Making An Effective Keyword List
By: Edwin Sinsona Jr
Keyword Research is the core of your SEO strategy, and it’s vital that you set this thing right from the start to optimize your site with the right keywords and let your target audience find you rather than the other way around.
As an online entrepreneur and internet marketer, you most likely have all the resources you need, like extended brief on what and how the website is trying to market. If you’re lucky, even in website re-launching, you may get to the access metrics of your previous online presence. This means that you or your virtual assistant will be able to make an in-depth analysis of all the projects your website needs. If you don’t have an access to your previous Google Analytics account, you can check out its Search Queries tab in Google Webmaster Tools to get the keywords that brings good targeted traffic o your site. Last but definitely not the least, you have to check the landing page of your keywords through Keyword Analyzer tool. Remember that keywords with high ranks will choose only those most relative ones.
The idea is not to thousands of traffic, but quality targeted traffic. What good would it bring to your site when you have thousands of visitors when 99% of them don’t engage or do business with you?
Before starting your search for keywords, you should be able to answer these questions:
What is and what is not the product and/or service?
What is your target audience?
How would your search for this product and/or services?
What is the search volume of the keywords?
What keywords are your competitors are using?
Determine and Analyze Your Target Audience
There’s no other way to determine your target audience than setting up a good and performing keyword list. When you get to know your target audience, you get to effectively communicate with them in a better frequency.
Also, you need to correlate with the demographical data of your audience to your product information and export the valuable information for them. Some keywords and key phrases may sound jargon to others, but they can be helpful to let your audience find you.
Make some short surveys and participate in forums of focus groups to get your first keywords.
Writing Your Keyword List
First stop is to analyze your niche, category and theme of your website. Jutting down notes in an excel sheet can be really helpful here.
Second, take a sheet of paper and pencil and write our first thoughts. Put yourself in the shoes of your target consumers, what keywords would you type in in search engines to get what you’re looking for? Make a broad list of your potential keywords and keyword phrases. Then, set the paper aside and after few hours (with clear mind) take a look at that list. This will greatly help you make your strategy from a new viewpoint.
Third, add some words on your list by reading discussions in forums and social media discussions.
Keyword Trimming
You most likely will get a wide list of keywords, this is where the importance of trimming comes into the picture. By eliminating some keywords, you’ll be able to narrow your search on relevant and more targeted keywords.
Finalizing The List
Group your keywords according to its categories. Once you have a better list, it’s time to add some technology in your search. There are lots of keyword research tools in web today, and they all vary from features and special functions. Some programs offer better functions such as volume, trends and competition analysis. Start using Google keyword tool and Google insights, they’re free and user-friendly tools.
In using keyword search tools, never forget that they are not 100% accurate, thus you should always cross check the results you get from other tools of just follow your instincts.
After generating a good and clean keyword list, you can then take a peak on your competitors. Start by searching using your keywords as queries and check your competitor’s keyword titles, descriptions, etc. You can use the Keyword Battle Tool to find out how these website with the same keywords you have rank in a number of domains. Then, study their landing pages using Keyword Analyzer tool and find out what they’re doing to optimize those terms. Stay focused in all of your selling propositions and avoids mentioning the names of your competitors, etc.
Use the keywords in your list wisely and through commercial pages and avoid causing internal competition effect.
