((Ensure you watch the video at the beginning of this email to get some extra bonus tips!))
1. Top Keyword & Key phrase Identification
First, take your list of potential topics. Then, think about the terms, keywords and phrases that your target customer would be likely to type into Google to find information (like your course) on that topic.
These are most likely to be phrases that begin with ‘How to (your topic/keyword)’.
For example, if you want to teach people how to sell their own clothing line on Etsy, you want to search "selling clothes on Etsy" and similar topic searches like "how to design your own clothes" - you get the point.
2. Google Auto-Fill
When you start typing in your keywords and phrases, Google will ‘auto-fill’ the search bar with suggested other searches for you.
These auto-filled suggestions are actually the top search terms that have recently been typed into Google by the masses with those keywords.
Pay LOTS of attention to these!
If this is what people have been typing into Google, then THIS is what people are asking questions about and searching for answers on.
These are the things that have high market demand.
3. Advert Analysis
After searching all of your various keywords and key phrases (as well as those being suggested by Google auto-fill); then look for what the top adverts are on the first page of Google for each search and do some ‘nosing about’.
These paid adverts and top search results on page one of your searches are a valuable part of your research.
The reason you want to pay attention to the paid ad spots is that if other people are paying to have their courses and learning products show up in your results, OR their pages are so popular that they are coming up trumps in Google, then you’ve got a very good sign that there is a positive market demand in that topic.
4. Similar Courses
If there are competing courses in the same topic as you, it’s actually a great thing because it means that there are people interested in your topic.
There are lots of ways to differentiate your course and make yours better than the competition (which I go into in the ‘Content Creation’ stage of my ‘
Concept To Course’ program) - so please do NOT be put off by competition.
There is little in todays world that’s completely original; therefore, if there was NO competition whatsoever, then I would want to do some further research into whether there is any demand for it.
Go to some of the popular online course marketplaces, such as Udemy.com and do a search on your course topic.
Assess the level of competition, look at the number of students enrolled, the price, the curriculum content. Lots of competition and activity in your topic is a GOOD sign of high market demand.
5. YouTube Clues
Another great place for investigating the viability of your online course is YouTube.
Just like the Google search bar, YouTube also has auto-fill suggestions based on what people have been searching for on the platform.
The keywords and phrases that come up here as well as a high volume of video results with large view numbers in your topic are again signs of positive market demand.
If your topic is being searched out by others, you have a great topic.
6. Trending
Finally, go to ‘Google Trends’ and type in your topic. This will tell you whether searches on the internet in those keywords or phrases are going up or going down.
If the searches are trending upwards, then your course idea has signs of being in high market demand.