Search Engine Marketing Tips – Part II of a Four Part Series
In our continuation of the series on Search Engine Marketing and Optimization, I will start at the beginning, and cover the basics of what people search for and share my very best search engine marketing tips with you here..
Keywords are the Key
The most important factor in doing and attracting business on the internet begins with words. Knowing how to use words effectively is the key to getting results. But how do you know which words to use in order to get the results you want?
We have all heard of keywords. We know that these are the words consumers enter into a search box to find what they’re looking for. It’s’ a good idea to start with words you think they would likely use. However, not all words are equal. Some are used more frequently than others; and if you choose the wrong words you could limit traffic to your site. There are programs which can analyze keywords for you, but test marketing words is the only way to know for sure which ones work the best.
As the owner of your business, you know your products and services better than anyone else. This gives you an advantage. Use this knowledge to generate the keywords that pertain best to your specific site. This will give you a good start in the search optimization process.
Next, you have to think of other words. Remember that not everyone will know exactly what they are searching for. For example, imagine a website which sells seeds. Someone who wants to plant a garden from scratch may not know exactly which seeds they want or which will grow best in their particular area. To attract traffic to your site, you will need to envision a list of general keywords which someone in this situation might use to begin their search.
An excellent way to find useful keywords is to research your competitors’ sites. Which words are they using? Are they using them in different ways than you are? Studying the competition is a valuable way to mine information for your own keyword generation.
Do not overlook the powerful keyword research tools that are currently available. These sites are great places to help you determine the best keywords for your products, services and market.
You should end up with a list of hundreds, maybe even thousands of keywords. You want to have plenty of options to choose from. Single keywords are fine, but it is an even better idea to combine words into unique phrases. This is known as ‘long tail marketing’, and it is a very popular technique for achieving higher search engine rankings.
For example, consider the seeds again. ‘Seeds’ is a well-known search term, but ‘seed sellers in Orange County’ narrows the search to a specific group of searchers, ensuring serious customers will find your site.
How Search Engines Relate to Content
Search engine optimization should be built into every aspect of your website. Since search engines look for keywords on unique web pages, making sure to put those keywords in all of your content, including titles, headlines, links and other elements, can help boost your rankings. However, for long-term results, a bit more is required. A website must regularly produce fresh content to make itself relevant to search engines. Continually refreshing your site’s content will go a long way towards securing a high spot in the rankings for your keywords.
There are many ways in which content benefits your site in a Search Engine Marketing campaign utilizing SEO as a tool. Spend some time thinking about what you want to offer to your search traffic. Make sure your unique content fills a need. This can be done in a variety of ways:
- Provide informational articles which demonstrate your expertise in a certain area your customers will find relevant
- Uncertain visitors can reassured via how-to articles which will convince them to buy your product
- Feature product reviews and customer testimonials to solidify your credibility and reputation as a seller
- To gain greater exposure across the Internet, be sure that your site appears in article directories
It is vital to keep your website fresh by continually updating content. Search engines crawl and rank the content on your site. It generally takes a few months, or even a bit longer, before you will have enough results to let you know whether your optimized content is working effectively. That is why this should not be the only marketing tool you use for Search Engine Marketing. Come back tomorrow for my next blog post, in which we will explore other available tools.
