Do you know what keywords you should include in your website? Also, do you know where to place your keywords, and how frequently to use them? Knowing what keywords work best for your website, along with good placement and frequency of occurrence, are what gets your website noticed by search engines. In Part 1 of “The Key is in Your Keywords,” we will discuss how to select your keywords, and in Part 2, address the placement and frequency of them.
A keyword is a word or phrase that a person types into a search engine, and that the search engine then uses to determine relevant websites to display on the search results page. But how do you know what words are going to give you a high ranking?
Begin your keyword journey by making a list of possible keywords and phrases to incorporate into your website. It is best to do some research on current keywords people are using that relate to your business, and start with those (a good keyword research tool is Google Adwords). If you use keywords that you think are relevant to your website, but aren’t words that people are currently searching under, the words you chose aren’t going to do you any good. I cannot stress this point enough, as you absolutely need to include keywords that people are using in order to drive the correct audience to your site. This is why it is important to take your time and do research.
Once you have a start on your list, try to think of the keyword’s synonyms that people might use to search with. For example, if your business focuses on computer repair, you could add “computer fixing” or “computer troubleshooting” to your list of possible keywords. Not all people will search under the word “repair,” so it is nice to include its synonyms as keywords.
You should also keep in mind geographic modifiers. Adding a location to your keyword or phrase, such as “computer repair Milwaukee” will be very useful for people looking for computer repair specifically in the Milwaukee area.
It is important to consider that even though a keyword is popular today, it might not be as popular in a few months. Do some more research every now and then, and see if there are new keywords that people are searching under. If there are, adjust your words and phrases accordingly.
Choosing your keywords is just the beginning. Stay tuned for Part 2 of “The Key is in Your Keywords” on Thursday, and find out the best places for your keywords, and how often you should use them.
Comstar provides SEO services that include keyword research and placement, as well as reports on how well the keywords are working for your site. Visit us at https://comstar.biz/Internet_Marketing/Search_Engine_Optimization.asp for more information on these services!