May 9th, 2010 by Dan

Keywords are absolutely crucial for search engine optimisation. Search robots rely on text in order to work out what a website is all about, and decide where to place a site in their search listings according to the presence and position of specific words on each page. These words must correspond to a searcher’s query, or the website will not be displayed in search results and will languish away in the depths of cyberspace, never to be found.

It all sounds quite easy: one has only to make sure that the correct keywords are inserted into the important places on a web page. Further thought reveals that this is actually a complex problem. Picking the right keywords and key phrases from dozens of possible choices requires a systematic approach, and is something a successful search engine optimisation company will have mastered through experience.

Human methods of keyword research involve traditional brainstorming techniques. A group of people come up with as many ideas as possible for words and phrases which relate to one’s business. As well as the short, obvious and popular terms, it is important to think about related keywords. The majority of queries typed into search engines every day consist of what are called ‘long tail’ searches, where a particular query is used only a few times, or maybe only once. Finding the right phrases to encompass these searches means looking for common patterns of word use and thinking around the subject.

There are a number of automated keyword research tools available online. These will provide data regarding how often searches are made using particular keywords, show related words and phrases and indicate their relative popularity. Information about the number of search results returned is also available in each case. Google’s free Keywords Tool is one of the more useful offerings.

Rather than reinventing the wheel, looking at how competitors use keywords in their websites is an essential move. A competitor may have already established a keyword hierarchy for her business site, and it can be instructive to see how successful this is for SEO. In the end, though, any keywords chosen have to be relevant for one’s own website and business. Incorporating words just to draw traffic to the site, only to leave visitors short-changed when the site content does not fit with what they were expecting, is likely to alienate potential customers.

When every possible keyword has been considered, the job of evaluating which are most relevant begins. Imagining oneself as a future visitor to the website helps in prioritising words and phrases. It is acceptable to use keywords that are slightly less relevant to one’s business if they are extremely relevant in terms of what is available for visitors on the website. Then visitors are happy to find the content they require, and that positive experience means they are more likely to return and to see the company as trustworthy.

At SearchEngineOptimization.co.uk we have the necessary expertise to find the most relevant keywords for your website.

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