Optimizing your website’s searchability is a necessity for getting on the first page of Google, let alone getting found online. One of the best ways to ensure you’re easy to track down is by incorporating the most searched keywords into your website as it pertains to the vertical your business falls under. To be successful in this process you must first find these most searched keywords then figure out how to integrate them into your website and online campaigns.
Finding Keywords
To find keywords to help increase your rank, start by coming up with a list of words and phrases that you feel are most relevant to your customers and their relationship to your company. Ask yourself a few questions about the words and phrases you’ve chosen and be honest about whether they’re the best choices.
1. How relevant are these words to my website?
2. Will the customer find what they’re looking for on my site when they use these words?
3. Will this search result in a sale or help meet organizational goals?
If you can say ‘yes’ to all these questions then you’re on the right track!
Try doing a search yourself to see what websites popup. You’ll not only find out who your competition is but also how difficult it may be to compete to show up on the first page of Google. If you discover that elite brands are taking the top ten slots and you’re a local business, you’ll be in for an uphill battle to try and bump them from the rankings. Best thing to do in this situation is re-swizzle your keyword strategy.
Another tip…if your search comes back with banner ads it’s a telltale sign that the keywords you’ve picked have high conversion rates.
Don’t Forget Long Tail Keywords
Make sure you do research on different types of keywords. If you own an ice cream shop you’ll likely want to find out how effective the term “ice cream shop” will be. But consider the benefits of using long tail keywords. A long tail keyword is a three or four keyword phrase that cuts out the ambiguity of the search.
Consumers searching using a long tail search have been found to be further along in their buying process which means they’re primed to make buying decisions at the time they’re searching. So, instead of searching “ice cream shop”, someone who’s wanting ice cream, like now, may search “ ice cream shop best strawberry 02238”. A person searching like this is looking for ice cream right now near their current location. You definitely want to come up in this type of query.
Use Google Keyword Tools
Google actually has a few tools to help you find the best keywords for your business.
Google Trends
Google trends is one way to compile a list of keywords to help boost your Google ranking. Google Trends allows you to set parameters when testing out keywords or phrases including:
• Web search type (image, news, product, YouTube)
• Worldwide (allows you to choose specific countries to search)
• 2004-Present (choose a date range)
• All categories (arts & entertainment, beauty & fitness, food & drink, etc)
Once you’ve outlined these items you can begin comparing terms or keywords you’d like to use. You can compare up to 25 search terms by adding ‘+’ between words and phrases like ‘bike + trails’ as an example. The ‘+’ sign tells Google that you’re looking for bike OR trails and will enable you to search both individually.
You’ll then be given a few bits of very useful information like a graph that tells you, based on the timeframe you set, when the peak times are that people have searched these terms, the state they’re located, related topics and related queries. This information can be very helpful when planning seasonal or regional marketing activities.
This information will help you determine if the keywords/phrases you’d like to use are going to improve your searchability and may even give you new ideas along the way!
Google AdWords Keyword Planner
This popular tool not only suggests keywords but also can give you their approximate search volume. The tool will help you find keywords and compare their trends over time. It will also provide you other valuable information like your quality score. Whenever you run a campaign or create a new landing page, understanding your quality score offers insight into how well your keywords are working. Your quality score tells you how relevant your landing page or campaign is to the keywords you’ve selected. If you’re coming up on the lower end of the spectrum it’s time to rethink your keyword strategy.
Since keyword research can yield high website traffic, it should be considered a must when planning your site’s content and marketing activities. Finding the most searched keywords for your business not only allows you to target these words and phrases but also gives you valuable insight into your customers. Don’t overlook the significance of keyword integration.
