Howdy, folks! My name is Cherry Cockburne, and today I'm going to discuss three ways you can use proper keyword selection to achieve Search Engine Optimization, or SEO.
As many of you may remember from our last session, SEO is a way to improve the visibility of your web site or web page by increasing the odds that it will appear among search engine results. This gives your site more exposure, or "web presence."
Keyword selection is a crucial first step in Search Engine Optimization. If you want people to find your web site, you must pick keywords that people are likely to use when searching for a product or service you offer. Choose the wrong keywords, and you won't get any traffic.
With these things in mind, let's take a closer look at Cherry Cockburne's Three Ways to Success in Keyword Selection.
Pick popular keywords
Success in keyword selection begins with choosing popular keywords that are commonly used to search for products or services.
My Uncle Earl is probably one of the most skilled taxidermists in Kentucky. He ought to be. Heck, he's been mounting trophy animals in our garage since I was a little girl - grizzly bears, deer, thoroughbred horses, hound dogs, turkeys, squirrels, even an alligator every now and then!
Well, one day Uncle Earl decided he wanted to turn his hobby into a business. Unfortunately, plenty of other taxidermists in Plumbroke, Kentucky already offer the same type of services. To give Cockburne's Taxidermy an edge, he decided to create a web site in hopes of attracting new clients.
To achieve Search Engine Optimization, Uncle Earl was convinced that his keywords for the web site should include the phrase "dead animals" because, as he pointed out, his business clearly involves the preparation and preservation of animal carcasses. Nevertheless, while this phrase is quite relevant, it's ... Well, it's a bit gruesome, quite frankly. In addition, someone using the phrase "dead animals" in a search engine will just as likely encounter a web site offering roadkill disposal services.
Of course, in Uncle Earl's case, that's okay too. He says he's always willing to barter. But in general, you should stick with more popular keywords, like "taxidermy."
Choose Relevant Keywords
Another rule of thumb when selecting keywords is to make sure they relate to your goods or services.
At first glance, picking a keyword off a Top Fifty list to drive traffic to your site might seem like a good idea, but it's not.
For example, Uncle Earl mistakenly concluded that the best way to improve the visibility of his web site would be by using "Britney Spears" as a keyword. His excitement at being the top result for a britney spears taxidermy keyword search dimmed considerably the next day when he found his inbox brimming with all manner of unspeakable e-mails, many of which contained comments unsuitable for publication even at The Spoof. On top of that, he was slapped with a $10,000 fine by his search engine provider for his black hat activities.
Unfortunately, the search engines got wise to this sort of activity a long time ago. In the end, Uncle Earl learned that it's always better to optimize your web page correctly than to spam.
Use a Word Phrase
Using a word phrase instead of a single word can increase the chances that your site will be found. A phrase can target potential clients more precisely than a word, which means the traffic it generates is more relevant to your site.
Hoping to pay off his spamming fine, Uncle Earl decided to redouble his efforts to create a successful web page for his floundering business. After careful consideration, he decided he should use the words "taxidermy service" as his primary keywords because he provides taxidermy services.
While this is true, "taxidermy service" is still too general. Someone using that term in a search engine is going to get results including everything from information about cutting-edge freeze-dried pet preservation technology to aerial wolf-hunting consultation services.
In Uncle Earl's case, simply adding a location to his original keyword phrase yields "taxidermy service Plumbroke Kentucky." This much more precisely aimed keyword construction will get him a top ranking that ought to increase traffic and convert into sales, or my name's not Cherry Cockburne!
You see, while the longer keyword entry may be less popular than the shorter one, it's also more focused. It specifically targets search engine users who live in the Plumbroke, Kentucky area and are seeking taxidermy services. Since that's just exactly the sort of folks Uncle Earl would like to see visiting his web site, he has finally achieved SEO, or Search Engine Optimization.
Now, there's just one last problem. As it turns out, we're the only family in Plumbroke, Kentucky that can afford Internet access!
