Keyword Optimization: The Cure for Search Overload Syndrome

July 17th, 2009

Microsoft’s Bing suggested that we suffer from search overload syndrome. If that’s true, marketers have a lot of work ahead of them in terms of keyword optimization.

keywords

Business owner in the liquor industry Fran Murdy recently got a preview of that work. “I’m in desperate need of help to find keywords for my business,” wrote Fran in a forum discussion on InboundMarketing.com. Soon afterward, fellow marketers offered their suggestions for a good keyword optimization strategy:

Conduct Keyword Research

“Keyword research is the beginning and end game for a well optimized site,” Anthony Howard wrote in the forum discussion. Brainstorm ideas and create a list of action-oriented keywords appealing to your target audience. Offer the most relevant content for your buyer persona.

“I’d recommend that you step back from trying to find keywords for the product you sell, and ask yourself, ‘What content will attract my buyer?’” suggested Pete Caputa. That will guide you in the right direction and help you produce searchable content.

Use Keyword Discovery Resources

The more tools for keyword suggestions you use, the richer your set of ideas will be. HubSpot’s Keyword Grader is our favorite, but you could also try Wordtracker and KeywordDiscovery. You can use SemRush to explore your competitors’ strategy and monitor a word’s average volume of searches.

Pick the Low-Hanging Fruit

One way to do this is to target the people who are already searching for you. There is somebody out there who is looking up your brand online or is actively interested in your industry- or location-specific niche.

For instance, if you run a bed and breakfast in the village of Cataumet on Cape Cod, your low-hanging fruit would be “bed breakfast Cataumet.” There aren’t many bed and breakfasts in Cataumet, so the competition to rank for this keyword will be low.

Measure Keyword Performance

Once you have started using certain keyword phrases, don’t stop measuring their performance. Web 2.0 is more real-time than ever and enables quick changes in organic search and trending topics. Track the keywords driving actual traffic and leads to your site and keep producing relevant content. Filter out the unsuccessful ones and adjust your keyword selection accordingly.

Experiment With Pay Per Click

In some cases PPC campaigns can be a good way to build traffic and inbound links related to specific keywords you’re trying to rank for. Of course, PPC is an expensive long-term marketing strategy.

Image Credit: carobe