Search Engine Optimization - Keyword Research
SEO Theory Discussed
You're reading this because you already know everything there is to know about search engine optimization, but taking a look "just in case you might have missed something". Or... You just want to find out how to get better rankings for your website.
Well if you're like me, your eyes are already bleeding from reading a ton of stuff. Some you can use and some makes little sense.
So the theory goes, you create a relevant title tag, some keywords and a description, and you're almost there. Now all you need is a few pictures, a couple of lines of text some links and you're on your way to the top. I guess if this were the 1800's you might be correct, but think about it. How many folks are doing the same thing you are, moreover, have they been doing it for a lot longer? Your basic structure which is what all those tags and boldings and the rest, is determined by a proper Site Review. Site Reviews also show more than the basic structure of your website, it also looks at the off-site issues your site may be facing. You can take a look at some of those discoveries at The Site Review.
Just do a search for the product or service you plan on selling and reality will set in as to what kind of competition you're up against.
Now, let's forget about title tags, meta tags and all that for a moment. What you are looking for is the ability to be found, which leads to you being seen. This only happens if someone searches for your targeted keyword. So here we are at the beginning, knowing your product, and knowing what folks are "searching for" to find you. Doing this requires you choose an initial keyword and go through the process of keyword research.
Keyword research is the process by which you pick your initial keyword (phrase) and find out what people are "actually searching for" as it pertains to that keyword phrase. Keep in mind, you may want to target the less obvious phrases. There is an article which discusses the difference between Info and Buy keywords that explains in a simple example at Buy or Info Keywords, What's the Difference?. Keyword research is the most important first step to your optimization process.
Part of the keyword research process is determining what kind of competition you're up against with that phrase. There is little sense in choosing a keyword that your competition has locked up in the first page or two in the search engine result pages.
Your competition level deals with many parameters. Some of these parameters are the age of their domains (the longer their domain has been active the better their credibility), how many pages they have indexed in the search engines, (some domains have hundreds and thousands of pages just lurking in the search engine indexes), how many back links these domains have.
The longer a domain has been around, chances are there are lots of back links associated with the site. (Back links are a component which not only proves relevancy of the site, but reflects a higher page rank. The higher the page rank, the more authority your site is perceived to have). A few more gold nuggets come in the form of links from government and educational websites (.gov & .edu). (These are harder to obtain and give you more bang for the buck in the back link world). Lastly, your structural issues come into play, these are your title and meta tags, domain name and such. Some algorithms apply these concepts to rate the visitor's experience.
Putting all these goodies into perspective is the determining factor when (getting back to step one) determining your targeted keyword phrase. The right phrase can be lucrative, while the wrong phrase means "No Sale". So get wise, do the right research and determine your level of competition. If you can't do this on your own, hire someone that will. It's cheaper in the long run.
Now here comes the rub... you've found your keyword phrase, which is acceptable to you and your business, and the level of competition is acceptable, it's time to party right? Not yet... do your keywords have any commercial value? Commercial value is the money you could expect from visitors using that keyword phrase when you make the sale. (I know, just what you need now...) All part of the research, if there is little value, there is little sense in going for that phrase. This means going back to step one... Keyword Research.
Ok, now we have the perfect keyword phrase... (almost feels like Vegas right about now)... we just create the title tags, the meta tags, slap up a couple of pictures and a couple of sentences (with a big smile) "We Sell This Stuff". Well you just put your bet on the Red Line and it came up Black! If you've ever gambled anything in your life you know what that feels like.
Search Engines and their Spiders are smarter than the average bear... Yes that's you and that is me. Back in the 90's, Google bought a company that developed software that read electronic text and interpreted it as a human would. Algorithm upon algorithm captures the text and determines what is being said. (Google's moto... make your website for your visitor, and less focus on the search engines). So if you're thinking about spamming, they got you, if you think you're going to hide text in the html, they got you, if you think you have it figured out... well you may have, but if it looks like search engine spam, it may just get you a nice penalty, never to be seen again (on the search engines anyway).
Ok we're winding down here... so let's say you have the perfect keyword phrase, your sites structure is in tip top shape, no existing penalties, your domain has been around for more than 6 months, so what's next? Are we done yet? Not quite... You know your business, so, start writing!
Rule #1... Spiders do not index text in images, videos, flash or anything other than plain old text. Anybody tells you otherwise, it leading you down the garden path. They'll probably steal your watch and charge you for telling you the time! Those objects are nice supporting concepts, but do nothing when it comes to getting you ranked. Images, videos, audios, and flash motion may (if done tastefully) attract the I'm ready to be entertained group, but when it comes to spiders, they know text. This is the typed words, the series of letters in combination that actually mean something. So with that said, how many words do you need to get properly indexed?
"Survey Says..." 500 to 1000 per targeted keyword phrase!
In fact if you know your business, product and or service, you should find it hard to keep the text between 500 and 1000 words. Otherwise... you need to hire someone to do that for you.
500 to 1000 words usually is sufficient to target or theme your content to focus on your chosen keyword phrase.
Without properly themed content, you will miss out on good rankings, and sales. Pay Per Click (PPC) programs will only cost you money with little return, because, when someone does a search for a specific keyword phrase, they expect content to support that phrase. If they don't get that, they just go to the next one on the list.
Next >> The Site Review and Search Engine Spamming
| | Friends of Kevin Radio Interview | Search Engine Optimization is discussed in this interview with Cirelle CEO Greg Cirino on the Friends of Kevin Radio Program
www.friendsofkevin.com |
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