SO you need keywords, but if everyone in your service industry is using the same words, how will that help you? With that logic, how do the right words help you?
First of all, you’re not completely wrong! Random words aren’t going to be the Holy Grail you’re looking for.
Second of all, start your list already! We’ll discuss where you use what words and how you use them later.
Your keyword list should include:
- Brainstorming the words and phrases you think people use when looking for your company or service.
- Look at your competitors sites, what words are they using?
- What problem does your service solve?
- What names are used in your product lines?
- Your list should be extensive, a couple hundred to start.
What words are we supposed to be using?
Now that you’ve compiled your basic list of keywords and keyword phrases, how do you know which will perform best? After all, if everyone else is using them, how will they help you more than your competitors? This is time consuming, but remember, you could pay to have it done.
- Check out your competitors that outrank you on the search engine pages. Pay special attention to the top ranking positions.
- Can any phrases or wording be altered just enough to be similar, but not exactly the same, and still get the point across? Circle.
- Wordtracker.com and Market Samurai have excellent keyword/phrase analysis tools that will help you decide what words will have the most impact. Both have free versions for a temporary basis, and I think that’s great for comparison sake.
Now, using your new tools, plug in your keywords and phrases. You’re looking for:
- High volume of search traffic, preferably over 30,000 searchers.
- Low volume of competition, under 300 is optimal.
- Relevant words and phrases that can be used conversationally and fluidly. Remember, you’re not writing for a spider, you’re writing for your readers at all times.
You need to know this information because you not only want to stand out, you also want to be able to “answer the cry” of your market. If people are searching on certain terms, but few of those terms are actually being used by your competition, you’re on to something. Obviously, meeting needs that aren’t being met is a huge benefit for your company.
Remember, SEO is an ongoing, constantly updated science involving not only keywords and their use, but also effective linking strategy, number of pages, and even length of time your site has been updating new quality content. You may want to revisit these tools occasionally if you see your rankings start to slip over time.
In our next posts, we’ll be covering a little more about Wordtracker and Market Samurai, and show you where and how these words you’ve discovered will help you the most. Was this post helpful? We’d love to hear from you! Leave your questions and comments below.
For more information, go to Tweak Your SEO Regularly.
Photo Credit: jurvetson on flickr
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