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Choosing Keywords That Work

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 locating the right keywords.

Researching keywords prior to creating a lot of content for a website is an absolute must if optimization is desired though. Although it's possible to insert keywords after the fact, it can be a royal pain in the neck that results in stilted copy.

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 loaded keywords, 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 have ads) becoming dissatisfied with the results.

The best place to start in selecting keywords is with a pad and pen. Dream up every possible word and phrase you can that relates to your site and its pages. Then ask others you know to do the same. It can be very helpful to seek out people who fall into your site's targeted audience, too.

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 what words are used to find sites like yours. AdWordAnalyzer.com, Wordtracker, Google and Overture can all be helpful tools to this end. These sites can give you an idea of what kinds and how many sites come up when you search for the keywords and phrases you've chosen.

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.

Even with a well-researched list, it is important to remember optimization is an ongoing process. It is very likely you'll revise your keywords from time to time. Don't fret if it doesn't go right the first time out.

Now's the time to 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.

Coming up with the right keywords to optimize a site can be a tough undertaking. View it as an ongoing process and don't be afraid to tweak the effort as you go.

Article Source: http://www.lifeweightloss.com

Author Jeff Alderson develops newbie-friendly search engine marketing tools. He specializes in boosting traffic and sales. Jeff advises using Ad Word Analyzer to find internet keywords for your website.
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