Keyword Research is one of the most important steps when in the process of optimizing your website... It is even more important if you are bringing Pay-Per-Click into the picture. The process includes making sure that you have the most targeted keywords that are directed specifically to your target audience.
If the term "keyword" scares you, just think of it as a word that people use to locate you, your services, products and information! For example, a Dentist in Los Angeles, would NOT want the keywords "Dentist in Dallas".... Sure it's the right demographics, but the geography is all wrong! I don't know anyone who would drive from Texas to California, just to see a dentist!
There are three steps to getting the right keywords for your website of blog... Identification, Location, and Choice!
-Identification
This is the first step and it just means finding what your target group is. So, keeping with the Dentist theme, you'll look for keywords like "teeth", "dentist", "dental", and "smile". If you put any of those keywords into the "Google Adwords tool you'll get a nice list to start narrowing down to your "best bet" keywords.
- Location
This second step involves taking your keywords and using that information o make more technical searches. You want to find keywords that are popular and ones that people actually use. You may think you have the best keyword, but if no one is searching for it, why bother?
So to find out a keyword's popularity, you'll just look further into that Google Adwords table. the table is exportable, and it's great to do this so that you can make changes later on. If you want to delve further into the keywords, try using the WordTracker tool as well. It's a great program that will help you locate relevant keywords.
-Choice
Last, but certainly not least is picking the right keywords for you and your site. You'll want to take all the phrases and counts (you should have this in an excel sheet from step 2). Examine them all and make sure that they work with what you are trying to achieve. This way, instead of things being more vague and inaccurate, you can concentrate on the keywords that will actually affect your site in a positive way!
If keyword research seems like a time consuming and involved process... you are right. However, it doesn't have to be difficult and there are many tips and tricks to making it easy and dare I say? enjoyable! But if you want to outsource this, there are companies that will do this for you for a nominal fee. One such company can be found at www.goodbyegurus.com
Stay tuned for more SEO tips!
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Thursday, August 6, 2009
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