Simple Tricks For Finding The Right Keywords

Simple Tricks For Finding The Right Keywords

By Jeff Alderson

For those new to website optimization, finding the right keywords can seem like the hunt for a proverbial needle in a haystack. In reality, the process isn't all that terribly difficult. As long as a few basic steps are taken and common sense is employed, even a beginner can come up with a good starting game plan for choosing the right keywords.

Keyword research and selection should be done prior to copywriting. Creating tons of content and having to go back and optimize it is time consuming and counterproductive.

When choosing keywords, there are several things to keep in mind. First off, since different web surfers use different methods for seeking out pages of interest, it's a good idea to keep this thought in the forefront as words are considered. Try to consider different ways of saying the same thing. Terms can be impacted by a searcher's age, gender, geographical location and even profession and educational level.

Make sure to choose only those keywords that are relevant to your site. Sure, you can get traffic with keywords that are not targeted to your site, but the practice is a bit dishonest. Plus, it can turn visitors off, decrease sales potential and it might even result in those who advertise on your site (if you sell ad space) becoming dissatisfied with the results.

The best place to start in selecting keywords is with a pad and pen. Think of every possible word and phrase you can that relates to your site and its pages. If possible, consider asking others you know to do the same. You may be surprised to find out what other keyword combinations people come up with.

It is now a very good idea to really consider the targeted audience. Consider the words on your list that these folks would actually use to find your site. Cross off those that don't fit. Remember, conversational language is more common in searches than advertising or marketing jargon. Short phrases that are quite basic are generally the best.

Once you have a potential keyword list created, hit the Internet to refine and revise it. Search engine databases can be very useful for seeing the exact keywords that are used to find sites like yours. AdWordAnalyzer.com, Wordtracker.com, Google and Overture can all be helpful tools to this end. AdWordAnalyzer.com will also tell you how many sites come up when you search for the keywords you've chosen, as well as a ton of other useful data.

Now that you have a solid list refined and revised, it is wise to keep in mind that no optimization goes smoothly on the first go around. This process is generally an ongoing evolution. Search trends change, and your products, services or focus might, too.

Take what you've learned and craft copy that is keyword rich and relevant. Avoid stuffing keywords in just to get them in and make sure copy is only used where it's useful. Don't try to overload the site unless it's designed to be content rich. Remember, product descriptions, blog articles, news stories and so on that are relevant and offer real information tend to pull in more traffic. Also, don't forget to use the keywords in article or page titles.

Finding the right keywords the first time out can be a tough proposition, but it is well worth the effort. It does get easier with practice. Plus, a tool like AdWordAnalyzer.com can speed up the research process and make it much less confusing. Look at is as an ongoing process and the job will seem a little less daunting.

Jeff Alderson develops cutting-edge PPC and SEO tools. He specializes in boosting traffic and sales. Jeff suggests using Ad Word Analyzer to choose highly-targeted internet keywords for your website.

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