Keywords… are they important? Do I really need them? How do I find them?
Hell yeah, choosing the right keywords is essential to the optimization of your website!
Ok, here’s a little keyword information…
What are Keywords?
Keywords and phrases are the words on your site that match the words or phrases that people type into search engines.
Why do you need Keywords?
Search engines do their text query and retrieval using keywords and then rank the most relevant websites highest. This means that when someone searches for a particular product or service they will find the information they are looking for… which is obviously the point of search engines! The best keywords are those that are very relevant to your product or service and are also frequently searched for.
Are the right Keywords important?
Absolutely! Use the right keywords and your website will be found, but target the wrong ones and the rest of your SEO efforts will be pointless.
Now the important bit….
3 Steps to finding the best Keywords
- Start with an educated guess… what do you think people will use in a search when they are interested in your product or service? Think about what you are offering to help customers, as people are far more likely to search for a solution to their problem instead of a service or product.
- Research with a Keyword Tool… here’s three of the best:
Word Tracker
A subscription to Wordtracker’s premium Keywords tool will help you to:- Generate thousands of relevant keywords to improve your organic and PPC (Pay Per Click) search campaigns.
- Optimize your website content by using the most popular keywords for your product and services.
- Research online markets, find niche opportunities and exploit them before your competitors.
Word Tracker offers a 7-day free trial.
Google AdWords Keyword Tool
Using Google Adwords Keywoord Tool will enable you:- To see how many people are searching for each keyword phrase
- Generate related keyword suggestions
- Show the level of competition for each keyword phrase
Not only is it a Google tool but it’s also a free Google tool!
KeywordSpy
An interesting tool which will tell you:- Which websites are targeting a particular keyword phrase
- Ideas for keyword phrases based on the search terms that competitors are using.
Keyword Spy offers a free trial
- Choose the best - you should now have an idea of the best keywords to use in your site. One final step; go to Google and search for your chosen keyword. You should now see your competitors on the results page together with their title tags. These title tags will show you the keywords that they are targeting for the same product or service. And of course we know these sites are optimized as they are on the first page of Google’s results… exactly where you want to be!
Mission accomplished - the best keywords found - now go forth and optimize!