|
The
Key to Finding Good Keywords
If you know
anything about optimising your website for the search engines, you know how
important it is to choose the right keywords. If you fail to pick the words
that you want your site to be found under, you risk untargeted traffic -- or
at worst, no traffic at all.
So what's
the trick to selecting the right keywords? First, don't use single words;
they are way too broad and the competition for them is fierce. Instead, you
want to use two or three words strung together, also known as "keyphrases."
Studies have shown that most people type in 2- or 3-word combinations when
conducting searches; not single words.
Coming up
with a list of the most targeted key-phrases for your website is not really
that hard. It involves a bit of brainstorming and utilizing the right tools.
One of the best methods is to think like your site's visitors, and write
down words and phrases that you think they would use when searching for a
site such as yours. Be creative.
Another
great resource to use is a good "old fashioned" Dictionary and/or a
Thesaurus to come up with related or alternate words. If you don't have a
hard copy, use the online versions located at:
http://thesaurus.reference.com http://dictionary.reference.com
If you find
yourself falling short of ideas, look up your competitors online and do a
‘view source’ on their pages. I'm not telling you to copy what they have;
but to study what they are using, as you might see some words or phrases
that you hadn't thought of, which you can add to your collection. Remember,
stay away from using Trademarks. You don't want any trouble from a high
priced Solicitor down the road.
If you're
trying to target a certain geographic location, make sure to include your
city and county in your key-phrase list. This is especially important right
now, as many of the search engines have branched out into offering "local
search" and you want your site to be found when these types of searches are
conducted.
Now that
you've got a good solid foundation, I'm going to introduce you to some other
online tools that you should find helpful in your quest for the right
keywords. Some of these resources are free.
1)
WordTracker:
http://WordTracker.com
This is the
"Big Daddy" of keywords services and used by most Search Engine Optimization
companies online today. The results are pulled from several meta search
engines. Use the free trial to take her for a "test spin." If you need more
power, you'll want to purchase a subscription. You can register for as
little as one day for $7.80, one week for $26.00, or even a month, which
runs only $52.00. You decide how much time you really need to access this
powerful database.
2) Good
Keywords:
http://www.goodkeywords.com
Free
software to download that will help you find the perfect set of keywords for
your site. Windows based only.
3) Keyword
Suggestion Tool
http://www.digitalpoint.com/tools/suggestion/
This online
tool will show you the results of your keyword search from both Overture and
Wordtracker. Find out how often a phrase is searched for and get suggestions
for alternate words as well. Free.
4) Overture
Search Term Suggestion Tool
http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/
This free
online tool is offered up by Overture. Type in your word or phrase and find
out how many times that particular word was searched for last month, and
related searches that include your term.
5) Google
AdWords Keyword Tool
https://adwords.google.com/select/main?cmd=KeywordSandbox
This online
tool is courtesy of Google AdWords. Type in your phrase and you'll be shown
a list of other possibilities. A slightly modified version of this tool is
available at
http://www.masteringadwords.com/resources/google_tool.asp
6)
Espotting Keyword Generator
http://www.espotting.com/popups/keywordgenbox.asp
Not to be
left out, Espotting also offers their own online research tool which will
also show you how many times that phrase has been searched for in the
previous month.
If you're
interested in creating "niche sites" and want to see the words people are
searching for check out these:
Lycos 50
Daily Report:
http://50.lycos.com/ Kanoodle:
http://kanoodle.com/spy/ MetaCrawler:
http://www.metacrawler.com/info.metac/searchspy
For a full
page of keyword selection tools:
http://tinyurl.com/3ovca
If you
don't have time to do your own research for keywords,this is an excellent
service that will do the hard work for you: http://www.SeoResearchLabs.com/
Remember,
when selecting keywords or key-phrases for your website you want to make
very sure you're choosing the right ones, or it could spell total disaster
when it comes to the search engines. Also, each page of your site should be
optimised for two or at the most three key phrases, but that's another
topic.
Finding the
right keywords isn't brain surgery. It just takes a little time and
ingenuity and the ability to put yourself in your customer's shoes.
Merle (just Merle, thank you) is an experienced Internet Marketer/Promoter
Consultant. She knows what it takes for business websites to be Successful.
She has been online for over six years and has three websites to her credit:
MC Promotions( http://www.MCPromotions.com - Merle's World (http://www.MerlesWorld.com)
and Ezine Ad Auction (http://www.EzineAdAuction.com
Merle
lives in a suburb right outside of Cleveland, Ohio with her two dogs, Teddy
Bear and Dakota, and her fiancée. Her hobbies include reading (especially
anything Net-related), writing and publishing her three ezines, M.C.
Promotions Press, Merle's Mission and Ezine Ad Auction Authority. All 3
publications have a combined subscriber base of well over 10,000. Feel free
to contact her with any questions.
|