Keyword Research For Search Engine Optimization

It’s a fact; keyword research is a very important aspect of search engine optimization for traditional businesses, as well as online businesses. If the search engines can not find you, then it is unlikely that your customers or prospects will be able to find you. If you target the wrong keywords you have not only lost all the time and effort you put into getting your site ranked, but have put potential income at risk.

One of the most common mistakes people make in their search engine optimization campaign is in thinking they already know what keywords their customers or prospects use in searching for their websites product or service. Without first doing some research they would be wrong. How a paying customer would go about searching for your product or service is often very difficult to predict.

SEO Secrets

If you want to learn SEO secrets, then you need to learn how to think like your prospect or customer. As the owner of an online or off-line traditional business you are too close to your business and will probably come up with words that are more like your industry jargon than real keyword phrases.

An example would be as a Chiropractic Doctor I may want to look for another doctor who uses specific upper cervical adjustments – I would enter terms like “specific atlas adjustment” or “nuca”. I am sure that you and the average person looking for chiropractic care would use terms like “neck adjustment” or “neck pain chiropractor”. You need to learn to think like your ideal customer or prospect.

Keyword Research          

The task of keyword research can be daunting, so start slowly. Trying to think of the perfect keyword phrase that will drive thousands of visitors to your website will probably result in complete frustration and give you a headache.

What you want to do is create a list of potential keywords. Sit down and think about what your average customer or prospect would put into their search box when trying to find you. Avoid the common generic terms like “clothes” or “restaurant”. Focus on words that are relevant, but not the most used. An example; instead of “restaurant” use the term “greek restaurant in downtown Chicago”, focus and be specific.

If you can’t think of anything, ask friends, colleagues, past customers, strangers for help! Someone not directly involved in your business will see things from a different slant and give you fresh ideas.

If all else fails look at what keywords your competition is using, take a peek at their Meta Keywords tag. What keywords are they targeting?

After you have compiled your list is when the work really starts. Naturally you want to narrow your list down to the real “money keywords”. One place to start is with Microsoft AdCenter Labs. Click on “Audience Intelligence” and then scroll down and click on “Detecting Online Commercial Intention”. Enter your keyword phrase to see if it is commercially viable. You want a “Commercial Intention” of .5 or higher. This tool helps separate the keywords people use when gathering information from the “buying” keywords.

This tool can help you determine which are your best keyword phrases that are relevant to your particular business. But remember that any keyword generation tool is just that – a tool, and that some are better than others. Keep digging deeper to find your real money keywords.

Dr. David K. Enders is an entrepreneur, author, writer, business consultant and coach. After 35 years in practice Dr. Enders closed his Chiropractic Clinic to pursue a career in Network Marketing. He soon realized that if your business is not on the Internet you’re not in business. In his search to learn Internet Marketing Dr. Enders spent years learning the ins and outs of marketing online. Dr. Enders now helps others to take tangible action to get the right results to save time and money in business. He encourages people to think in ways that are constructive to improving their lives