Keyword Strategies (General Overview)

Many people use search engines (like Google.com) to help them find and research companies, products, services and more. They begin by typing in one or more words which we commonly refer to as "keywords". The keywords used are based on what the searcher feels are most relevant to what they are searching for.

The search engines are continually browsing the web indexing web pages through the use of software applications that are commonly referred to as spiders, bots, and robots. The spiders read the html source code within a web page extracting all the text content and than try to determine what the page is all about. All they can read is the "text content". There is nothing to read in graphic images, Flash videos, etc. If your web page is all graphic images it is difficult for spiders to determine it's purpose. (Note, the hidden meta tags near the top of a web page have little importance to text hungry spiders.)

The words within a web page will be dissected and analyzed by search engine spiders. This is where placing relevant keyword phrases within the page becomes so important. A well written web page should be easily read by the spiders and your web site visitors. The keyword phrases should pertain to a common subject and used correctly within the context of the page. Using several different keyword terms within a single web page may confuse both the spiders and your visitors as to what the page is really about. Keep the content interesting and the meanings clear to your targeted audience. Use keyword phrases in a natural manner, avoid stuffing pages full of keywords.

Keyword Qualifiers

With over 8 billion web pages on the web it is nearly impossible to quickly find relevant sites to what you are searching for by typing in just one word. So web searchers generally type in a keyword along with several qualifying words that help better describe what they are looking for. We generally refer to the qualifying words as "qualifiers" or "modifiers". The qualifiers can come before or after the main keyword, as examples: "braided area rugs", "Canon digital camera" or "graphite spinning rod".

Finding the Right Keywords

The keywords you use throughout your web pages need to be relevant to the main topic of each page and appear naturally within the page content. It helps to compile a list of all the possible keywords and qualifiers. There are several ways to find the best keywords used by your targeted audience...

Do a brainstorming session within your company or group
Ask previous customers how they would describe your products and/or services when searching the web
Review your competitor's web sites
Use web services like WordTracker to help you find commonly used keywords by people searching for your type products or services.
Use the Google's and Overture's keyword tools
Once the web site is launched start a pay-per-click ad campaign and closely monitor the keywords used by searchers landing on your web site.