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keyword research

BACK TO BASICS: What Are Keywords, and Why Do They Matter?

Keywords are a foundational part of Internet marketing, but some of us may have lost sight of their purpose.  Knowing why keywords matter will help you utilize them more effectively in your Internet marketing strategies.

What Are Keywords?

Keywords are single words or phrases that are incorporated into text and information in a subtle, natural manner.  If keywords are used correctly, they should flow with the sentence and paragraph structure so as to be unnoticeable.  If readers are consistently tripped up by keywords, they are probably used too heavily or in unnatural ways.

What Keywords Are Not

Keywords are not meant to be stuffed into content at a high rate or to be misleading about article or page content.  Hiding keywords through the use of colored fonts to make them invisible is also a no-no.

Google takes keyword misuse very seriously.  As the spiders look for quality content, they note instances of keyword abuse and can penalize a page for doing this.

Why Do SEOs Use Keyword Phrases?

Keywords ultimately help researchers understand how users in their market describe their products and seek information.  This allows them to use those words to describe page content to both human users and to Google.

Keyword research benefits marketing in two ways.  First, it improves the Search Engine Results Page or SERP rank.  This is the information that Google uses to rank your website among others that are like it.  Exact matches garner a higher search engine ranking than near matches.

Second, understanding how your users are searching for information about a topic helps you to better understand their needs.  This information can be used to create content that better serves the customer.

What Are Long-Tail Keywords?

Long-tail keywords are strings of three to five words that are targeted for a particular group.  Searchers often use long-tail keyword phrases when they want to limit the number of hits they get from Google.  For example, a searcher might look for “gluten-free cranberry bread recipes” as opposed to “cranberry bread” to eliminate all non-gluten-free options.

The more specific your long-tail keywords are in your meta title, description and copy, the more likely it is that these users will find your page.  However, if you make your long-tail keywords too discrete, you may lose customers who are looking for related themes.

Ideally, you should use several strings of long-tail keywords to hone in on various markets.  This requires keyword research to see exactly which terms people are using when they are searching for particular products through Google and other search engines.

The Final Analysis

Ultimately, keywords are just words, but they are words that have a particular power to induce others to find your webpage.  Observe the rules regarding keyword misuse, do your research on your target market, and you will find that keywords boost your SERP rank as well as drive more qualified customers to your site and ultimately give you a higher conversion rate.

Using SEO Keywords

If you have any type of online presence you have no doubt heard of SEO. SEO stands for search engine optimization, and it is the process of drawing people to your website. When a web surfer goes online and uses keywords that are connected to your business, you want to make sure that your website is in the top ten rankings of the search engines.

This is easier said than done, but it is also a free way to draw people to your site and get the traffic that you need to keep your business running.

The first, and most important step, is to determine which keywords people would use when searching for your business. If you were the average consumer, what words would you type into a search engine in order to find your business? For example, if you own a small local bookstore, a web surfer would most like type in bookstore and the name of your town. You want to make sure that you use the name of your town and the word bookstore on your website.

Keywords go beyond just one or two words. There might also be phrases that people type in. If you run a car rental shop in Houston you might want to consider the keyword phrase; cheap car rental in Houston. The best way to determine keywords is to take a step back and think about what someone looking for you, without knowing you are out there, would type in to find you.

Once you have the keywords that you think will work, sprinkle them throughout your site, but don’t over use them. The keywords should be used naturally and add to the content on your site. They should be grammatically correct and flow with the rest of the information on your website. The general rule of thumb is to have your keywords represented at least one percent throughout the website.

You can also keep track of which keywords are actually working to bring people to your website. With simple tracking programs you can see what is working and what isn’t and take the keywords off of your site that aren’t actually bringing traffic to your website.

Don’t try and use keywords to trick the search engines. This can actually work against you. When search engines figure out that you are doing this, often called black hat tactics, they can remove you completely from their listing. In order to avoid SEO keyword mistakes work with a trusted SEO Company in Orange County like, Bulletproof Digital.

How Can I Optimize My Keywords and What is Keyword Research?

We’re honing in on keywords for this article because where content is king, keywords are golden. Keyword research drives a huge amount of search engine behavior, as it’s the bread and butter of how to observe what people are searching for and how. Certain search phrases and terms are going to attract different kinds of crowds, and by studying the keywords that people use, or which keywords generate user interest, you start to really get a feeling of how to connect with your customers in a way never before possible.

Keyword research is almost like having focus groups in a fancy room where you conduct experiments and see what the group prefers. But here’s the thing: using the Internet as your focus group means that your “lab” can be as large as you want! You can reach thousands of people and you can observe which way they are trending by using diagnostic tools, and in turn you can produce content that will attract the kind of visitors that are going to love your product or services. Your site can respond with up to the minute information that vibes with the current market situation, with information on products and services that correspond with real and actual needs, not predicted needs. [Read more…] about How Can I Optimize My Keywords and What is Keyword Research?

Trending Keywords: One Key to Success

It is difficult, but not impossible, to do some predictive work on trending keywords.  One crucial task is to predict keyword volume, which, according to SEOMoz, you can do before the data appears in AdWords (PPC), Bing, or any other search engine.  Predictive keyword research is an advanced technique, so it pays to learn the tricks of the trade if you want to utilize this technique successfully.

Trending keywords are important for two reasons.  First, internet searches are event-driven; when something happens, there will be an upsurge in interest about that topic.  This can produce large volume for content marketers.  Second, unless you are in the news business, chances are your competitors have not begun to predict what will be trending, so you will have an edge with your marketing and advertising.

Here are a few tips to get you started on your quest to predict keyword volume and popularity.

  • Stay on top of things.  Read the latest information in your field on a daily basis.  You cannot predict if you do not know what is currently trending.  Look for interesting facts, figures, or information that comes out of that reading.  What sparks your interest?  Chances are, other people will be interested, too.
  • Check out Q&A sites.  There are sites specifically devoted to Q&A such as Quora and Formspring.  These sites will tell you what people are currently asking about.  Look for trends and opportunities that seem to repeat themselves, especially over a wide audience.
  • Decide if you are a “longtailer” or a “fat header.”  “Longtail” refers to a high volume of search terms, “fat head” to a few well-chosen ones.  Both strategies have legitimate rationales, but it is important for you to decide which is most appropriate for your audience.  Will your customers be looking for one or two specific phrases, or are there a variety of phrases they might use?  Tailor your keywords to these facts.
  • Write relevant content.  No matter how good your keywords, poor content will not generate traffic.  Be sure your content is relevant to both topic and audience.
  • Publish and promote your content.  This is not an event, it is a process.  Check constantly for feedback on your performance, and analyze what is working and what is not.  Do not be afraid to change things if they do not give you the results you want.  Continue to monitor Q&A sites to see what people are talking about.  Sometimes predictions on keyword volume sink out of sight without coming to fruition.  This is not a failure but an occupational hazard.  Pick something else and move on.

By following the basics of keyword optimization, you will generate traffic on your website over time. Bulletproof Digital has learned that learning to predict keyword strategies is a skill that takes time to master, but it can give you a keen competitive edge in a very crowded marketplace and make your website stand out from the crowd consistently—and that translates into a growing body of loyal users.

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