SEO Guide on Keyword Research and Selection
SEO Introduction
Web site owners need to have realistic expectations when it comes to the world of keyword selection, according to our search engine optimization company.
It's essential to understand your audience, as well as to aim appropriately at powerful, concise keywords that are not vague or generic-those broad, expansive keywords that rarely attract the audience you are seeking--and lead to disappointing rankings and wasteful expenditures of cash resources.
Don't get disillusioned with your web site because you're not ranking for "gifts," "cars," "wheelchairs" and many other broad and non-specific keywords.
Our search engine optimization company does achieve single keyword Top 10 rankings (including "culinary," "shelving," and scores of other words), but they're part of an overall strategy featuring much longer phrases. We love single keywords because at least some of the people searching with singles may be interested in our clients' products and services. Yet, a broader approach is vital in order to tap into the many ways people search for sites today.
At Fathom SEO, even after a client comes on board for our services, our search engine optimization company has a frank discussion about the state of his or her Web site. Let's look at how one of the first meetings would go-we'll say that our new client sells clocks. The project manager at our search engine optimization company will ask the client several pertinent questions:
- "Can your Web site really rank for 'clocks'?"
- "What kind of "clocks? '"
- "With a link popularity pulse as low as your site's presently is, are you prepared to spend a lot of time and money to strengthen your Web site's reputation among the search engines?"
- "Is the effort (to optimize for the term "clocks") worth it at the expense of other worthy search terms?"
- "Will you redesign your Web site to ensure that pages (including new page headers) will support your prized search terms?"
If you want a healthy return on investment (ROI) with search engine optimization (SEO), your success - or failure - hinges on the keywords you select when combined with other factors like link popularity and web site design.
Like fuel in an automobile, keywords power SEM campaigns. Yet, certain keywords will take you only so far because their audience and subsequent traffic is minimal. Take the broad road with extremely generic keywords and you may never rank highly. Go the specific route and you may cruise right past your core audience.
The bottom line is, you may need a reality check. If your web site has content and design barriers, lacks saturation (a term used to describe how well a site is indexed by search engines) and isn't found on many other relevant web sites, you're odds of ranking well are pretty low.
You may not land that coveted Top 10 ranking on Google for "collectibles" or "sports uniforms." You may need to settle for "jewelry box collectibles" or "youth soccer uniforms."
Any search engine optimization company can give you over-abundant data regarding how often people search for a certain keyword. But can your web site support that keyword as an SEO campaign target choice? You may as well forget about "freight," "colleges," "toys," "robotics," and lots of other keywords that seem to have amazing potential if your web site isn't up to speed.
You've probably heard the old cliché, "You can't see the forest for the trees." Our search engine optimization company recommends not giving life to that cliché in your online marketing campaign or corporate culture.
Yes, some design changes can help. Yes, you can improve your content. Yes, you can acquire more links. However, no one really knows how much effort (and money) you should spend to ensure that you've made all the SEO changes necessary to ensure optimum recognition.
Read excerpts from this SEO guide online:
Get your printable free copy of the SEO study in its entirety.