Your SEO strategy starts with finding the best keywords for your web site. Using the right keywords on your web site will help to assure that it will be visible in the search engine results pages. Keywords are the search terms internet users will type into the search engines (e.g. Google) to find your web site. Keywords are generally two to five words. Once you know your keywords you can optimise your web site for higher search engine rankings.
Know your market
Know and understand who your customers are. Think about what you are selling and what words searches will type into search engines like Google that will lead them to your website. For example if your business is in selling men’s watches. You may assume “men’s watches†is the perfect key phrase, however you may be wrong. For example your potential customers might search for key phrases like ‘mens designer watches’ or ‘seiko mens watches’, or by specific brand name only like ‘tag heuer’
Finding Keywords
- Ask friends and family the words they would use if they were looking for your products and services.
- Use a thesaurus and dictionary
- Think of industry terms, abbreviations that are associate with your website
- Use Search Engine Results and study your competitors page title.
- Study the Pay Per Click ads (PPC) on Google for your chosen keywords
- View keyword meta tags on competitors websites (visit home page of competitors website and right click with your mouse and select ‘view source’.
- Study your website statistics and log files. In your logs files you will find the words people used in the search engines to find your website.
- Use the related term suggestions on the bottom of Google search results page. Eg. Enter ‘acupuncture’ in google and the bottom of the first page you will see related searches for the keyword acupuncture.
- Find misspelled keywords. Place the misspellings in your meta keyword tag.
- Use Keyword Research Tools (covered in another post)
Quick Tips:
- Try and register a keyword rich domain. Search engines give considerable weight to a website with the keywords in the URL.
- Try and target two or three keyword phrases for each web page
- Know your keyword competition . Software like WordTracker gives popularity figures of search phrases based upon actual search engine activity. Focus on popular search key phrases and optimise your website for the less competing phrases.
- Always choose relevant specific key phrases for your web pages. Be specific not general with your key phrases.
- When selecting the right key phrase consider the motivation of the user. A key phrase that implies an action may attract quality traffic converting into sales. E.g. “Sony LCD TV | Free Shippingâ€
- Finally be patient, coming from personal experience it can take up to 12 months for Key phrases to rank well because there simply is more competition on the web now.