Keyword and phrases are used on search engines to find information, products or services.
If you are trying to promote your products or services via a web site you need to understand which keywords are likely to be used.
Some service providers publish information on the most popular keywords currently being used.
It is not necessary to use the most popular searched for keywords on your page due to the sheer volume of searches being made, and there may be more relevant keywords lower down the lists.
Your keywords need to be relevant to the product or service you offer.
It is well worth taking the time to select your keywords and making them as focused as possible to your product or service.
This may reduce visitor numbers, but it will mean the visitors you do get are more qualified to your product or service*.
*On this note it is worth remembering that the internet is truly global. So unless you can deliver your product or service anywhere in the world you may wish to notify your potential customers of your current geographical constraints in your keywords.
This again will qualify your visitors.
When you have decided your keywords it is well worth testing them on a few search engines. See what results you get. Are they what you expected? Do they have to be revised?
This is a really worthwhile step as it also leads you to your online competition.
There are also many methods to find the most effective keywords some use information from the search engines themselves.
i.e. ratio's between the number of times a keyword is used in a search and the number of web pages found on that search.
That gives an idea of the level competition online in that area.
Another more visible method of finding the level of competition is to use the pay per click (PPC) search engines.
These work like an auction and the highest bid gets the number 1 position the most common and general keywords are very expensive and more focused keyword a lot less expensive.
Overture (formally Goto) is the largest of these type of search engines. Follow the link below to validate these values for yourself.
link to Overture
Search on these two terms ecommerce & "UK small business"
Cost of 1st Position (as at 29th October 2001)
ecommerce = $2.37
UK small Business = $0.05
This highlights the global appeal and competitive nature of ecommerce, and the much more focused regional appeal of UK small business.
If you would like more information on Keyword Selection or the use of Keyword Strategies for online promotion please contact us Here