The Biggest Mistake People Make When Choosing Keywords (And How You Can Do It Better)

By Christine OKelly | May 3, 2010

I run a press release distribution site that is designed for SEO — we offer people the ability to add anchor text links within their press releases because building backlinks in keyword rich anchor text links (within relevant content on quality sites) is an important component of SEO.

Day after day, I am continuously blown away by the keywords I see people choosing — keywords that will not help their SEO campaign at all.

The biggest mistake most people make when choosing keywords — and it is a critical one — is that they choose keywords that are far to broad or that do not directly relate to either the services they offer or the problems their customers are looking to solve.

In this post, I’m going to show you a process for not only identifying profitable keywords, but also discovering ones that you actually have a shot at ranking for.

I’m also going to show you a few pictures of my Scottish Terrier Molly modeling Kai’s new marketing product.

Tara and I do our best to educate every customer, providing personal one-on-one SEO counseling to every person who submits a press release using one of the upgraded packages that includes editing. It is one of my personal missions to show as many people as possible how to choose effective keywords that will increase their search engine visibility for their target audience.

And that leads us to this week’s Mission: Laser Targeting Profitable Keyword Opportunities For You To Dominate

This is Mission #2 in “Mission Possible SEO Challenge.” If you’re just finding this post for the first time, you may want to start with Mission #1: Analyze Your Site Through the “Eyes” of a Search Engine.

Step One
Est. time to complete: 5-7 minutes

When choosing keywords, there are several layers of consideration:

• The conversion potential of the keyword
• The search volume of the keyword
• The estimated time required to dominate the search engine results page for a keyword (more competition for a keyword means its going to take more time and effort to rank for it)

Choosing profitable keywords is a process that requires a combination of common sense, gut instinct, keyword research tools, and some smart analysis.

ACTION ITEM:

1. 

   Open a Word doc and list 5-10 keyword terms that relate to the services you provide and the solutions you provide for people. Use your gut instincts and common sense when compiling this list. Do yourself a favor — don’t just think about these keywords and not commit them to paper. Not only does it help solidify your thoughts — but you’ll be using this doc in the next step.

When Choosing Keywords to Jot Down:

Think from a customer’s perspective

Before you open any keyword research tool, think about the SOLUTIONS you provide for people. What are people really trying to accomplish when they are searching for what you provide?

If you’re a graphic designer, your first instinct may be to target the word “graphic design.” Not only is that term so broad that it will likely be an arduous battle to the top of the search engine rankings, but it may not be what your customers are looking for. Specific terms like “flash animation designer” or “freelance website graphic designer” often prove to more lucrative and to be easier to rank for.

Be Conscious Of The Type of Customer You Want to Attract

In just about any industry, there are terms and phrases that only those ‘in the know’ use. For example, in the CD manufacturing industry, industry terms are “CD duplication” or “CD replication.” Someone who has at least some level of familiarity with the process might search for these keywords. On the other hand, someone who is not in the industry might search for a term like “how to make a CD.”

If your business sells products and solutions applicable only to a more sophisticated industry buyer, it’s best to target industry specific terms. Using too general of keywords can bring you unqualified leads. However, if your business provides solutions for people newer to the industry, it might be more lucrative to avoid industry jargon.

Step 2: Expanding The List
Estimated Time to Completion: 30-45 Minutes

Next you are going to use a keyword research tool to expand on or narrow down the list of terms you’ve created based on your common sense and gut instinct.

To read the rest of this excellent article and get her downloadable resources,  click this link    Click here