Targeted Keywords Help Local Businesses Get More Customers
Whether or not you are aware of it, your website already is targeting certain keywords. The search engines determine what your site is about by looking at the on page content of your site, page titles, headlines, inbound links from other sites and a variety of other factors. However, you might not have made the conscious decision to target those particular keywords. Not choosing your keywords carefully can hurt your chance of being found by people who are actively searching online for what you have to offer.
But Wait-What Are Keywords?
When someone is searching for information on the web, they will usually visit a search engine and type in some words describing what they are looking for. The search engine then checks its database and returns the results listing pages that meet the words submitted.
These words used by people searching can be called keywords or search terms. If you have done a search using the search engines, you will know that a single word will generate results that are very broad and frequently irrelevant. To fine-tune your search, you need to use a number of words or a phrase. This often gives you a more relevant search result. These longer, 3 to 4 word search phases are referred to as long-tail keywords.
Keywords are what the search engines determine your site is about and that is how they choose which results to serve when someone begins an online search by typing in a word or phrase.
Why Do I Need To Be Concerned With Keywords?
Keywords are important as they can be used successfully to optimize your business website for the search engines. Properly chosen, these keywords can provide you with a free source of targeted traffic to your web site. Properly chosen, highly targeted keywords enable people who need your product, service or information to find you on the internet. Appropriate keywords are like a telephone number for your business and the search engine is like the telephone book – it puts your “name and number” in the hands of your customers.
The Importance Of Choosing The Right Keywords
Choosing the right keywords can be the difference between your customers finding you first on the internet…or finding your competitor. Keyword research in the foundation of all effective online marketing.
So, how do you determine what keywords are right for your website? First, you need to put yourself in your potential customer’s shoes to determine what words they would type into the search engine when they are looking for you. Also, review your web site pages and pick out key phrases and words that describe your business, product or service.
Write down these words and phrases, they will form the basis for optimizing your web pages so that your pages will rank higher in the search engines. The more specific (targeted) your keywords are, the better. Remember that single word keywords will have a lot more competition for top ranking search results than 2 or more word search phrases. Single keywords are also likely to be less targeted, you want to attract buyers, not lookers, so try to pick “buyer keywords”.
Keyword Relevance
I think it is safe to say that for most business owners and organizations, having their web site come up in the search engines is very important. The keyword relevance of each web page on your web site is directly related to the likelihood that a page on your web site will be displayed in the search results for any particular search.
By reviewing your content to make sure that it is relevant to the search terms real people actually use to find your products and information online, you ensure that your pages will be listed in your customer’s search results.
The appropriate choice of keywords combined with optimized web pages submitted to the search engines can result in free targeted traffic to your site. This is a valuable source of traffic that should not be overlooked.
In the next article I will discuss the importance of choosing keywords that have sufficient search volume.
Internet Marketing Consultants, Boise