Continuing from my previous post…….Most online business owners make the mistake of not taking the time to conduct thorough keyword research. With regards to our “martial arts business” they would brainstorm the first 10 words that pop into their heads for their niche (like “martial arts” and “Huddersfield martial arts lessons”) and never dig deeper into the minds of their prospective customers.
Effective targeted marketing relies on proper keyword research. A keyword can be a single word (like “martial”) or words strung together to create a keyword phrase (like “martial arts lessons for adults”).
The more specific your keyword phrase is, the better. This helps to narrow down the people searching in your niche. Plus, it usually means fewer competitors for the phrase in search engine results pages.
Use keyword tools, such as those from WordTracker and Google AdWords to really dig down to come up with the best keyword phrases for your website.
The more in-depth you get, the more you’ll be able to find the words or phrases that your prospective customers will type into a search engine. If you can hit upon some of these phrases, you’ll see a big increase in the right kind of traffic.
You can look at keyword phrases from a number of different angles. Many keyword research tools provide information on how many searches are being done for a particular keyword phrase, but that’s not all there is to it. You should also look at how much competition there is for that phrase, as well as its Keyword Effectiveness Index (KEI).
KEI refers to the ratio between the amount of competition for a particular phrase and the number of searches done for that phrase. The higher the KEI value, the better. You’ll usually want to use phrases where the searches for it have been plentiful and the competitors scarce.
WordTracker allows you to find the number of searches being done for a particular keyword phrase, and to see how much competition there is for that phrase, along with the KEI value.
WordTracker isn’t free to use, although it does provide a free trial which allows you to research 30 keyword phrases, but it only returns search results from MSN. The paid option gives you a number of different ways to research as many keyword phrases as you like and you can specify which search engine you want to receive results from.
To start your keyword research in WordTracker, enter a basic keyword or short keyword phrase that describes your business. For instance, you could type “Huddersfield martial arts lessons” into the search box.
WordTracker will then return a list of related words and phrases for you to choose from – like “martial arts,” “martial arts lessons,” and “instruction.” Click on one to see related keyword phrases on the right side of the screen. Clicking on “martial arts,” for example, might elicit a list that includes “martial arts shoes,” “history of martial arts,” “martial arts moves,” and “martial arts lessons.” Clicking on “martial arts lessons” might then elicit a list that includes “martial arts lessons for adults” “martial arts lessons for children,” and “free online martial arts lessons.”
The next step is to pick the keyword phrases that are most closely related to your product or service. In WordTracker, this adds them to your “keyword basket.” For our martial arts business, we’d choose “martial arts lessons for adults” instead of “martial arts lessons for children” or “free online martial arts lessons.”
Try to think of as many specific keyword phrases as possible, and use WordTracker’s “dig-down” feature to get even more specific choices. Once you’ve filled your keyword basket, you can look at the competition.
The competition analysis page is where you’ll get the most information regarding your chosen keyword phrases – the number of searches that have been done on them, the amount of competition for them, and their KEI values.
WordTracker recommends using keyword phrases with a KEI greater than 10, but if possible try to come up with keyword phrases having a KEI over 100. A real gift is a phrase with a KEI greater than 400. A high KEI value means that you’re likely to be ranked within the first few pages of your targeted visitors’ search engine results pages… if you optimise your website pages for that phrase.
By identifying and choosing very specific keyword phrases with a high KEI value, and sprinkling those keywords around your website and advertisements, you’ll be able to get the most targeted traffic to your website i.e. the people most likely to actually buy your product or service.
As you build your list of keyword phrases, start putting it to use by including these phrases on your website, in your blog, in content you post in article directories, and in pay-per-click search engines. As time goes by and you see how important keywords are to the success of your online business, you’ll get into the habit of conducting thorough research and expanding your list for a greater reach on the Web.
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