Lack of well-chosen keywords and phrases on your Web site is a truly terrible mistake to make, as search engine spiders depend on these to find your site; as well as search engine users. If you have not targeted specific and precise keywords for your website, then you will not be easily found. Period.
For example, if you sell used art textbooks and just insert the non-specific word “book” into your Meta tags and site content, guess what?
Not only will you probably not show up in at least the first fifteen pages of search results, but users that actually find your site by some quirk of fate will most likely turn around and leave as soon as they get there (unless, again, by some quirk of fate, they are looking for used art textbooks. Not gonna happen.).
Keyword Tools
So how do you figure out these keywords and phrases? Here are a couple of great keyword tools that can help you do this:
- Digital Tracker Keyword Suggestion: Digital Tracker is absolutely invaluable. I use this every day.
- Google Keyword Tool: “The Keyword Tool generates potential keywords for your ad campaigns and reports their Google statistics, including search performance and seasonal trends.”
All of these keyword tools can help you get a clear idea of what people are actually searching for, and then you can use those words within your site copy and structure to attract more people to your site.
It’s all about providing the better user experience – if people can’t find your site, no matter how great your service or site is, you’re not providing that good user experience.
Where To Put Keywords
Now that you’ve got your basic keyword research started, you need to know where to put these keywords on your Web site.
- Title Tag: The title tag is a great place to use your keyword phrases. The title tag consists of those words you see at the top of your browser window in the blue space, and it is what search engines grab for the title display in their search results; so obviously, it’s an important part of your search engine optimization strategy. Here’s an example: [Keyword Phrase] – How To [Keyword Phrase 2].
- Headline: Most people who read on the Web scan Web pages quickly. This is why headlines are so important – they give your reader a chance to get what they need fast with a minimum of fuss (again, back to that great user experience). Use your keyword phrase again in the headline: How To [Keyword Phrase].
- Content: Now you need to write your keyword phrases into your site content. This is where it can get tricky because it’s easy to just write that keyword phrase where ever that keyword phrase might fit into where the keyword phrase could go (see what I mean? sounds terrible!). Be natural about it – easier than it sounds, but with practice, you’ll get it.
Keywords Increase Web Site Traffic
No doubt about it – if you’re able to place well-researched keyword phrases into your site content and structure, you will attract more searchers to your site, and provide a better user experience because they will be able to find what they are looking for.
More than anything else – high rankings, increased traffic, etc. – the top goal should be to provide the best user experience for every single person that comes to your site, and making sure your keyword phrases serve their needs is a big part of that.