Keywords

As I explained in a previous post, meta keywords are not important anymore, however, keywords themselves are very important.

Keywords for SEO

So what are keywords exactly? Keywords describe what you do in terms that your customers use. For some companies that is easy, for others it is a lot of work to find out which the best keywords are.

Keywords are the terms on which you expect to be found through a search engine. Now when you are targeting for a certain keyword combination you want to be at least on the first page of the search results. This means that you need to find out if it is realistic that you will end up there, or if there is just too much competition.

Example: trying to rank #1 for “accountant new orleans“. If you are just starting as an accountant then it is not realistic to expect to rank high on such a broad term.

Finding your niche keywords

If page 1 is out of reach for your initial keywords then the thing to do is specialize. Say you have a lot of non-profit organizations as customers. In that case the keyword phrase “new orleans accountant for non-profits” might be a good choice.

Keyword Analysis

As you might have guessed by now, finding the right keywords is a process. You start by describing your products & services as detailed as possible. Try to use language that your clients use in stead of your own jargon.

Initial Measuring

With that initial set of keywords you start measuring: where do you end up and how much competition do you have?

You also need to know if the keyword combinations that you choose are actually being used. No use in ranking #1 on a search phrase that nobody will type in.

First Round of Optimization

Once you are confident about your keywords you will make sure that these keywords are used throughout your site, and especially in the menus, headers, page titles, meta descriptions and emphasized (bold) text. This is called “On-site Optimization”. On-site Optimization indicates that it is work done on your own webpages. Additionally, you will use your keywords for all your online listings.

Second Round of Measuring

And then you wait a few weeks… Search engines need some time to update their indexes so generally you do another report in 4 to 6 weeks. Next to the Search Engine Report you also analyze your Google Analytics Data to see how people get to your site and which pages they visit.

Evaluate Your Keywords

With your new data you go back to your keywords and evaluate how well they work and if you need to add new ones or narrow it down further.