KeywordSpy.com may be new to some and others simply may not have heard of it. I happened to run into the site today and it grabbed my eye as a domain name investment and research tool that could be very valuable to domain name investors! The tool has so many uses for domain name owners, I won’t list them all, but here are some GREAT things that I noticed right off the bat.

SERP’s

Current domain research tools often show the amount of SERP’s (search engine rank placements) but the biggest down fall is they do not show you where or what keywords the domain ranks FOR! Well, Keyword Spy not only give you a total amount of SERP’s for a domain name, they show you the keyword they rank for! This is huge! Why? This can make a domain name much more valuable!

A random domain I decided to search today that is in the PendingDelete list: JGames.com

Many wouldn’t even look at the domain, just because it doesn’t have full keywords etc. Well, if you passed JGames.com over, you would also be passing up a domain name that ranks #7 on Google for Java Games search term! JGames.com also ranks #6 on Google for Java Game search term.

JGames.com also ranks #6 on Google for the search term Free Java Games.

As you can see from the image above, 373 SERP’s are in place for organic keywords for JGames.com . The Keyword Spy tool displays the keyword set, the position it ranks at Google, the volume (monthly search amount) the CPC, traffic %, value %, amount of ads, the search results for the term and the exact URL that ranks for the term!

So what’s my point?

This one feature in Keyword Spy could be the difference in finding a great domain name, with a (or many) super valuable SERP’s for a highly searched term for a domain name!

JGames.com ranks #7 on Google for the Java Games search term. According to Google’s Adwords Tool, java games get’s searched for 550,000 times global and 49,500 local. I assume the "volume" number in the screen shot above is the estimated monthly volume Keyword Spy is stating.

Problem

This could be good and bad but Keyword Spy isn’t tied directly into any "domain" related services that I am aware of. This means that you would likely have to manually input domain names that you suspect to have SERP’s. You can get a good clue from several current services like DropDay.com and Freshdrop.net as they display domain names with "SERP’s" but it’s going to include a bit more work from you to discover what these domain names rank for by keyword using Keyword Spy.

If one could run full expired domain lists / pre-release lists etc with the Keyword Spy tool, that would be a gold mine list!!! For now, it is at least not a bad idea to manually run domains that have SERP’s based on current domain tools available and domain names that you are/were interested in purchasing anyway. You may be surprised with what the domain ranks for.

Pricing~ Great services and valuable tools often come at a cost! Keyword Spy is no different but they do offer several different packages for members. First, they offer a Free Trial, so I’d suggest giving that a go. The remaining packages will depend on what you want or need:

Package pricing ranges from $89.95/mo to $139.95 a month. They also offer a agency package with API access but no price is stated.

Overview

There are so many great tools with the Keyword Spy Research Tool that I am going to cover them as I discover them! This one is titled SERP’s Feature and I set up a category on DotWeekly just for Keyword Spy tool that I will add articles to after I discover and play around with this tool some more.

The internet is run by keywords and some of the most valuable domain names on the net are keyword based! Knowing what expired/expiring domain names and what they rank for before you purchase them is very important and you could discover a gem in the rough by finding a domain that has great SERP’s for a highly search term.

Why I really like the Keyword Spy research tool at first glance? Knowing WHERE a site ranks based on keyword(s) is priceless! Finding a little unknown domain name that other traffic indicators may not pick up on, that has great SERP’s for a highly search term can lead you into a gold mine! Doing research on a domain name that not many, if any are doing.. can lead you into find some real gems IMO!

Example: If a Java Game developer was aware that JGames.com ranks for several popular search terms to Java Games, they would very likely be interested! Simply "seeing" the domain name JGames.com wouldn’t give a "java game" domain investor a clue why the domain would interest them! Using Keyword Spy and researching the domain WOULD!

Tip: I think Keyword Spy is best used with expiring domain names that will not be dropped from the registry. "Pre-Release" at NameJet.com and Expiring at GoDaddy Auctions for an example.

Tip2: It is very important to get some activity on these domain names so they do not lose SERP’s, because any domain name, at any time can lose or gain in SERP’s!

Tip3: One vital thing to understand about keyword research tools, is they have a hard time with backward terms. Just because name domain often shows the same results as domain name, doesn’t mean the backward term gets the amount of search the "natural way" does! Estibot has a real hard time with this and they often display backward domains with a similar valuation to the "proper term".