Search Engine Placement & Keywords
How does search engine placement fit in with search engine optimization and keyword research? Search engine placement is determined by which keyword search phrases members of your target audience use in the search engines to locate your site.
Optimizing your site for the wrong keyword search phrases is almost as ineffective as not optimizing your site at all. This is why keyword research and analysis is the first step in search engine optimization and placement. The other steps you take in optimizing your web site are based upon the keywords chosen at this beginning stage. It is a good idea to come up with a keyword search phrase strategy for each page in your website. The more pages you have, the more effective your keyword strategy will be, and the better the chances for a good search engine placement for your site.
There are several things to consider when researching your keywords, common sense being the first one…
Create an SEO Marketing Plan
Before you dig in, it is a good idea to have a place to note down your research results. This information will serve you as you work through the steps to optimize your site.
Ascend Web Promotion's SEO Marketing Plan contains key questions that will start you brain storming. You can also use some of this information to copy and paste into the search engine submission pages when you add your url to the search engines and directories.
Target Audience
- Who is your target audience?
- How would they describe your business?
- Under what section of a phone directory like the Yellow Pages would they look?
- How would you describe their behavior around your business? Are there trends? Are responses greater seasonally?
- How do they use the internet? Do they use it as a business tool? A research tool? For fun and games?
Start by asking 10 of your clients these questions, and note the direction that the discussion takes. Keep a broad minded view, and you might find that your business is viewed in ways that you never imagined.
Trade Organizations
- What terms are used to describe your business in related trade organizations?
- What terms do you see listed in newsletters and web sites based in your industry?
Your Competitors
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Who is your competition? There might be some short term or new competitors who have recently appeared, but it is more important to focus on competition that has been around for a long time. How does your target audience locate them?
Lateral Thinking
For example, you are a dog lover and a baker and would like to sell bakery treats for dogs over the internet. As far as we know, dogs are not able to type and use the internet, so you will need to grab the attention of their owners.
However, in your brainstorming sessions, you discover that your target audience is pet owners and family members of pet owners, who love and indulge their dogs and family members' dogs. These folks are also very interested in learning about pet related subjects, specifically health and nutrition. Some are also interested in trying a recipe or two at home.
Aha! Here is an unexpected way to draw traffic. Not only can you sell bakery treats for dogs, but you can also provide information on dog health and nutrition, as well as recipes! How about a small doggie treat cookbook? You could become the premiere resource for doggy treats and nutrition. This is lateral thinking, where solutions are sought at different angles, rather than head on.
Once you have identified your target audience, the next step is to seek out relevant keywords that they might type into the search engines, and how much competition you might have against other web sites using that same keyword search phrase.
Lateral Keyword Search Phrases
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Do your proposed keyword search phrases have variations and alternate terms that can also be optimized?
Take lateral thinking to the next step, and you might be surprised to learn which keyword search phrases are used to locate and describe your business. Locating the right keywords is a balancing act when it comes to search engine placement.
Finding the Balance for Good Placement in the Search Engines
What are the most appropriate keywords for optimizing your web site? dog treats? gourmet dog treats? nutritious dog treats? Should it be dog bakery? doggy bakery?
The most appropriate keyword search phrase is not always the most obvious one. If you go for the most obvious keywords you increase your competition for that search phrase, thus decreasing your chances of a top spot on the search engines.
You might find that some of what you think are popular phrases are too generalized. Not only will this type of keyword search phrase draw a large crowd, but there is a good chance that most of those visitors might not be your target audience and will leave your site as soon at they enter it.
You might find that your target audience is actually using several slightly more specific keyword search phrases that might be more appropriate for your web site optimization strategy. Additionally, slightly less popular, more specific search phrases will have less competition, while drawing the target audience that you are seeking.
However, you don’t want to use a keyword search phrase that is so obscure that very few would think to use it to locate your web site.
You will come up with several keyword search phrases as a result of your research.
There are several tools that suggest optimal keywords for your web site. At that point, the world of keyword search phrases will open up to you. Check out our SEO Tools & Resources to give you some tips.
Follow Up with Logs
When you get a web site, your web hosting company usually provides you with monthly, weekly or daily logs that show statistical information about your website, such as how many visitors you've had and how they found you. You can also purchase statistical services. Once your site has been up for 6 months, it is a good idea to check these statistical logs to see which keyword search phrases were typed into the various search engines to locate your site.
