A quality SEO campaign begins with the proper keywords. Many questions clients ask are how many keywords should they rank for their websites. Well, there is no “correct” answer. Each company have numerous markets, budgets, products and this all affects the final equation.
Here is a laid out strategy on how to begin keyword research:
Indentify Keywords. Begin by recognizing which keywords are relevant to the business. Keywords that would be relevant to users searched content. There are many sources out there, which can assist in this process. Use analytics data, competitor insights, PPC data, internal search data, Google Keyword Tool and any historical data provided by the client. This will allow one to compile a “seed word” list.
Enlarge the list. To expand the seed word list, use tools such as Google Keyword Tool, Wordtracker or Keyword Discovery. This will allow assist in understanding relevant search volumes of the chosen keywords. Remember Google’s anticipated search volumes are not always accurate. They are useful in comparing relative popularity between keywords.
Tip: Using paid searches to test out the popularity and true conversion rates of specified keywords is an outstanding method.
Prioritize. To create a quality list, prioritize the keywords, this is important to the campaign. These keywords will be easier to track for general barometer of health. In addition, the keywords will be first on the list when beginning the link building campaign later in the stage.
There is no wrong or right number of keywords. Some campaigns can have 25 priority keywords, while others have hundreds. The priority keywords should mirror the words that have the most propensities to generate revenue. In addition, some dependence also should weigh on how competitive the business is in the industry.
Categorize. Once the priority list of keywords for the campaign is compiled, begin to categorize them. Segment the keywords into particular order specific to the company’s goals. This will enable a more granular reporting and insightful performance. The keywords should at minimum be categorize between brands and non-brands. In addition, the categories could include product types, sub brands, business groups, keyword based or keywords that specify a customer segment or business goal.
Categorization allows a smoother flow within the team to comprehend the impact that SEO is having at a more significant level.
Landing Pages. When the keywords are defined, begin mapping the priority keywords to relevant pages. The landing pages are the main target of the optimization goals of the priority keywords. When starting to create the on-page optimization (title tags, meta descriptions, H tags and content), the particular page must be relevant to at least one or two priority keywords.
At this point, the additional keywords that were not designated as priority words, such as long tail combinations can be worked into the page. All the keywords must remain relevant to the page.
When creating the priority list of keywords, this allows an easier decision on where to spend resources, which keywords to rank for and which keywords to prioritize for linking.
Over time, refine. Always be sure to pay close attention to the PPC data and analytics data to become aware of new keyword phrases. This can open more opportunities for the business. Especially, for brands and sub brands which are driven by seasonal activities.
Get in the habit to review the data sets monthly and identify any new possibilities, which can be integrated into a quality SEO campaign.
