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Search engines may have evolved from the days when keyword crammed web pages were virtually assured of a top position, but the importance of the proper use of good keywords still remains. The fact is that while Google and the rest might claim their love for organic text, without the appropriate injection of thoroughly researched keywords they would struggle to index a site properly and, more importantly, you as the website owner or promoter wouldn’t get anywhere near the traffic levels you want.

Good, Accurate Keyword Research Software

To my mind, this could also include the adjective “free”. There are plenty of commercial Keyword Research Packages available but very few if any of them offer enough extra features when compared to free desktop or online based software to warrant the often astronomical price tags. Find the keyword research tool that provides you with competition and popularity statistics as well as related and synonymous keywords. You should also pick the package that you feel most comfortable using because the user interfaces can vary wildly in their intuitiveness.

Research, Research, Research

Never make the mistake of believing that you instinctively know the keywords that searchers use when looking for a website or business like yours. The chances are that you could get it very wrong. Different demographics of people will use different terms and even the same person in a different stage of the information gathering and purchasing process is likely to use different terms when they search.

That doesn’t mean that you can’t use your keywords as a starting point. Conduct some Competitor Analysis, check out social sites, forums, and blogs related to your site and note the keywords that they use. Once you have a good list then you can start to use the keyword research software of your choice in order to dissect, remove, and add to your keyword list.

Ignoring Generic, Single Word Keywords

A huge number of websites and businesses start out their SEO campaigns trying to rank and benefit from generic, single word keywords. The problem with these keywords is two fold – they will be prohibitively competitive and even if you could rank highly, the majority of them would offer really poor conversion rates and a subsequently and equally low return on investment. Even two word phrases may be too generic and if you opt for these then you should consider them your long term keyword targets.

Geo-Targeted And Local Keywords

Geo-targeted, or local keywords help you to further target your potential customers. A surprising number of searches are conducted looking for local companies and businesses so don’t overlook the possibility of adding geo-targeted keywords to your campaign.

Don’t Completely Ignore Yahoo, Ask, MSN…

Yes, Google holds the majority market share but no that doesn’t mean that you should completely bypass Yahoo, Ask, or MSN. It can prove easier to rank in these search engines for some keywords and with some websites. They can also combine to generate a very good amount of traffic for your site. You should also get into the habit of diversification, if you aren’t already and this includes the search engines that you target. Your keyword research software should, happily, include figures for most or all of these search engines too.

Semantically Related Keywords

As well as using your researched keywords on the appropriate pages of your site you should also add semantically related keywords. The addition of LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) to the search portfolio is one that has changed SEO keyword requirements to a reasonable degree. As well as combining topically (or semantically) related keywords on the same page you can also consider using SEPS to further boost your efforts. This indicates to the search engines that you’re not only staying on a single topic but that you are giving a thorough account of that topic in your content.

SEPS

SEPS are Search Engine Proven Synonyms and they are the semantically related keywords that the search engines consider in their own indexing. Using the “~” operator before your keywords in the search engines will provide a list of results using your main keywords as well as SEPS. The SEPS and keywords are highlighted in bold in the results. For search strings of more than one word you can add the “~” to the beginning of the string and to the beginning of each word to get an extensive list of results.

Niche Keywords

The importance of finding a niche and then marketing for that niche can’t be stressed enough, particularly if you operate in a broad industry. You can always expand to add more niches at a later date, but one of the advantages of this is that you can research and optimise for niche keywords providing you with more targeted, less competitive keywords.

Check Your Site Logs

If you’ve already been enjoying some search engine success then delve into your logs or check your analytics. Look for the terms that visitors are already using to navigate to your site, and find those that have proven profitable already. Continue to check your logs because they may identify previously unconsidered keywords that may lead to yet more when researched. If you’re starting a new SEO campaign then ensure that you have a decent Analytics Package installed because it’s essential for many aspects of running an online business including SEO.

Finished? Then Go Again

Keyword research should become a regular pastime. Keyword trends can change dramatically and quickly depending on a number of factors. Some may be naturally seasonal while others are more topical. Closely monitoring performance and breaking out the logs and keyword research software on a frequent basis may identify more opportunities that you had yet to discover.

Keyword research needs to be considered a crucial part of SEO because they will be used time and time again throughout the SEO life cycle. In the same way that your optimisation campaign should be performed on an ongoing basis so too should the hunting down of targeted, profitable keywords.

Search Engines have set up specific criteria that websites should adhere to in order to stay in the rankings. Keeping your ranking is directly related to how often you Optimize Your Website. It is paramount for you to keep your content fresh, up to date and relevant.

Old information on your site equates to stagnancy and clients will lose faith in your product, but apart from that, and more importantly, Search Engines are fickle and take notice of the hardest working sites in cyberspace. So even though your website design is exceptional and your product information is exquisitely set out, if you neglect regular updates or fail to use any and all SEO Tools at your disposal, your rankings will fall… and fall.

It’s not always about Image

But is certainly important, but it is also about how many people click onto your site, and in order to get your clients to your site, you have to give them what they want. It’s one of those ‘you have to be popular to stay popular’ kind of things! So, how can you become popular? Some key things to keep in mind might be:-

• Determining the best keywords on the right pages
• Get the most sites you possibly can linking through to your site.
• Try Directory Registration, Text Link Advertising and Press Release Distribution.
• Offer the best information and tools you can to get people onto your site
• AVOID spam
• Use Tags
• Use Bold and Italics
• Fix any broken Links
• Hire someone to help you if you have a large site to maintain

First Impressions DO Count

But, just remember that first impressions in this case do count and that you only have a few seconds to grab the attention of your potential client. Keeping it will be a direct result of the time and effort you decide to invest in keeping your website up to date and Content Relevant. Apart from the “Look and Feel” of your site, ease of use and content is paramount.

What is the use of having a high end, professionally designed site that has no content or information about your product? This WILL leave your potential client feeling dissatisfied, and faster than you can blink, you have lost them. Equally an unprofessional site overloaded with content becomes a minefield of navigation and turns people off.

How you achieve this depends on your business image and your product. Your site needs to project the image you are selling. Some would say that your site needs to have an element of fun about it to catch interest, this may work, but it depends on your product. For instance, a funeral home would, hopefully, not go down that route. Just use your own common sense, what would attract you to your product, how would you go about finding the information you need, what is important to you at first glance, and how do you want your website to perform for you.