KEYWORDS RESEARCH AND SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION

Keyword research can make the difference between success and failure of an online business. The keyword phrase, which is the search term a user types into the search engine is the most important factor in successful search engine optimisation and getting a site ranked high by the search engines. Keywords and key phrases help people find you on the Internet. Just getting a domain name and creating a website does not guarantee site traffic and sales. The website needs to be marketed online and this is best done by search engine marketing . This process can begin only if you have the right keywords/key phrases, as this will literally form the address for your business.

Keyword placement

The best locations for your keywords can be identified as the website page's titles and headlines, description META tags, first paragraph of the body text, in the text of external links pointing to your page, heading tags, in fact - all the information you have online, in your website text, articles you have posted on the Internet, press releases, newsletters, blogs and other material that is archived. Now that we have a good idea of where to put the keywords, next comes finding the right keywords or key phrases, through the process of keyword research.

Keyword Research

While many factors can play a role in the performance of your website with the search engines, keywords can be the most important of all, which is why it is necessary to choose the right ones. They lead visitors to your site.

Rather than single word keywords, we recommend the use of key phrases, that is, two or three word phrases. Since a keyword can bring up millions of search results, users prefer to use key phrases to get relevant results. Also, one word keywords don't usually get the right traffic to a website. 'Meta tags' expose your site to the Internet and when search engines and directories list your articles and find you, it results in site traffic and improved ranking.

The process of keyword research involves making a list of relevant words that describe your business, using keyword research tools like Word tracker and overture, studying past history of searches conducted, using the data from the keyword research tools, selecting the right terms and finally, testing. Its best to have a list of targeted keywords that are totally relevant to your online business since this will give you the best return for your money.

It is necessary to understand that keyword research is a continuous activity to maintain successful search engine optimisation since a lot of competitors vie for the same market.