Choosing the right key words to optimize within your website is one of the most important decisions you can make when it comes to getting found on Google. The problem is, we get so wrapped up in our own language that we use to describe ourselves and what we offer that we may lost touch with the words, dialect and semantics that our targeted website visitors use to describe us.
It’s one thing to use a thesaurus, but it’s quite another to conduct usability testing – where you actually watch people use search engines to find particular things – or tools designed specifically to help deliver evidence-based related keyword suggestions.
KeywordSpy is one particular tool that you may want to play with as you develop your list of keywords. When I entered “seo analysis tools” into KeywordSpy it delivered this information:
Keywords related to seo analysis tools
site optimization
website optimizer
search engine tool
keyword analysis
ranking tool
optimization tools
search engine optimizer
website keywords
improve search ranking
optimize website
search engine optimize
The tool goes on to provide the estimated search volume for each keyword phrase and the average cost per click (CPC) for that phrase if you were to pay for sponsored advertising on the search engines. The search volume is very important. Indeed, it’s better to be optimized for keywords that people actually seek. After all, what’s the point in ranking first place on Google for some keyword that nobody Googles?
Choosing your keywords are crucial and it’s better to do it early in the web design process because a search engine savy web designer will bake these keywords into the URL, file names, file paths and image names throughout the website. They will also be sure to use these keywords in the title tags, alt text and header tags.
If you have any questions, give us a call at 310.880.1162 or e-mail me at blake @ inqbation dot com.
Keyword analysis is probably the very first thing you need to think about before you even launch your website. Put yourself into the shoes of your targeted audience for a moment. If they were looking for sites like yours using Google, what words would they use to describe you? Those are the key words that you need to bake into the information architecture of your website from day one.
Say for example that you apply makeup to brides on their wedding day. Do you think that brides are going to be Googling for an esthetician or cosmetologist? Probably not. Most likely, they’re looking for a makeup artist. So, call yourself what you are, what people think you are and be sure to apply these words throughout your website in a way that it attracts Google’s attention.
Without a doubt, the first and most important step towards optimizing your website on Google is to identify the most important keyword phrases that will fulfill your overall marketing strategy.
The ultimate goal is to determine the single keyword phrase (KwP), consisting of three to five words, that will both lead prospective customers to your website and satisfy their search curiosity. Most important, is that we use plain language, the words and semantics that our targeted customer uses to describe us or what we do. It is very important to recognize and distinguish our internal language from that of our potential client.
My favorite example, that I used again and again, is that of the person who labels herself a “certified automotive technician,” when her would-be client only know her as their local Volvo mechanic. Replace the word, “local” with your city or region and Volvo with the type or class of vehicle that you need repair. You see, just as all politics are local, so are mechanics. Few people want to pay for a California mechanic who specializes in diesel trucks to fly out to Washington DC to work on your hybrid. You need a local mechanic who specializes in the type of vehicle that you have.
The reason this exercise is so crucial is that everything you do with regard to search engine optimization (SEO) must focus on this keyword phrase (KwP). Your KwP must be the first words in the title tag of your home page. It must be in one of the links on your primary navigation bar. It must appear as one of your headers. It should be the title of your blog. You should have a photo, along with an alt and title tag, named after your KwP. Ideally, you would also have a directory and file name named after your KwP. Finally, when people link naturally to your website, or digg your website, or you comment on other blogs, it is crucial to use your KwP as part of the anchor text.
When you combine all of your forces with laser-like precision, you will see not only a dramatic improvement in your website traffic but also an increase in your conversion rate, which ultimately delivers more business and higher profit margins.
Use the keywords that your clients would use to Google, “somebody like you, if they didn’t know who you were.”
Ensure that every page of your website has a unique TITLE tag and that you put your most valuable keyword phrase at the beginning of that TITLE tag
SUBMIT your URL to Google and Yahoo
Ensure that every page has a single H1 Header tag that concisely describes the contents of your web page, and make sure you include the keywords that your clients would most likely use to Google…
Install a WordPress blog on your website and ensure that you make maximum effective use of SEO plug-ins, category names that contain your keyword phrases, a blog roll that goes out and comes back into your website, and post slugs (pretty permalinks). Most importantly, write regular blog entries and ensure that you put your most valuable keyword phrases in the Title or Subject of the blog article.
Make sure that your folder names, directory path, file names, and images names all contain your most valuable keyword phrases.
Ensure that you use images on your website and that you describe these images, preferably using your keyword phrases, in both the ALT and TITLE tags for that image.
Create online social and professional networking profiles and be sure to list your website and blog in those profiles.
Read and comment on other blogs and be sure to enter the URL of your website in the field for that blog comment. This helps increase your number of inbound links.
Check your SEO progress once a week and take note of your progress, your deficiencies, and their recommendations.
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