Search Engine Optimisation - Social Media Stream - Social Media Agency

Keywords… Sound important, don’t they? They are. They’re the words that internet users type into search engines to find what they’re looking for. If you know which terms they’re using to search for your product or service, you can incorporate them into your website copy, blog and even social media strategy content. Done skilfully, this pleases Google; and in return, Google rewards you with a higher ranking.

But how do you do keyword research? Where do you start with keywords?

Here are a few simple suggestions.

Go back to basics

Start off with some good old-fashioned brainstorming. Think about your products and services and list one-to-three word phrases you would use to describe them. For instance, if you were running a low-cost airline, ‘cheap flights’ is a likely keyword.
Now take out your trusty thesaurus for keyword synonyms and variations people might use. Sticking with our ‘cheap flights example’, ‘low-cost flights’, ‘flight deals’ and ‘fly cheap’ are just a few terms they may type into Google.

Think about your industry

Think of the different areas you focus on in your sector or industry. Check other websites and media and see what keywords they use.
Check out the websites of your competition. What keywords are they using? Perhaps they have some on there you haven’t thought of, the crafty devils!

Take a look at yourself

Review your website. Do particular words or phrases keep cropping up? If so, they could be relevant keywords.
Make a list of your different products or services. If you have lots of them, divide them into subcategories and create extra keywords. By optimising each page with different keywords, you can drive more traffic to your site.
Use Google Analytics or a similar web analytics tool to see which keywords people are already using to reach your site.

Think of your customers

Step into your customer’s shoes. If you were searching for your product or service, what terms would you use? Ask someone unconnected to your business what they would search for. Reward them handsomely if they come up with something you hadn’t thought of!

Out of the blocks

Think about your business, your customer, your industry and your competition. That’s how to do basic keyword research. Think about the words too, of course. Words matter. Not only do they communicate: they optimize as well!

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the process of making your website more visible so you appear higher up in the search engine rankings. Enhancing your website SEO is a different task for different types of companies but for those wishing to drive more traffic to their website to promote products and services it is a ‘must do’.

SEO is a large topic and there are many ways to discover the positive and negative impacts that your website can have on SEO but before you carry out a deep analysis it is important to build a basic understanding of how your prospective customers search for the type of products and services you provide.

When a user creates a search in google, yahoo or lycos etc they typically fall into one of three types of search;

Navigation Search
Informational Search
Transactional Search

Searches are different due to the approach of the user but it is also different for you as a business in order to capitalise on the potential web traffic.

To explain a little further…

Navigational searches typically involve the user tying in the name of one of your competitors – they don’t know the specific url but know the company. Google will bring up the results of the most relevant and important matches. The question for you and your business is – do you appear on the first page of google when a user searches for your competition?

Informational Searches are different and may provide a better chance of your business to be found higher up the search engine rankings. These searches are more about a user finding out more information on a certain topic, product or service. A simple example may be ‘How do you use Social Media for Business?’ – this type of search is not necessarily one with an intent of making a purchase of social media software or services however it does open up the opportunity for a Social Media Marketing Agency to be found online. Again , the question for your business is ; How do I ensure my website can be found when my company products or services can solve the users question?

Transactional Searches are more direct searches that users make when they intend to purchase a product or service so attracting this type of traffic may have a higher probability of leading to a sale. A simple example maybe a search for ‘Fitness Gym Manchester’. Ensure your SEO is absolutely key to attracting these types of qualified prospects.

In summary, there are several types of searches that users / prospects will carry out. To start your Search Engine Optimisation planning it is very important to take the time to think about how your potential customers are going to find you online – put yourself in the shoes of your customer , ask yourself what questions you need to answer, understand your competitors key terms and the products and services they offer and be consistent with the terminology you will use in all of your content.

How do you start your SEO planning?

A strategy Engagement from Social Media Stream could work!

Tag Archives: Search Engine Optimisation

Back to Basics — How to do basic keyword research

What is SEO & How do Prospects Search for Your Business?