starting to implement SEO in my blog posts more and more. And I use keyword planer as just a general search, then take it home with LTP. Have to give SEMRush another try.
Great job here.
– Andrew
Andrew M. Warner invites you to read..How To Turbocharge Your Writing By Adding 7 Spicy Ingredients
Hi, Andrew,
You and me both! I did not do research early on as I really wasn’t taught the importance of researching my topic before I discussed it. It was basically me sharing my journey… So it was a personal documentation of what I did, what worked, what didn’t work… So not a lot of harm was done in the beginning, I suppose.
Thanks so much. I wanted to give an example so folks could envision themselves taking these actionable steps and coming up with their own data. Research is not as complicated as most new bloggers think it is. Yes it is work. It does take effort. However, once you get in the flow after going through the steps a couple of times, it becomes much easier and just becomes part of the process.
I agree wholeheartedly – being able to give data-driven results is much more appealing than mere theory, and this would apply to case studies as well.
Sounds like you’re doing a fantastic job, Andrew, and I really appreciate you sharing your tips with us here today. Your comment is a big encouragement, and I thank you for stopping by. I was so glad to have been invited here at Sylviane’s blog.
I hope you have a great evening.
Take Care,
– Carol 🙂
Carol Amato invites you to read..Multi-Tasking Can Slow You Down
Hey Andrew,
What helped me get used to research is writing for niches I knew very little about, for clients, and even for my traveling blog, where I need lot of specific facts and other data. So I have done lots of research there.
However, as far as my writing and personal development blogging goes, frankly, that’s pretty much all in my head. I could write about that until the cows come home 🙂 Now, that doesn’t mean I don’t keep my education up though, because I sure do.
Thank you for your input, Andrew.
Hi Carol,
It’s great to see you here at Sylviane’s place. 🙂
It looks like I’m in great company. I also love doing research for a job or post I’m writing. I don’t know what it is but I like it. I do have to take breaks in between so I don’t get tired from the reading but it’s part of the writing process I enjoy.
Thank you for sharing these online tools. I use Google Keyword Planner but the others are new and I will be checking them out for sure :).
I love the step by step research example you shared and you finished this post with a great quote…it is all about the journey :).
Once again, you’ve shared some valuable information with us. I hope you’re having a great week so far.
Hello Sylviane,
Thank you for having Carol here to share with us. I hope you’re having a great week as well!
Take care ladies,
Cori
Hey Cori,
She sure did a great job, didn’t she? It was so cool for me to have have her this week which is already been such a busy one, but all good.
I’m glad you enjoyed this post and see you around soon 🙂
Hi, Cori!
Thanks so much, I really appreciate it. 🙂 I was happy when Sylviane invited me to share with her wonderful readers, what a great opportunity!
Oh, really? LOL Well, I’m adding you to the club then! Yes, most definitely – research is part of the process, and you, my friend, were taught well!
You’re most welcome – glad to share what I use. I also have Market Samurai, but usually use Google and Long Tail Pro.
Ah, had to give a detailed example or I wouldn’t have been doing the beginners any favors, that’s for sure. Wanted to encourage them to start researching if they hadn’t up to this point.
Yeah, the week has had a busy start, and I’m catching up which feels great. Thanks for stopping by to share your thoughts, Cori, loved your comment.
Talk to you soon.
˜Carol
Hi Corina,
How great that you like to do research. I kind of do to, and I never get tried of the wonders of the internet and how we have the whole world information at our finger tips (literally).
Yes, it was very nice to have Carol here this week.
Thank you for coming by.
Hi Carol,
It was great seeing you on Sylviane’s blog. 🙂
This is an informative post, indeed and I love it!
Keyword research is essential before we create an article on a specific topic. I can not say much about this, since you have covered everything. All I have to do is follow these ways..hehe
And I agree to make ourselves become an expert. If we position ourselves as a learner, then the keyword research is a fun activity. 🙂
Thanks for sharing this with us, Carol.
It’s really a great one!
Do have a great week ahead for both of you, Carol and Sylviane! 🙂
~Nanda
Nanda Rahmanius invites you to read..How to Clone Windows 7 to SSD Without Reinstalling
Hi, Nanda,
Thank you so much, I was happy when Sylviane invited me to be a guest writer on her wonderful blog. 🙂
So glad that you can resonate with my message about the importance of researching before sitting down to write. It most definitely can be fun because after the first couple of times of following the process, it becomes part of the flow of content creation, and the results are very exciting.
I really appreciate your visit and comment, and wish you a beautiful day. Talk to you soon.
˜Carol
Hi Nanda,
Yes, Carol shared a great post here, didn’t she?
I’m glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for coming by. Really appreciate it!
I just have to say that I am so grateful that I have a computer, access to the internet and live in this century because in my opinion there is nothing better than google-ing anything you are interested in.
Before, having to go to the library, sort through letters, and sections, putting up with the physical aspect of it too, does not compare to having thousands of encyclopedias at your fingertips. I love researching for anything that catches my eyes because it so easy and if you do have a bad day and your inspiration is low, you can just take a look on any social site and there are dozens or inspiring themes. thanks
wind invites you to read..The Best Kept Secret In Medicine
Hello, Wind,
You and me both! 🙂 I’m very thankful for the time in which I live. I’ve often thought that I would like to live in a different time period because of the simplicity of life, but I think the conveniences of this modern age would be difficult to give up.
Technology is an amazing thing, isn’t it? Your comment is so refreshing because you truly appreciate what you have and enjoy researching from the different resources online, and have such a positive perspective.
Thanks so much for your visit and comment, I really appreciate it. I was glad when Sylviane invited me to share my thoughts with her wonderful readers.
Have a blessed weekend.
˜Carol
Carol Amato invites you to read..Multi-Tasking Can Slow You Down
Hello Carol!
Love when friends host friends….then you get to come hang and have a party (and everyone’s already HERE, lol).
I always appreciate your posts, Carol–but I’ve had a blast with this subject, because I started reading thinking, “I’ll read this, because she’s my friend–but I do so MUCH research, I’m not sure I’ll see anything new.”
NOPE. Wrong. I was excited to see skills and systematic habits I don’t do. Hate to admit it, but I’ve stopped doing keyword searches. Maybe not completely–but not with the focus and devotion you do.
Soooo….I’m going to link to this article next Tuesday and tell my writing clan they need to come read this.
Jaime Buckley invites you to read..Want To Know Why Your Life’s So Hard? (read this)
Hi, Jaime,
Yeah, it’s wonderful – great timing too, right after Sylviane shared her wonderful article at my place. Was very happy to be invited here, and wanted especially to encourage beginners to start researching if they have not ever tried it, so kept things simple.
I can understand that happening, Jaime, I mean, I know you’re not new to research and have a really good sense of what your readers like and what will be enjoyed, so falling out of the habit is understandable, but we definitely need to be increasing organic search traffic too.
Thank you for that! Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend so far. We are – the weather is gorgeous and had a special family day, now am enjoying some comment time. Love it. 🙂
Talk to you soon.
˜Carol
Hi Jaime,
So glad you came here and learned something from Carols’s post, even though you didn’t think you would. You see! It’s always good to give it a try.
Sorry for this late reply, but I’m been so very busy lately, it’s been hard to be everywhere.
Have a wonderful week ahead!
Hi sylviane,
This is actually my first time on your blog and it quite interesting browsing through few page and this is an awesome post indeed.
And hi there carol, its great to have you here.
Researching before writing is truly important. Your tips are great and of course google is the best friend out there
Aderemi Dare invites you to read..How to choose the right web hosting company
Hello, Aderemi,
It is so very nice to meet you here on Sylviane’s blog. I feel fortunate that the first time you visited her blog you came up on my guest article. 🙂 I was so happy when Sylviane invited me to share my thoughts with her readers.
Thank you for the kind words, I’m glad that you found my tips valuable, and can agree on the value of the Google. Technology is an amazing thing, and I am glad that I live in this day and age. Researching is important and can definitely be fun.
Hope to connect again, and I hope you have a wonderful evening.
Take Care,
– Carol
Carol Amato invites you to read..Multi-Tasking Can Slow You Down
Hi Aderemi,
So nice to meet you here and I hope to see you around again sometimes.
Thanks for coming and have a great week!
Hi Sylviane and Carol,
This post has been on my radar for ages and I finally got here 🙂 I was curious as to how you did your research, Carol, and you’ve given us some gems. The things that stands out most is the idea of using keyword research tools, I usually just use them when I’m about to write the article to make it SEO-friendly. It makes a lot of sense to use them for niche ideas right at the start.
And I am so with you about the idea of research as a way to not waste your time. If you can find exactly what you want you don’t have to spend ages trawling through material you’ll never use.
Like you say it’s the internet that’s made research so different. Now people are used to searching for any little thing and it’s so convenient. No matter how organised I’ve been I always find something last minute that I’ve got to find, no doubt you’ve been there too with quotes and so on.
I must mention how you’ve described filling in the gaps like a puzzle – this is a great way of looking at it. You don’t really stare at a blank page when you’ve just got to fill in one snippet at a time, at least that’s what I find.
Have a great weekend both of you!
Donald McLeman invites you to read..11 places to find business ideas online
➤ Hi, Donald,
Thanks so much for your visit and comment – I was absolutely thrilled to have been invited to share my thoughts on Sylviane’s blog.
I appreciate your kind words, Donald, and am super happy that my tips are helpful to you. I like that you’ve enjoyed the ‘filling the gaps like a puzzle’ <— just made my day!
Thanks for stopping by to share your thoughts, it’s a big encouragement to me 🙂
You Too!! Have a great weekend.
Carol Amato
Carol Amato invites you to read..Carol’s Cut – Best of the Month 1
Great guest post. Researching an article topic can be one of the most time consuming parts of the entire article writing process, that why so many people write so little of them. You have to worry about if the research you are finding is up to date, keywords, etc. This is a clear guide on how to shorten your research, if you have not had the experience before. I a usually always thinking of article posts, so I am always researching as you can say. I really think finding a good topic for your article is critical and learning how to organize it in a way that helps you stay on topic and be clear in what you want to say. So, I really like the part about narrowing your focus.
Lawrence Berry invites you to read..7 Socially Unaccepted Traits You Need To Be Aware Of from Robert Greene’s Mastery
Hi Lawrence,
True, making research always takes time. I know that if I write for a client that requires lots of research I’m going to take this into consideration for my fees 🙂 But the more research you make the more value you can add to your article.
Thank you for coming and have a great weekend.
➤ Hi, Lawrence,
Thanks for the kind words – they are certainly much appreciated! You’re absolutely right, researching can be time consuming. Many bloggers do not do any research, or just go on instinct alone, which can be a mistake.
Yes, narrowing focus seems counter-intuitive, but is essential, in my opinion – glad you like that point. It’s definitely a layering process and practice makes perfect. I really appreciate your visit and comment, Lawrence. I was happy when Sylviane invited me to share my thoughts.
Have a great afternoon.
Carol Amato
Carol Amato invites you to read..Carol’s Cut – Best of the Month 1
A good research helps to deliver a good content. Research is key to online content creation success. Luckily, Carol has demystified the process in this post.
Research doesn’t need to be tedious, if proper planning is in place then the process becomes quite easy!
I left this comment in kingged.com where this piece was equally shared.
Hi, Sunday,
Thanks for the kind words – they are certainly much appreciated! I was thrilled to get the chance to share my thoughts about this all-important topic on Sylviane’s blog.
Thanks for stopping by to visit and comment, I really appreciate it. ?
Have a blessed day.
Take Care,
Carol Amato
Carol Amato invites you to read..13 Experts Reveal How to Start Over (Hint: It’s Never Too Late)