Four Eyed Monkey Blog » Home
3 Simple Tips for SEO Keyword Research
A common question businesses ask about SEO is, “Why is it my job? Why can’t search engines find my site without me?” The answer is that they will; it’ll just take longer for visitors to find. The difference between taking control of SEO versus leaving it to search engines is the difference between letting word of mouth dictate your company’s future versus putting time and resources into crafting a winning advertising campaign. In an ideal world, happy clients would extol your company’s virtues every chance they get, but the world isn’t ideal. It’s busy. Clients move on. And so do search engines—to sites that make it easier for them to rank relevance.
That all said, the off-site portion of optimizing your website needn’t be excessively pricey or time-consuming. It’s all about knowing your stuff when it comes to keyword research. And while there’s a LOT to say on the subject, here are three big-deal tips:
Think like a prospective client
Let’s say you own a photography business in Portland, Oregon. What might someone looking for a photographer in Portland, Oregon use as search terms? There’s the obvious: “photographer Portland Oregon.” Then there are more specific terms: “wedding photographer Portland Oregon”; “wedding photographer parent albums Portland Oregon”; “wedding bridal photographer Portland Oregon”; “romantic wedding photography Portland Oregon”; “wedding photography prices Portland Oregon.” The list is potentially infinite. But thinking like a potential client will keep you both creative and practical—a valuable combination.
Do your homework
There are several online tools that will let you see how often certain terms are searched. (Check out Google Keyword Tool.) These sites will let you know if you got too creative during your brainstorm session and dreamed up keyword combinations that simply aren’t used often enough to be useful to you.
Know why some terms are better than others
At this point, you know which of the terms you originally dreamed up (and others you created after doing your homework) are searched most often. But you also need to know that not all highly searched terms are created equal. Some result in more conversion (someone buys a bridal portrait package from your photography company, for example). And others are searched so often that the competition is extremely fierce. “Photographer Portland Oregon” might not be as good a keyword choice as it initially appeared if two hundred other photography studios in Portland are also using it.
Wondering what to do after you’ve chosen your keywords? Stay tuned to our SEO series for more tips and tricks.
Photo credit: fakelvis
Related Posts:
