10-16-2005, 04:38 PM
Planning A Keyword Strategy
by Eric Lester
Keywords are the most important decisions an SEO must make when starting out.
Choosing the right keywords will determine the overall SEO strategy and can
make all the difference, saving both time and expense in the campaign
The core of most Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, work is good planning.
Virtually all future efforts will be based on the initial choices made about
goals and strategies. Chief amongst these choices is that of keywords. The keywords
chosen will determine how much of a struggle the SEO efforts will take and what
kind of strategy will be used. This is why careful analysis is required in the
choice of keywords. Choose poorly and the consequences in terms of time and
money can be steep.
Building The List
The keyword choice process is one of elimination. The first step is the easiest,
brainstorming as many candidate keywords as possible. The hard part is taking
that big list and picking out the truly worthwhile entries. When brainstorming,
think in the broadest terms possible about the products, services, and industry
in which the business operates. The object is to create a very broad list, as
it will be more likely to contain the terms best suited to the overall SEO strategy
chosen.
Process of Elimination
With the list prepared, it is time to start eliminating choices. Keep in mind
the following basic SEO rules when doing this. First, any one page, including
your website's homepage, can only be effectively optimized for 2-3 keywords
or keyphrases. This number can be higher, but that depends on the use of fairly
obscure keywords and phrases. Though not usually ideal, one should not entirely
discount obscure words and phrases. They can be useful and will be touched upon
later. With a 2-3 max in mind, make a short list of what is considered "ideal"
in terms of the business or products being offered. One can always optimize
internal pages for additional terms if the homepage cannot support all the most
highly prized keywords
Doing The Homework
Research the chosen keywords. This can be accomplished through a variety of
ways. First, and most rudimentary, check them in the search engines. View the
listings and get a feel for the "competition." Some keywords are more
hotly contested than others, though, and this might not be apparent by a mere
glance at the results. This is where some deeper analysis is warranted. Various
tools exist to gauge the popularity of keywords. Most well known is, perhaps,
"Wordtracker.com", a keyword analysis tool that requires a monthly fee to use.
Many marketers consider its information invaluable, though, providing a good idea of
how many people are likely to be searching on a particular keyword or keyphrase. As a general rule
of thumb, the more searches, the more competitive it may be. Alternatively the
Overture Keyword Selector Tool provides similar information at no charge.
Both tools are also useful as suggestion tools, as they will provide a list of related searches
that might provide more valuable keywords than were already chosen
Two Strategies
The data from Wordtracker or Overture, or both, will provide an good idea how
much effort will be required to appear in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs)
for a particular keyword or phrase. The more searches, the likely more competitive.
More general searches are more common, and these can be the hardest to successfully
optimize. This is where more obscure terms and phrases can be useful. Depending
on the business or products being sold, some kinds of more obscure phrases can
be very useful.
For instance, someone searching on "cars" could have any number of
reasons for doing so. "Cars" is very popular term, and trying to optimize
for it would require a great deal of time and money. Whereas someone searching
for a particular type of car, or, better yet, a particular type of car in a
certain area, is far more likely to be looking to buy that kind of car. There
will also be far fewer people doing that search than for "cars", perhaps
making it easier to optimize a site or product page for that keyword instead.
The traffic from the specific, individual search is also far more highly targeted
and far more likely to click through and make a purchase.
It is important not to lose sight of the purpose of the SEO campaign, that
of driving potential customers to the business's website so they will purchase
a product or service. Optimizing for very broad, general terms can drive large
amounts of traffic if successful, but a far smaller percentage of that traffic
is likely to buy. Optimizing for more targeted keywords might not bring as much
traffic, but that traffic is more likely to make a purchase. Finding the right
balance is important. For some companies, the broad, large amount of traffic
may still be preferable and create more sales than the smaller, targeted traffic.
Conclusions
Keyword choice is one of the most important to be made in SEO. What keywords
are chosen will determine whether the overall strategy is broad and directed
at a large amount of traffic, or small and directed at smaller, more targeted
audiences. Each has their merits, though one will generally be more expensive
than the other. Always research keywords and know their value before proceeding.
Optimizing for poorly chosen keywords is a mistake that takes a lot of time
to overcome
About The Author
Mr. Lester has served for 4 years as the webmaster for ApolloHosting.com and
previously worked in the IT industry an additional 5 years, acquiring knowledge
of hosting, design, and search engine optimization. Apollo Hosting provides
website hosting, ecommerce hosting, vps hosting, and web design services
to a wide range of customers. Established in 1999, Apollo prides itself on the highest levels
of customer support. Click for more hosting articles.
Note: These articles are provided for general interest and
content purposes only, and should not be construed as "support" materials.
Apollo Hosting does not guarantee the information contained within. All articles
are free to reprint so long as they remain unchanged, the "About the Author"
section remains, all hyperlinks are preserved, and the rel="nofollow"
tag is not added to the hyperlinks.
by Eric Lester
Keywords are the most important decisions an SEO must make when starting out.
Choosing the right keywords will determine the overall SEO strategy and can
make all the difference, saving both time and expense in the campaign
The core of most Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, work is good planning.
Virtually all future efforts will be based on the initial choices made about
goals and strategies. Chief amongst these choices is that of keywords. The keywords
chosen will determine how much of a struggle the SEO efforts will take and what
kind of strategy will be used. This is why careful analysis is required in the
choice of keywords. Choose poorly and the consequences in terms of time and
money can be steep.
Building The List
The keyword choice process is one of elimination. The first step is the easiest,
brainstorming as many candidate keywords as possible. The hard part is taking
that big list and picking out the truly worthwhile entries. When brainstorming,
think in the broadest terms possible about the products, services, and industry
in which the business operates. The object is to create a very broad list, as
it will be more likely to contain the terms best suited to the overall SEO strategy
chosen.
Process of Elimination
With the list prepared, it is time to start eliminating choices. Keep in mind
the following basic SEO rules when doing this. First, any one page, including
your website's homepage, can only be effectively optimized for 2-3 keywords
or keyphrases. This number can be higher, but that depends on the use of fairly
obscure keywords and phrases. Though not usually ideal, one should not entirely
discount obscure words and phrases. They can be useful and will be touched upon
later. With a 2-3 max in mind, make a short list of what is considered "ideal"
in terms of the business or products being offered. One can always optimize
internal pages for additional terms if the homepage cannot support all the most
highly prized keywords
Doing The Homework
Research the chosen keywords. This can be accomplished through a variety of
ways. First, and most rudimentary, check them in the search engines. View the
listings and get a feel for the "competition." Some keywords are more
hotly contested than others, though, and this might not be apparent by a mere
glance at the results. This is where some deeper analysis is warranted. Various
tools exist to gauge the popularity of keywords. Most well known is, perhaps,
"Wordtracker.com", a keyword analysis tool that requires a monthly fee to use.
Many marketers consider its information invaluable, though, providing a good idea of
how many people are likely to be searching on a particular keyword or keyphrase. As a general rule
of thumb, the more searches, the more competitive it may be. Alternatively the
Overture Keyword Selector Tool provides similar information at no charge.
Both tools are also useful as suggestion tools, as they will provide a list of related searches
that might provide more valuable keywords than were already chosen
Two Strategies
The data from Wordtracker or Overture, or both, will provide an good idea how
much effort will be required to appear in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs)
for a particular keyword or phrase. The more searches, the likely more competitive.
More general searches are more common, and these can be the hardest to successfully
optimize. This is where more obscure terms and phrases can be useful. Depending
on the business or products being sold, some kinds of more obscure phrases can
be very useful.
For instance, someone searching on "cars" could have any number of
reasons for doing so. "Cars" is very popular term, and trying to optimize
for it would require a great deal of time and money. Whereas someone searching
for a particular type of car, or, better yet, a particular type of car in a
certain area, is far more likely to be looking to buy that kind of car. There
will also be far fewer people doing that search than for "cars", perhaps
making it easier to optimize a site or product page for that keyword instead.
The traffic from the specific, individual search is also far more highly targeted
and far more likely to click through and make a purchase.
It is important not to lose sight of the purpose of the SEO campaign, that
of driving potential customers to the business's website so they will purchase
a product or service. Optimizing for very broad, general terms can drive large
amounts of traffic if successful, but a far smaller percentage of that traffic
is likely to buy. Optimizing for more targeted keywords might not bring as much
traffic, but that traffic is more likely to make a purchase. Finding the right
balance is important. For some companies, the broad, large amount of traffic
may still be preferable and create more sales than the smaller, targeted traffic.
Conclusions
Keyword choice is one of the most important to be made in SEO. What keywords
are chosen will determine whether the overall strategy is broad and directed
at a large amount of traffic, or small and directed at smaller, more targeted
audiences. Each has their merits, though one will generally be more expensive
than the other. Always research keywords and know their value before proceeding.
Optimizing for poorly chosen keywords is a mistake that takes a lot of time
to overcome
About The Author
Mr. Lester has served for 4 years as the webmaster for ApolloHosting.com and
previously worked in the IT industry an additional 5 years, acquiring knowledge
of hosting, design, and search engine optimization. Apollo Hosting provides
website hosting, ecommerce hosting, vps hosting, and web design services
to a wide range of customers. Established in 1999, Apollo prides itself on the highest levels
of customer support. Click for more hosting articles.
Note: These articles are provided for general interest and
content purposes only, and should not be construed as "support" materials.
Apollo Hosting does not guarantee the information contained within. All articles
are free to reprint so long as they remain unchanged, the "About the Author"
section remains, all hyperlinks are preserved, and the rel="nofollow"
tag is not added to the hyperlinks.