I think I have come across this info before but can't find it and I'm sure Na will be the one with the answer.  How do you find out what is being searched for on the web?  I mean like, if I google or search on another search engine "how to make a puppet" or some other variation, links will come up. I know that on your blog or website you can use some trendy phrases and keywords to help your site come up. And I want to know how to find out what's popular. Maybe this was in Paul Louis' book, I have that book and maybe need to go find it. Or maybe I read it somewhere else.  Can anyone help with this info?

Well, it depends on what you're asking:

Are you wanting to find out what keywords are used to visit your website with? In which case you need to get a website stat tracker. Google Analytics is popular, though it does aggregate everything. (Ie. if you want to know what one person used on a particular day, you won't find it, as it's aggregated) I use a combination of Activemeter.com and Google Analytics. The former allows me to view individual stats of a single visitor, whilst GA is good for more aggrated stuff and sending me regular reports of sales info.

The second half of the question is: do you simply want to know what are popular keywords in general, of visitors to any website?

That is a harder thing to answer. I used to remember a website where you could type in a keyword and see how popular it is with month-to-month comparisons and comparisons to other popular and similar keywords. However, the website that I was thinking of didn't have it, so I'm not sure what it was - given some time I may be able to dig it up.

Generally, most web statistics companies offer free or premium tracking of keywords. Alexa, one of the more popular ones, shows which keywords are popular on School of Puppetry (SOP) for instance:
http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/schoolofpuppetry.com.au#

I'm sure if you googled it, someone else has asked and answered how to find keywords in general; I'm not really familiar with what's available out there for SEO (search engine optimisation), I just focus on what's popular for my site in particular and sort of developed an intuition for it. EDIT: Hmm, there are some useful articles here:
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/search-results/?q=keyword&sa=&cx=partner-pub-6779860845561969%3A5884617103&cof=FORID%3A10&ie=UTF-8#995

There is a third part to this answer and that is: what are you using the data for? If you're wanting to improve the possibility of people finding your website, then I'd recommend ignoring catering to "what's popular" by keyword. By far, the best method is simply to improve your website based on various things as explained by inputting your URL here:
http://websitegrader.com/
Which grades your websites on, readibility, popularity, etc. I use this site on occasion and make adjustments where necessary. Even a lesser known website can do better than popular ones, simply by making the site legible, adding a subscription form (RSS feed), etc. You can also use the site to compare your grade against others that are competitors, like this forum or other puppetry sites.

Interestingly, you also don't have to cater to the "what's popular" audience. 9/10 visitors to SOP for instance, are what I call 'fly bys'. They spend less than 2 minutes on the website and half of the visitors never return. Yes, putting 'popularly asked' content to the site attracts visitors, but you don't want lots of visitors, you want 'stickiness' or for the visitors to return time and again. So if you're looking at just getting more readers, then keywords can help; but if you're looking to make a sale, well, more important is quality content, a 'storyline' (ie. regular updates and interesting content that makes you want to come back), and so on.

As a comparison, the Puppets in Melbourne website still rates high on google for many keywords, despite me having moved most of the popular content to SOP.

Keywords are only part of the picture.

These are good answers.  I haven't really delved into selling yet, but was wanting to know how to find out what people are looking for.  For instance, today my friend searched for making a noodle puppet.  She didn't find much. My blog did come up, but I don't really have any instructions on there and that's what she was looking for.  It made me curious as to what I might want to spend my time on as far as adding to my blog.  It's not a very good blog right now, but I really just would like to have a site/blog that helps others find the answers that I've looked for myself. I was just wanting a little help on how to prioritize it, where to spend more time and effort if that makes sense.  Also, I do want to sell things eventually.  Just really haven't gotten that far yet other than an occasional e-bay sale.  Sorry if this rambles, I've got dinner and other things going too!

Thanks for your help!

Oh, and blogger (a google company for blogs) does have a statistics counter, so I can see who sees my blog, how they got there etc.  But this information was for knowing what to put on the blog, meeting the needs of the searchers.

Ugh! I can't seem to make myself clear.  I meant to say the "information I'm asking for" is to find out what others would be searching for so that they may be able to find the answer on my blog.  :D

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
This is the site I was looking for.  I learned about it in a book by Kathy Wilson in a book called, "Women on the Net".

and this one

http://www.keyworddiscovery.com/search.html

Her point was to search key words and see if there is a market for starting a business in your interest.

Guess I should have looked there first, but either way at least if anyone else is interested, now they have the links too.

These are good answers.  I haven't really delved into selling yet, but was wanting to know how to find out what people are looking for.  For instance, today my friend searched for making a noodle puppet.  She didn't find much. My blog did come up, but I don't really have any instructions on there and that's what she was looking for.  It made me curious as to what I might want to spend my time on as far as adding to my blog.  It's not a very good blog right now, but I really just would like to have a site/blog that helps others find the answers that I've looked for myself. I was just wanting a little help on how to prioritize it, where to spend more time and effort if that makes sense.  Also, I do want to sell things eventually.  Just really haven't gotten that far yet other than an occasional e-bay sale.  Sorry if this rambles, I've got dinner and other things going too!

Thanks for your help!

Well, I'd say you've just answered your own question. I started writing the content on my site because I was struggling to find info online about Australian puppetry. It turns out that other people are interested in that stuff too, and that's what makes the site popular. It's now known as a resource for Aussie puppetry.

So I'd say forget about writing what you think other people are interested in, and write about what you're interested in reading but can't find anywhere else. For instance, there's really no need to write yet another tutorial on making finger puppets (that's REALLY popular) and it will drown in the sea of other tutorials out there on that topic. But you're right, noodle puppets aren't discussed much, and unique content will stand out more because of it. EDIT: I'll also add that 'content farms' are known for going after keywords. My recent Ehow-plagiarism issue showed this clearly. They write for ANY keyword that pops up, even if it doesn't make sense to us puppeteers or inaccurately depicts the craft to those who don't know better. Google actually 'demoted' Ehow in order to encourage quality content and less gaming of the system. So there's something to be said for avoiding worrying about keywords and just posting good stuff that you're interested in.

In terms of how to prioritise, this is a tough one. I know that certain content is popular - ie. making marionettes - but writing something of quality is time-consuming and so in remaking my own tutorial I've put it off considerably. I think the first step is to write something while you're inspired. Redraft it a day or so later. Then publish when ready. Having pictures and diagrams is best, so if you need to do that first, do so; or draft the writing first and add pictures later where you think it is needed. Sometimes I add pics afterwards on re-reading because I realise something is missing in the explanation.

I have spent the last few years updating my site about 4-5 times a week. On the days when I can't be bothered writing much, I post something small, like an announcement of a local show, or a link to another website. On the days when I have more time or inspiration, I go for the longer articles. And then for patterns/tutorials, I usually spend a month or so working out an idea, pattern, video, etc. (more if it's something I'm expecting payment for), so it's of good quality. I don't do it all at once, but a bit each day. Recently I've changed my schedule to once-twice a week, because doing quality content is time-consuming and I burn out quickly. (Honestly, it does get old fast doing lots of updates) I recommend sticking to some kind of schedule if only because readers will move away from your site if you don't.

Same thing goes for sales: I found that posting products regularly on my website was the most successful way of getting sales. It's slackened off lately because I've stopped producing new stuff in order to work on migration of content. I don't really sell on other venues (I do sell via Etsy, but most people find my stuff via my site) so I can't offer much advice there.

... Rambling? Nah, I ramble enough for the both of us

Ugh! I can't seem to make myself clear.  I meant to say the "information I'm asking for" is to find out what others would be searching for so that they may be able to find the answer on my blog.  :D

I'll also add that your own stats won't generally be a good indicator for what keywords are popular in general. I find that once I add a new keyword (let's say "noodle puppets", which can't currently be found on my site), I'll suddenly have an increase in people finding my site with that keyword. Your own stats are only representative, on average, of the content of your own site.

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
This is the site I was looking for.  I learned about it in a book by Kathy Wilson in a book called, "Women on the Net".

and this one

http://www.keyworddiscovery.com/search.html

Her point was to search key words and see if there is a market for starting a business in your interest.

Guess I should have looked there first, but either way at least if anyone else is interested, now they have the links too.

Great sites. Those weren't what I was thinking of, but do the same thing. Very handy indeed.

... I keep finding more things to add.

I've been compiling a list this week of my favourite puppet websites in order to do an end-of-year 'best of' post. Of all of the websites I've collected, they've had: fantastic puppet images, usually behind the scenes stuff; excellent explanations of how to do things (ie. detailed enough you could do it yourself); and/or unusual ideas; recently updated or updated regularly enough to be interesting reads. I spend 90% of my time on the net, so you get to know the good from the bad websites. Maybe you should also take a look at what's out there, instead of just relying on keywords. Presentation is often more important, and what often initially hooks me in is a well-taken photo or detailed instructions. If I then click to the homepage (or the most recent blog post) and see more of the same, I bookmark for later. Going and visiting actual blogs and websites might help you hone what is already being done, what you like/dislike as a writer/reader, and what you could offer of value to the community.