How to Improve Your Search Rankings with Keyword Research

• 14 years ago

You know that using the right keywords is critical to your online marketing success, but who is generating your keywords and how are they doing it? Keyword research is one of the most important steps in improving your search engine rankings.  It takes more than hunches and common sense to identify the right keywords.  It takes research. A number of free and paid research tools such as Google Adwords Keyword Tool, and Wordtracker can help.

Here’s an example of how following your gut instincts can lead you down the wrong path. A client recently suggested that we use the term “commercial real estate brokerage,” to describe his business. A quick search using the Google Adwords Keyword Tool revealed that this term was associated with only 1300 local monthly searches, while there were 14,800 searches for “commercial real estate brokers” and 9,900 searches for “commercial real estate companies.”  Had I not researched this, the site would clearly not generate all the traffic it should.

Time and again, I am surprised by what these search tools reveal.  Who would have guessed that “JCB Backhoes” generates six times the number of searches as “JCB backhoe loader?”  Research ultimately saves you time, because you are able to write website copy with a purpose and avoid costly mistakes.

When deciding on keywords, consider not just single words, but also relevant phrases.  While there will be fewer searches for longer phrases, these phrases generally lead to more conversions because the searcher knows exactly what he or she is looking for. This is especially true for phrases that indicate a buying intention. For example, someone searching to “Get a quote on business insurance” would generate more conversions than someone just searching for “insurance agent.”

Once your keywords and phrases are identified, do a quick search on Google to identify competitors – those firms that show up on the first page for the keywords you deem important. Identify their competitive keywords and phrases using Alexa or simply viewing the metatag data on their site. (right click on their home page  and click “View Source”). This is valuable information you don’t want to miss.

Your own website statistics will also reveal the terms visitors are using to search for you. View your statistics regularly and identify popular search terms you can ultimately use in your website content.

Once your keywords are known, you are ready to take the next step: creating a fully optimized website.

Ask us how we can help.