Choosing Keywords for Search Engine Optimization

Introduction to Keywords

A part of successful search engine optimization of webpages is working out what keywords your prospective visitors might type in to a search engine to find your website. Some are more competitive than others - try searching for 'pool pump' in Google, there are almost two million results! For establishing websites, it is better to target less popular keywords and phrases to begin with and aim for success with those.

Why Choose Keywords at All

A good webpage contains information that people are looking for. When you write the page you need to take a step back and think about what search terms or keywords people would enter to find it. Once you have determined those keywords, you need to narrow them down to 3-5 main words. Then you can start to write the page, keeping these words in mind while you develop the content.

The more informational content you provide on your website, the more reasons for search engine bots to crawl, and send people, to your online store. While writing your webpages, you can use search engine optimization techniques to make sure you use your keywords in the right places for search engine success.

Key Phrases Versus Keywords

Different keywords joined together form key phrases. These phrases would be what the search engine user is likely to type in to find your website. As a general rule, each page on your site should be optimized for one key phrase. This page, for example, targets 'choosing keywords' as the main two word search phrase. Two to six word phrases are typical - longer phrases are less commonly used in searches. If you are writing an informational webpage on how to choose the correct pool pump,for instance, you may consider the phrase 'choosing the right pool pump' when selecting your keywords for the webpage.

How to Research Keywords

Unfortunately there are no shortcuts - good research will pay off with good results. By entering a search phrase in Google you can see what sort of competition you are up against. The blue bar at the top of the results page might say something like 'Results 1 - 10 of about 2,110,000'. That tells you that the search phrase is fairly competitive.

Also, you will learn a lot about how the search engines work by entering different phrases and seeing where they rank. You can increase your rank by creating a informative webpage for a combinations of keywords that returns website with poor information. By writing an informative webpage with useful information, search engine will rank you higher than other websites. Another trick to consider is using keywords that have misspellings. By using keywords with common misspellings, you can capture the website traffic of those who have accidentally typed in the wrong keyword/phrase.

Keyword Brainstorming

An easy way to find new keyword combinations is to think like your customers. Since you are selling swimming pool and spa products, you would want webpages based around filters, pumps, pool toys, brand names, specific products, etc. Over time you can slowly create more and more webpages using phrases like 'AquaCal Super Quiet', for example, to cater for specific searches. When creating this webpage, you can link it directly to the product page/category in your store to land the sale.

Keyword Density

If you start to get really technical about your keywords, you will want to know the density or word count of keywords on your page. A part of search engine optimization is researching the ideal density of keywords on the pages - around 5% - 10% is considered about the 'right' amount. A page needs to feature the keywords prominently but not read like they were added purely to boost the search rankings.

The free keyword counter will analyze one of your web pages and also compare it with another site if you supply the URL. It then gives you an assessment of the top words for the page and the density percentage.


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