Posts Tagged ‘keyword research’

Effective Web Copywriting Requires Answers to Three Simple Questions

Friday, February 12th, 2010

So what are the most important aspects of copywriting – the things that motivate someone to hit the “buy” button? Is it the headline, bullet points, benefits or testimonials from other users?

Part of being successful at copywriting is finding that “hungry market” – those people looking for a certain solution to their problem who cannot find one. You could write the best sales copy or content in the world or have one of the superstars do it for you and it won’t matter; you will be dead in the water unless you appeal to that “hungry market.”

So how do you find that “hungry market?”

Most conventional sources point to keyword research, which is very useful in determining terms to use in your copy. Some keyword research tools can teach you how to find a market, find out who they are and what they want…but focusing solely on this misses a key point.

More importantly, in addition to these attributes, you need to find out how they want it. To be successful at copywriting, you not only need to know the right market but have the right offer with the right message delivered in the right way.

Keyword research simply cannot ensure you deliver a message in the right way.

So to write effective copy, you need to ask and answer the following three questions according to copywriting pro David Garfinkel:

  1. Who is your market?
  2. What is their problem?
  3. And how do they talk about it?

The third question is key – which is the one most writers ignore.

Keyword research is like a recipe, a list of ingredients. However, you need to use the ingredients in a certain order and amount for the dish to turn out right. Keyword lists are simply the ingredients – misusing or leaving out an “ingredient” can ruin your dish, or copy in this instance.

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Posted in Online Marketing, Writing for search engines | No Comments »

Do Not “Over-Optimize” – Monitor Keyword Density to Avoid Exclusion from Search Engine Results

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

We’ve probably made scant mention of it here before but it’s an important concept to understand on its own, and that is proper keyword density.

In 2003, Google did a major update to its ranking algorithms. SEOs refer to this as the “Florida update,” as it marks the day when search engine optimization became difficult. Before November ’03, SEOs would simply say you should liberally use keyword phrases on your pages. The Florida update changed all of this.

Now, web pages that use keywords too aggressively are filtered out of search results altogether (Matt Cutts explains a little more in the video below)

“Over-optimization” describes over-use of keywords in your site’s copy. Not only does excessive keyword use get your site filtered out of search results, it makes your copy look unprofessional to readers. Most people who see a web page with the same phrase in every sentence won’t take it too seriously.

Instead, modify keywords and use variations of your main phrase in your site’s copy. Four ways you could accomplish this include: singular vs. plural forms of keywords, use synonyms, add relevant modifiers and change the order of the words.

There are tools available to help you find different variations of the same keyword phrase. Take advantage of these tools from Quintura, Google and/or Bing to research different ways you can phrase keywords.

There’s also a very easy way to locate extra keyword phrases and that is when you are typing your main phrase into Google, search suggestions appear below the input bar. You can diversify your keyword phrases with these suggestions for a quick solution.

Either way, do not over-optimize, that is use the same keyword phrase on a page too many times. Your readers will pick up on it and your site will get in trouble with the search engines. While we can’t tell you a magic number, read your copy as if you’re an outsider. You should be able to tell pretty easily what’s too much and what isn’t.

For more tips on maximizing keyword usage without destroying your copy’s flow, take a look at 11 Steps to Increasing Keyword Saturation while Maintaining Valuable Content in the search engine optimization knowledge center today.

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Online Copywriting Much Different Than Conventional Writing Methods

Friday, January 15th, 2010

A big part of optimizing websites for the search engines involves content. Not only does keyword-rich content attract the attention of search engines, online readers and shoppers seek informative resources to aid in their purchasing decisions.

Therefore, online content is an invaluable part of both marketing online and search engine optimization. So what’s the difference between writing standard sales letters, essays and other items versus writing online?

First is the mindset – online readers skim pages looking for the information they need. Hard copy readers are generally more leisure in their reading, spending more time on each page. In a fundamental way, each type of reader interacts with the piece in much different ways.

Remember receiving direct mail pieces in your snail mail box? What the envelope said and who it was from was a big factor in determining whether you opened it up and read it.

Online copy on the other hand has other factors at work – like the title. First, readers look at a title and if it entices them enough, they’ll continue reading. Next, Google focuses on the first 65 characters looking for keywords. Therefore, online copy has to have both a title that draws a reader’s interest and contains keywords for Google to index.

Continuing into the body, online copywriters have to consider different elements than traditional sales letters and other hard copy mediums don’t. Keyword density and calls to action are just a couple. Also, online writers should consider shorter paragraphs, bullet points and other ways to format the document’s layout to make reading easy, especially for blogs.

And online copy is generally much shorter – a typical article is around 600-800 words, typical blog posts range anywhere from 200 to 500 words. So, a call to action including keywords (not too many keywords though as this is a red flag to search engines and readers) has to be done in a much smaller space.

Keep these things in mind when writing for online mediums…and remember it’s much different than hard copy mediums. Articles, blogs and even press releases have to factor in these kinds of issues in order for them to achieve maximum success.

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Importance of Good Information Architecture

Monday, December 7th, 2009

Having a successful content and information oriented website means it has to be organized in a way that’s easy for users to navigate. This not only improves your conversion rate but your site’s rankings in the search engines as well.

It’s all too common for sites to have a lot of content – articles, blogs, video clips, photos, etc. – that’s totally disorganized and cluttered with noises, ads. Suffice it to say this would not lead to a good experience for any user. Without good user experience, no amount of optimization will help your site’s rankings.

So how can I be sure my site’s information architecture is the best it can be to lure in the most visitors and make the most conversions?

Understanding how people search online is the first step to developing good information architecture. When searching online, we want content that’s fast and simple and in small chunks…we like to stay on task.  Google knows this so to have high rankings, create sites using keywords you know people respond well to.  You can integrate head and long tail keywords to tap into the main terms people use when looking for what you’re offering.

Having too many links to off-site pages especially messes with a site’s information architecture. Having too much scattered and loosely connected information causes the site/page to lose its core message.

Accommodating your users is the number 1 goal of your website’s content. For it to work to your maximum advantage, it has to be setup in a way that doesn’t inhibit user friendliness or the search engine’s ability to crawl it.

Search engines look closely at user-friendliness when ranking websites. And especially since Google may begin factoring site speed into their ranking algorithm, flashy sites undoubtedly will suffer in terms of their ranking and conversion.

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Google’s Zeitgeist 2009 – Fastest Rising and Most Popular Online Searches

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

You may be wondering, “What does this have to do with optimizing my website for the search engines?”

Well, nothing really – but we like to include things that are of general interest sometimes to keep things interesting. And this term, zeitgeist, caught my attention as it carries certain significance with me.

Webster’s New World Collegiate Dictionary defines the term zeitgeist as “the spirit of the age; trend of thought and feeling in a period.” Therefore, Google’s use of the term to outline the fastest rising Google searches and the most popular search terms is justifiable.

So what has captivated the curiosity of web surfers this year?

Well, searches of Michael Jackson (probably due to his untimely death) topped the Google’s global list of fastest growing search terms. He wasn’t the only entertainer to make the list – sensation Lady Gaga topped many regional lists and landed #9 on the global list.

2009’s online search zeitgeist also indicates social media is very much alive and well, a sweeping confirmation of its increasing importance. Facebook and Spanish social-networking site Tuenti appeared in the #2 and #3 fastest growing search term spot respectively. Twitter came in at #5 – the first time it has appeared on Google’s zeitgeist list.

Concerns about the swine flu epidemic also drove individuals looking for information to Google. In the U.S., it had more searches than another major event of the year – the inauguration of President Barack Obama!

And finally, the sour economy brought out the thrifty consciousness of many as evidenced by the rising popularity of do-it-yourself searches and searches for comfort food recipes to make at home. Chili was the most popular recipe searched for on Google in the U.S.

Check out Google’s Zeitgeist 2009 site for the U.S. for some interesting lists and charts on search trends for the year – it’s pretty interesting to see what the global trends are in terms of online search. Perhaps information like this can be helpful – but it’s definitely interesting nonetheless.

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The Importance of PageRank in Marketing your Small Business Online

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

If you’re exploring online marketing options – which by the way is a smart move – then the term search engine optimization (SEO) either has come up or will. And you can’t think about SEO without thinking about Google, who accounts for nearly 2/3 of online searches.

In simplistic terms, SEO is the process of optimizing your site for the search engines. When we say optimizing, we mean that you develop your website so searches for specific keyword phrases will result in a higher ranking for your website in the search engines than others.

But how does Google crawl, sort and rank all of the literally billions of web pages on the Internet?

This is where PageRank comes in.

When you’re developing your website and optimizing it for the search engines, you will go through a process of identifying terms potential clients will use to search for you online. When someone types your search terms in, Google has an algorithm that determines which websites should be displayed in rank order on the results page. You want to rank high on these “organic” results since people rarely go beyond page 1 or 2 in search engine result pages.

Google’s algorithm is very complex…it would be impossible to go into detail here. But in basic terms, it boils down to this:

Search Ranking = Relevance x PageRank

Relevance is basically that – a measure of how your website, or more specifically one of your web pages, matches the keyword phrase the user entered into the search bar. Google uses your content and the content of websites linking to yours to determine what your page is about.

But what counts in your rankings is your site’s PageRank, or an independent measure of how Google perceives your site’s quality, authority and credibility. Google reports this number on a simple 0-10 scale…but how is PageRank calculated?

While there is much debate about PageRank, one thing is about universally accepted – PageRank is primarily determined by how many other pages are linking to yours. Links are a vote of confidence in the eyes of Google. But remember, not all web pages are created equal. Larger web pages with more credibility that link to you will have more value to your PageRank than those with less credibility.

And how does Google determine these sites’ credibility? Well by their PageRank…sites with a higher PageRank that link to yours will carry a lot more value than those with lower PageRank. Not that sites with low PageRank don’t help…it simply will take more of them linking to you to have the same effect.

For example, let’s say you have a friend link to you from his personal blog. Let’s say his PageRank is 2 – this will help but if you get 100 more links to your site from sites like your friend’s, it will help more.

But if you can get a link from a site that has a PageRank of 6 then just that one link is like getting those 100 additional links I’m alluding to above. Internet marketing blog HubSpot divides PageRank into these broad categories.

0-3: New sites or sites with minimal links

4-5: Popular sites with a good amount of inbound links

6: Very popular sites with hundreds of links, many of them quality links

7-10: Usually major media outlets, big companies or A-list bloggers

How do I figure out my PageRank?

There are two ways to determine what your approximate PageRank is. You can download the Google Toolbar and enable the PageRank feature after installation. Or you can check out HubSpot’s Website Grader tool that will tell you your PageRank and a bunch of other interesting things.

One thing I should point out before I go…it’s believed that PageRank is calculated on a logarithmic scale, meaning the difference between PR4 and PR5 is likely 5-10 times the difference between PR3 and PR4. Therefore, there are likely over 100 times more PR2 web pages than those with a PageRank of 4. Meaning, if you get to a PR6, you’re likely in the top 0.1% of websites on the Internet. If most of your competitors have a PR2 or PR3, then you’re in pretty good shape.

Learn how SEO Advantage can help boost your PageRank and thus your search engine rankings by visiting our SEO knowledge center.

And feel free to contact us today to see how we can help you take advantage of one of the most powerful marketing channels in the known universe.

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Posted in Online Marketing, SEO Technology, Tip of the Day | 2 Comments »

Top 10 Search Terms Covering 10 Categories – August 2009

Friday, September 18th, 2009

Well it’s been quite awhile since we’ve reported top 10 search terms – June 16th in fact. Don’t know if data just hadn’t been compiled by Hitwise or not posted on Search Engine Watch.

Either way, we now have keyword data for August…these lists can be quite useful in finding keywords to integrate into your web copy to help build search engine rankings.

Categories Hitwise publishes data for are the same – IT and Internet, Automotive Manufacturers, Movies, Net Communities and Chat, Food and Beverage Brands and Manufacturers, Pharmaceutical and Medical Products, Blogs and Personal Websites, Broadcast Media, Shopping Rewards and Directories and finally, Travel Destinations and Accommodations.

The term “cash for clunkers” continued its rise in August, accounting for 2.36% of searches in the automotive category. In the social media area, Facebook continued its climb while MySpace continued to fall, which may explain the decline in traffic to their site. Since the Cash for Clunkers program is over, I imagine that term will drop off the list for September.

Hitwise collects keyword data by analyzing how 25 million Internet users across the globe interact with over 1 million websites in 160 industries. Data is collected anonymously through partnerships with different Internet service providers in accordance with all local, state, federal and international privacy laws.

We apologize for the delay in posting this data. Keyword data for July can be found at Hitwise as well. Check back with the search engine optimization blog regularly for important announcements like this and up-to-date tips on how to optimize your site for the search engines.

We publish posts each Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

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Harnessing SEO Concepts into your Email Marketing

Monday, September 7th, 2009

Email has been a popular way to market a business, especially local small businesses with limited resources. Your favorite diner or lunch spot may have a sign-up sheet to receive daily specials for example.

But this form of email marketing generally isn’t too effective as subscribers often feel a bit overwhelmed and don’t appreciate just getting marketing emails that offer no real value.

Integrating SEO practices into your email marketing can prove to be quite beneficial to drawing in new clientele however. And delivering informative content to those subscribers can build trust in your products and services and ultimately bring more qualified prospects.

1. Attract the right audience

First thing is to attract the right people to your email signup page. People ripe for email marketing are generally in the exploratory phase, researching products and services to see which would best suit their needs. Being able to read a blog or article is what they need to see.

This is why your initial pages should be optimized with more non-commercial keywords so you can draw in those people searching for information and offer them an exclusive look at that, useful information.

2. Initial page(s) need to contain compelling data, not marketing

The initial email or landing page a visitor sees should educate the prospect, not market to them. This builds trust and credibility with the prospect that you are an industry authority. People in the discovery phase will be disappointed and leave your site if the first thing they see about you is simply a sales pitch.

3. Offer something compelling for free

Another way to draw people into subscribing to your email listserv is to offer them something special for free if they signup – perhaps a white paper or free trial of some sort. Maybe a weekly newsletter as well that expands on information presented in your initial landing pages.

Whatever it is, it needs to build on the theme of informing them.

4. Send non-commercial messages, especially in the beginning

You’re still trying to build trust now that you have their email address. This fulfills their expectations that your firm is an industry thought leader and you can be trusted. Simply blasting them with marketing emails ruins what you have done so well up to this point, build trust. When you begin marketing to them, do it in a more subtle way by outlining a problem then saying you have a product to deal with it and how.

5. Iterate – Continuously build on your success

Keep inching the bar forward with each of your emails and landing pages. You may be discouraged in the beginning and feel a 1% return isn’t worth your time. But make each one better than the last and strive to build your rate of return. A lot of this has to do with building your search engine rankings with keyword-rich content so in the beginning, you will not have much response by default.

Here’s a great video from SEOMoz that explains how melding SEO and your email marketing can drive much more qualified leads to your site or storefront.

SEOmoz Whiteboard Friday – Email Marketing and SEO from Scott Willoughby on Vimeo.

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Posted in Online Marketing, SEO Technology, Tip of the Day | 1 Comment »

Write to Your Audience, Not Exclusively to the Search Engines

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

An important issue for any web copywriter to keep on top of is the audience you’re writing too. Copy on a webpage has to speak to the customer and motivate them to take the next step, usually by either signing up for a service or purchasing a product.

But too often, someone producing content for a website doesn’t consider this and only focuses on achieving high search engine rankings. Read the following statement from this FutureNow post:

“We specialize in custom ties, custom bow ties, bowtie / cummerbund / handkerchief sets, custom cufflinks, matching gift boxes, women ’s scarves, and much more. We can custom make your neckwear any way you desire. We have both standard ties and clip on ties as well as extra long ties for your custom ties. We even have custom ties for boys as young as 6 months. Our products are great for corporations, organizations, churches, choirs, schools, uniforms, athletic teams, fraternities, formal and special events, and many more.”

Whoever wrote this decided to write this unique value proposition in what’s called a “we-we” format. It is apparently stuffed with keywords to drive rankings for this site to the top.

First, this type of copy can get you in trouble with Google. Even if the site made it to the top of Google’s rankings, it most likely would not stay there long. Even if it did, it would hardly matter since this statement really only speaks to itself, not to any prospective customers.

FutureNow has a free We We Calculator you can try out to see if copy on your page focuses too much on yourself and not your customers. For the page that includes the above statement, it only included 3 customer-focused words for a pathetic customer focus rate of 37.5% while its self focus rate is 62.5%.

Perhaps this is why the site is not bringing in customers.

Check out your site and make sure you’re speaking to your customers and not excessively talking about yourself. Most of us don’t care for people who endlessly talk about themselves. We should expect the same from the websites we choose to visit as well.

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Four Areas Where Keywords Matter in Search Engine Optimization

Monday, July 20th, 2009

While keywords are not the only factor to consider when optimizing your site for the search engines, there are vital places within your website where keywords make the difference between page 1 and page 3 or 4 rankings in Google.

A survey by Marketing Experiments concludes that 68% of web searchers click search results on page 1 only.

So if your web pages appear in page 2 or farther down, you are missing out on the biggest chunk of prospective online customers – who find what they are looking for online by entering keyword phrases into Google.

Four areas in your web pages and site in general where keywords make a difference are:

  1. Site Content - Not only does content on your site need to contain keywords, it must also speak to your target audience and motivate them act…we spend a lot of time here at the search engine optimization e-blog thinking about this.
  2. Meta Content - It’s easy to think they can all be the same, but meta tags and content need to be different for each page on your site, and contain keywords you’re targeting for that page.
  3. URL’s – Keyword placement in the site address or URL is another high-impact spot, especially for Microsoft’s new search engine Bing.
  4. Inbound Links – Clickable links along with their description is another spot where keywords can make the difference between reaching page 1 ranking or not.

Watch this free one-hour presentation from Marketing Experiments to learn more about keywords and optimizing your website for the search engines.

As you will see, keywords are NOT the only factor to conversions…design of your pages is the other half of the online marketing puzzle. They may find your site but if it isn’t easy to use, you will lose out on a lot of potential clients.

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Posted in SEO Technology, Tip of the Day, Writing for search engines | 1 Comment »

Use Multiple Data Sets when Researching Keywords for SEO Copywriting

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

Researching keywords is the first and most vital thing to do when optimizing your site for the search engines. It used to be so simple…easily assemble a keyword basket that did the job from the now defunct Overture Keyword Tool.

But in the age of data overload, there are multiple tools that are a part of any SEOs radar include WordTracker, Keyword Discovery and Google AdWords. And there are even niche keyword tools, even ones that track social media marketing as well.

A savvy SEO today for instance can take top keyword data from SpyFu, copy it into WordTracker Lateral Thesaurus and AdWords External Keyword tool, then sort the data to find where the low cost-per-click average intersects with higher search frequency…keywords fitting this profile then become a valuable component of a SEO campaign.

This Search Engine Watch article includes a checklist for using multiple datasets for keyword research. These different tools and datasets are best used in creative combinations, the article says.

The important point is to think beyond traditional frequency-based keyword research when building baskets…consider data from WordTracker’s Thesarus and Buzz Pocket Mining. Evaluate conversion metrics, search analytics and achievable SEO to get the best keyword data.

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Top 10 Search Terms in 10 Categories for May, 2009

Tuesday, June 16th, 2009

We reported here on May 1st the top 10 search terms in 10 separate categories for March. Search Engine Watch has posted this data from Hitwise for May.

These lists, released monthly, can help you find useful keyword phrases that can integrate well into your content, bringing higher search engine rankings.

Categories in May’s survey are the same as March’s. They are: IT and Internet, automotive manufacturers, movies, net communities and chat, food and beverage brands and manufacturers, pharmaceutical and medical products, blogs and personal websites, broadcast media, shopping rewards and directories and travel destinations and accommodations.

Keyword data is collected by Hitwise by monitoring how 25 million users around the world (10 million in the U.S.) interact with over 1 million websites in 160 industries. Data is anonymous and obtained through partnerships with internet service providers in accordance with all local, state, federal and international privacy laws.

Check back again with the search engine optimization blog regularly for important announcements like this and stay up-to-date with the tips you need to know to optimize your site for the search engines. We should have data for June by the middle of next month.

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Posted in Forum Watch, Online Marketing, Search Engine Watch Articles | No Comments »

New & Improved Google Suggest – Faster is Better

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

After some extensive testing, Google today announced more features to Google Suggest that will make searches go faster. These new features were added after extensive comment by individual users and online marketers and will be gradually rolled out – but should all be available soon.

“Suggestions on the results page” is the first such addition. Before, Google only gave suggestions on searches originating from their homepage. Now, searches from a results page will provide suggestions that relate to the current results page.

Google estimates that 1/4 of all internet searches are simply monthly repeats…personalized suggestions can help you remember that query that worked so well before. Sign in to your Google account and enable the Web History feature to make it work.

If you’re starting to type in a search and Google thinks you are looking for a specific site, it will be listed where you can click on it and go straight there.

Finally, in addition to navigational suggestions, Google will also include sponsored ads if they detect the most relevant results in a search query may include an ad.

A couple other changes: Google will no longer include the result count in the suggestion box and the text of suggestions will be in bold to help searchers more quickly scan the list.

Check out this forum discussion at WebmasterWorld to see what the pros think about these changes.

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Top 10 Search Terms in 10 Categories for March 2009

Friday, May 1st, 2009

Provided by Hitwise and posted on Search Engine World are statistics for the ten most popular search terms in ten different, broadly defined industries for March, 2009.

This can be a great help in finding keyword search terms that can integrate well into your content…and bring high search engine rankings as well.

The categories included in March’s survey are: IT and Internet, Automotive Manufacturers, Movies, Net Communities & Chat, Food & Beverage Brands & Manufacturers, Pharmaceutical & Medical Products, Blogs & Personal Websites, Broadcast Media, Shopping Rewards & Directories and Travel Destinations & Accommodations.

Hitwise monitors 25 million Internet users, 10 million of which are in the U.S., and how they interact with over 1 million websites representing 160 different industries. Usage information is collected through ISP data partnerships in accordance with all local and international privacy laws.

Check out the statistics here.

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Using Ecommerce Customer Reviews for SEO

Monday, April 27th, 2009

Customer reviews on ecommerce sites can give a leg up on SEO. When customers review products, they use a whole set of keywords that the company itself most likely can’t use in their product descriptions without writing too casually. Reviews also can mention terms such as competitor brand names and specific feature or model names, helping provide unique content around those important keyword terms.

The tragedy is that many ecommerce customer review solutions serve up the reviews in a format that’s inaccessible by the search engines. Diapers.com, however, has just started using PowerReviews to serve up its customer reviews, saying that the provider “packages up the first 15 user reviews”, so Diapers.com can put them into its own database and serve them in a manner that’s more accessible. Diapers.com saw a 48.8% lift in natural search traffic on the product detail pages – and a 33.2% increase in sales directly attributable to SEO within only two weeks of implementation!

Now’s the time to optimize your ecommerce product pages and start incorporating user generated content like customer reviews…

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Keyword Research Just Got a Little Easier!

Monday, April 27th, 2009

At Google, researching keywords for SEO copywriting has gotten a bit easier thanks to their improved feature, Searches related to.

When starting your keyword research, enter some general terms into Google that come to mind – then, look toward the bottom of the search engine results page for their suggestions of related search terms others are using to find related information.

For example, if you’re a pool/hot tub supplier, type in “hot tub supplies”, which is probably a good general keyword…Google then posts a box at the bottom of the page telling you the most popular related queries searchers are using. In this case, that includes “hot tub spa parts”, “hot tub covers”, “jacuzzi tub parts”, “spa hot tub accessories” and so on.

Why is Google doing this? Well, just making things easier for searchers…Google noticed searchers would refine their search queries with related keywords…so, to produce more relevant results for them, Google started displaying keyword modifiers and related keywords as suggestions – features that allow you to create web copy that can be found by a wider audience and rank higher.

If you’re not encompassing a wide range of keywords, Google may rank your page lower than a related one that does, provided all other factors are equal.

So, conduct some of your keyword research with this nifty tool…and plan to work these suggestions into site content. You also may find these suggestions will warrant creating additional pages and content altogether.

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Learn What Top SEOs Are Talking About with New Forum Watch

Monday, April 20th, 2009

A new addition to SEOe, Forum Watch is a way to keep up with what search engine optimization professionals are discussing.

Find the tips of the trade that can accelerate your rankings to the top…and, know what to avoid and what to do to stay at the top.

SEO Advantage will constantly monitor the forums and seek resources that will help give you a sense of what longstanding professionals in SEO are thinking…of course, if you have a specific issue, post it in the forum and see what the veteran SEOs have to say about it.

Topics run the gamut – keyword research, directory listings, link building, search engine friendly web design and more.

Check here often to see what’s percolating in the search engine forums – and of course, check back for our own feature articles on search engine optimization tips and current events.

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In search of keywords – look for butchered versions of your brand names

Friday, April 17th, 2009

Finding high-converting keywords is a major part of any search campaign, paid or organic. Here’s another place to start that’s often overlooked by search marketers: butchered versions of your brand names (and those of your competitors).

When optimizing small business web sites, it’s common knowledge that brand names are not going to bring as much traffic as generic descriptions of what you offer. For example, MaxFilings, an online incorporation company, would not likely see a lot of traffic for its all-inclusive package name, “Max”. You would want to put more resources into optimizing for a term like “complete online incorporation package”.

On the other hand, if you’re using any marketing besides search, like direct mail, email, tradeshows where you distribute your materials, it’s likely searchers may try some version of your brand name, because they’ve heard it before and they have a vague remembrance that that term can help them find a good solution to whatever it is they need (they’ve long since lost your marketing materials, so they turn to the Web, where they figure all the information is contained anyway).

So, as you compile and add to your keyword list over time, consider the many ways potential searchers could misspell or completely butcher your brand names and service names. It’s also worth doing the same for your competitors’ brand names, as these can even be mistaken attempts at finding you!

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Employ Search Engine Optimization But Do Not Rely On It Entirely

Wednesday, October 8th, 2008

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a process of making a website and its content highly relevant for both search engines and searchers. With recession looming, many small businesses are experiencing a dramatic decrease in sales and may be thinking about SEO to get them through the tough times.

While SEO is a great way to drive a targeted customer base to a small business website, it is a long term strategy that should only be a part of your overall marketing activities. It is not a quick fix as some would like it to be so if you are looking save a failing business, you may want to rethink how SEO can help.

First, it takes time to even plan an SEO strategy, much less implement and see tangible results from it. It can take several weeks just to do the necessary research to even know where to begin.

After careful research identifies target keywords and link strategies, site architecture, metatags, page copy, and text and anchor links need to be overhauled, a time consuming process indeed. Once a site is fully optimized for SEO it will still need time to age. Incrementally, you will begin to see more targeted search engine traffic as on page SEO begins to mature.

Link popularity is the other half of this puzzle as the search engines place a premium on keyword targeted links. The success of SEO is largely dependent on overall link popularity of the site. This process moves faster if your site already has links but most need work in this area as many of these links may not be targeting anchor text.

Another very important thing to remember is that while relatively inexpensive, SEO has to be done in conjunction with other online and offline marketing initiatives to be successful. Do not count on visitors from organic searches to always be there as search engines can change their formulas and drop your site on a dime.

When done correctly, SEO is a worthwhile long term investment for any business with a website. If your small business is doing fairly well without SEO, you should consider getting into it now and start collecting the extra traffic.

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Choosing Keywords – Consumers at a Loss for Words

Monday, June 25th, 2007

Companies that optimize their content invest a lot of resources into choosing the right keywords. They brainstorm lists and consult tools like WordTracker and Keyword Discovery to find out what terms people are actually searching on.

Remember that your consumers are also trying to figure out what keywords to search on, too.

A client was talking to me about his own search experience online, as a consumer. He told me how he tries to “guess” the words that will bring up what he wants.

That’s so true, isn’t it? Everyone has experienced the frustration of not being able to find the information you’re searching for online. Even someone who optimizes sites for a living! You know it’s out there somewhere…but you can’t seem to find the right words to bring that content to you.

I have this closet door on my pantry that falls out of the track every time I open or close it. I spent about a half an hour one evening trying to find out how fix that. Of course, not being a tradesman, I had no idea what type of door it is called. I had to “learn” as I searched. First I tried phrases around “closet doors”, the closest type seemed to be “accordian door”. More searching and finally found a site with pictures – nope, it’s not an accordian door. What about “folding”? Anyway, I’ll spare you the details, but I could not for the life of me find any resource that would help me fix the door on my pantry…

Like me, consumers will search on phrase after phrase, scanning the first 2 pages of search results, until they find the results they are looking for. Or give up, like I did.

You can see here the disparity between organizations and their audiences. If you’re optimizing your content, you should be easily found for the terms that your audiences are searching on, but if you’re not giving a thought to targeting keywords for all your content, you’re widening that gap between you and your customer. If I had found a good instructional site, I would have bookmarked it and returned again and again for other household problems – possibly buying from advertisers on that site, too.

When you don’t target your content for your user’s needs, the end, you both lose!

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