The
whole on-page and off-page optimization is based on the
keyword that you will use. Imagine this, you wanted your
site to rank high using "hi-tech widgets". You've done
on-page optimization, put tons of backlinks with the
anchor text "hi-tech widget" and end up #1 in that
keyword. However, you noticed that despite this, you are
only getting about 10-20 visitors per day. What seems to
be wrong?
Rule #1 - Choose the right
keywords
The big
question is, what are the exact words people use to find
information about your high tech widgets? Is it "red
widgets", is it "cheap read widgets", or is it "discount
red widgets"? Not knowing this would certainly be a
disaster and lots of wasted energy in optimizing for the
wrong keywords.
Think
of the right keywords as the Open Sesame! of the
Internet. Find the exactly right words or phrases, and
presto! hoards of traffic will be pulling up to your
front door. But if your keywords are too general or too
over-used, the possibility of visitors actually making
it all the way to your site - or of seeing any real
profits from the visitors that do arrive - decreases
dramatically.
You
probably think you already know EXACTLY the right words
for your search phrases. Unfortunately, if you haven't
followed certain specific steps, you are probably WRONG.
It's hard to be objective when you are right in the
center of your business network, which is the reason
that you may not be able to choose the most efficient
keywords from the inside. You need to be able to think
like your customers. And since you are a business owner
and not the consumer, your best bet is to go directly to
the source.
Instead
of plunging in and scribbling down a list of potential
search words and phrases yourself, ask for words from as
many potential customers as you can.
You
will most likely find out that your understanding of
your business and your customers' understanding is
significantly different. The consumer is an invaluable
resource. You will find the words you accumulate from
them are words and phrases you probably never would have
considered.
The
next step is evaluation. The aim of evaluation is to
narrow down your list to a small number of words and
phrases that will direct the highest number of quality
visitors to your website. By "quality visitors" I mean
those consumers who are most likely to make a purchase
rather than just cruise around your site and take off
for greener pastures. In evaluating the effectiveness of
keywords, bear in mind three elements: popularity,
specificity, and motivation.
Popularity is the easiest to evaluate because it is an
objective quality. The more popular your keyword is, the
more likely the chances are that it will be typed into a
search engine which will then bring up your URL. You can
now purchase software that will rate the popularity of
keywords and phrases by giving words a number rating
based on real search engine activity. Software such as
WordTracker will even suggest variations of your words
and phrases. The higher the number this software assigns
to a given keyword, the more traffic you can logically
expect to be directed to your site. The only fallacy
with this concept is the more popular the keyword is,
the greater the search engine position you will need to
obtain. If you are down at the bottom of the search
results, the consumer will probably never scroll down to
find you.
Popularity isn't enough to declare a keyword a good
choice. You must move on to the next criteria, which is
specificity. The more specific your keyword is, the
greater the likelihood that the consumer who is ready to
purchase your goods or services will find you.
Let's
look at a hypothetical example. Imagine that you have
obtained popularity rankings for the keyword "insurance
companies." However, you company specializes in health
insurance only. The keyword "cheap health insurance"
would rank lower on the popularity scale than "insurance
companies," but it would nevertheless serve you much
better. Moreover, if you only operate in one state, you
can further to "cheap health insurance california". The
greater the specificity of your keyword is, the less
competition you will face.
Once
you have chosen your keywords, your work is not done.
You must continually evaluate performance across a
variety of search engines, bearing in mind that times
and trends change, as does popular lingo. You cannot
rely on your log traffic analysis alone because it will
not tell you how many of your visitors actually made a
purchase. Luckily, some new tools have been invented to
help you judge the effectiveness of your keywords in
individual search engines. There is now software
available that analyzes consumer behavior in relation to
consumer traffic. This allows you to discern which
keywords are bringing you the most valuable customers.
This is
an essential concept: numbers alone do not make a good
keyword; profits per visitor do. You need to find
keywords that direct consumers to your site who actually
buy your product, fill out your forms, or download your
product. This is the most important factor in evaluating
the efficacy of a keyword or phrase, and should be the
sword you wield when discarding and replacing
ineffective or inefficient keywords with keywords that
bring in better profits.
Ongoing
analysis of tested keywords is the formula for search
engine success. This may sound like a lot of work -and
it is! But the amount of informed effort you put into
your keyword campaign is what will ultimately generate
your business' rewards.
About the Author
Noel Bautista is a search
engine optimizer, and internet marketer. Visit his
website at philippines
and isulong
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