Keyword Research

Because effective keyword research requires numerous steps which go beyond the content and context ofyour web site, we present here a 10 step strategic guide to help you achieve superior results

You need to be extremely careful with keyword research so that you don't miss excellent opportunities or aim so broadly that you target phrases that will never rank well. Here are 10 strategies to guide you along the way:

1. Know your potential customers and how they search

Many businesses simply pick keywords out of thin air.
Instead, talk to curent and potential customers or hot prospects to determine what might be useful keywords or key phrases.

2. Examine your target market, industry or audience

Visit relevant forums and web sites or read related magazines and newsletters to find additional potential keywords.

3. Know your competition

You need to know what keywords your competitors are using and which ones are effective for them. You do not want to miss out on these.

4. Begin with core keywords

A set of basic and possibly obvious keywords is necessary as a starting point for brainstorming additional creative keywords.

5. Expand on your keyword list with specifics

Attach specifiers to your basic keyword to build search phrases. If you sell raw plastics add "plastic extrusion", "plastic moulding" etc.

6. Use a research tool such as WordTracker.

Resources such as WordTracker are valuable in helping you establish how frequently certain keyword or phrases are being searched on.

7. Build substantial lists.

Don't limit yourself to the first 10 keywords you can come up with. Build a list of at least 20 but 50 is better and 100 - 200 is even better.
However, do not exagerate. Lists of many hundres become unmanagable.

8. Creative experimentation.

Try your intuitive ideas. Again, tools like WordTracker can quickly confirm the validity ohf your ideas.

9. Coordinate keywords with site content.

Maintain relevance between keywords used in your pages vs. eywords used e.g. in search engine marketing.

10. Analyze your log files.

Log files reveal what keywords and key phrases were used to find your website. This is hugely important to you as you will want to use these keywords for strengthening all your keyword based marketing efforts. Tools such as WebTrends or GoogleAnalytics can help you with the task.