photo credit: Jayegirl99

How to weave keywords into your copy

In our last post, we outlined some basic strategies for researching your keywords or keyphrases. Assuming that you now have a list of keywords you are confident your potential customers are searching with, it’s time to weave them into your site.

First, choose 2 – 3 keyphrases for each web page. Make sure that the keyphrases are relevant to the content of each page. For example, if your keyphrase is “natural remedies for acid reflux,” then the page should have information on this topic.

The best spots for keyword placement

If you’ve done any reading on the Internet about SEO and keyword placement, you know that there are certain “hot spots” where the search engines will look to find keywords that a searcher has requested. These places include:

• The main headline of each page
• The first, middle and last paragraphs of copy
• Subheads
• Active links – These are the links within the content of your site that link visitors to other pages. Instead of saying “click here,” try to use a keyphrase. For example, “Learn more about keyword research here.”
• Title tags – This is what is shown in the grey bar at the top of your browser. Look up there now and you’ll see that it carries the title of this blog post. This is one of the most important locations for keyphrase placement.
• Tags on images – Any photos, logos or other images that you use on your site cannot be “seen” by search engines. You or your web developer can add a textual tag containing a keyphrase called an “alt tag” to each. You can also add a photo caption with keyphrases.
• Site map – Site maps are not commonly used for sites unless they have a large number of pages and even then, they are usually just a listing of the pages on the site. But a site map is valuable to both search engines and your site visitors to show them around. It is also a smart place to add your keyphrases. Next to the name of each page, add a short keyword-rich description of what can be found on that page.
• Testimonials – Testimonials from customers sprinkled throughout your site give you and your business credibility. They are also a great place to add keyphrases. Without losing the intent of quotes supplied by your customers, try and fit in a keyphrase or two. For example, if your keyphrase is “graphic design” and the testimonial says, “Jane provides solid service,” change it to read: “Jane provides solid graphic design service.” Note: Be sure to ask the person whose testimonial you’re altering for permission.

Avoid the urge to stuff keywords into every nook and cranny

Now that you know where to put your keyphrases, it’s tempting to just jam them in everywhere – but don’t succumb to temptation! This is called “keyword stuffing” and doing it will accomplish two things: give you a black mark from the search engines, which frown on this activity; and turn off your visitors because your copy will be choppy and odd-sounding.

In the next post, we’ll talk about how to write keywords into your website so your copy flows as smooth as silk.

Related posts:

1. A neophyte guide to keyword research – Part 1
2. SEO. The quicker fixer upper – NOT!
3. Three things you need to know before talking to a web developer

photo credit: Search Engine People Blog

What’s a keyword?

Keywords (or keyphrases) are the words people type in the Google box to find something specific on the web.

Why do I care?

Let’s say you run a daycare centre in Toronto. A searcher types “Toronto daycare centre” in the search box, and you just happen to have this phrase on your site.

The engines find your site, determine that it has the keyphrase and surrounding information to support it, and in seconds your site is recommended to the searcher.

If your site is on the first page of the SERPs (search engine results pages), chances are good that the searcher will click through for a visit.

How do I know what phrases people are using to find sites like mine?

People search like they talk. They don’t necessarily know industry jargon or model numbers. Think like your customer. If you were chatting with your neighbor over the hedge, how would you ask him for a recommendation on buying a widget?

Here on some basic guidelines for creating a list:

a) Write down as many phrases (2 – 3 words each) you can think of that describe your product or service. Ask your salespeople how customers refer to your product or service. Talk to your front desk personnel about questions callers are asking. Get ideas from friends and neighbours who don’t know your business like you do.

TIP: Avoid very generic words like “furniture,” “used cars,” and “vacation.”  They are simply too difficult to compete with. “Vacation” has 165,000,000 results in Google, but “cheap vacations for backpackers” has 108,000. Be as specific as possible to narrow the field.

b) Now that you know which phrases appropriately describe your product or service, you want to whittle your list down to those that are actually searched for. To do this, you can purchase a short-term subscription to Wordtracker ($59US) or you can use Google’s free Keyword Suggestion Tool.

The Google Keyword Suggestion Tool is created for people advertising with Google, but it works for anyone. Enter any keyphrases you want to research and click “Get keyword ideas.” You will be presented with a list of the most popular search words and phrases related to your keyphrases that are currently being searched on a monthly basis. Create a list of those with a high volume of searches that relate to your product.

c) Next you want to see how much competition your phrases have. An easy way to do this is to go to Google and type: allintitle:“yourkeywordphrasehere” (make sure to include the quotes).

The pages Google returns for each phrase will be pages that are using that exact phrase in the Title Tag. (The Title Tag is a key area that search engines looks for keyphrases.) You’ll find this number on the right hand side of the screen right above Sponsored Links. The fewer competing pages, the better your chances of ranking for that keyphrase.

TIP: If your location is important to your customers, be sure to consider geographical keyphrases such as “insurance broker in London” or “daycare center in Vancouver.” These keyphrases may not show up in the Google Keyword Suggestion tool, but they are very powerful for attracting your local audience.

This sounds like a lot of work. Is there an easier way?

OK, so you’ve got better things to do. Plus you want to make darn sure your keyphrases are right. Fortunately there are professionals who specialize in this very thing. A keyword research specialist will do all the footwork for you, present you with a solid list of keyphrases, and recommend which ones are suitable for each page on your site.

If you’re looking for a keyword specialist, we know some good ones. Ask us and we’ll set you up!

Big job. Done.

In Part 2 of “The neophyte guide to keyword research,” we talk about putting your keyphrases to work on your site.

Related posts:

1. A neophyte guide to using keywords – Part 2
2. Free Social Media Listening Tools
3. SEO. The quicker fixer upper – NOT!