We all have heard of that company that offers the quick fix—that big return that is so unbelievable it can’t be true. For example: “I’ll send you a million dollars from my account in Nigeria from your long-lost cousin if you write me a check for 10% today!”
It’s easy to get pulled into the hype — especially if it is something you know you need. Wouldn’t it be great to be at the right place at the right time to skip all the details and change your fortune?
SEO Isn’t A Guessing Game
There are too many times that guesswork replaces sound fundamentals. This is especially true for keyword research. If keywords are the foundation for your Search Engine Optimization, keyword research is the cement you mixed to create that foundation. If you read the instructions, use the right keyword density, and ensure you understand how to set it up properly, your foundation will last for years—even decades. If you take a shortcut, you’re bound to see cracks that can bring the whole house down.
This article will help explain the tremendous benefits to performing sound research and choosing quality keywords. It will also explain why it might make sense to put your website in the hands of professionals promoting the right thing instead of looking for that quick fix.
Keyword research helps you determine what keywords you should use for your product or service. At the bare minimum, it helps define:
- Whether or not you should use broad keywords or long-tail keywords
- The number of keywords you need to have effective SEO
- What kind of keywords people are using to find specific products or services
- How often people are using specific keyword terms
- How many times they use these terms in your area or nationwide
It makes sense to try and use words that you hear every day. If you work in an auto shop, I’m sure you hear auto repair and car repair quite a bit. But which one is better for your area, your city, your business?
Research will help you uncover those answers.
Define your Target Audience
Before choosing where to go and what you want to target for your keyword research, it’s always important to think about your target audience. Who’s going to use your product or service? How does that person describe your product?
Different age groups have different names for things. Take a cell phone for example. I call it a cell phone. My mom calls it a mobile phone. My younger sister calls it a smart phone or just a phone (I don’t think she even remembers corded phones). I’ve also seen PDA phone, mobile, car phone, or even branded names in place of the generic terms I just mentioned.
How do you figure out which one is most effective? You can guess – but the best course of action is to do some research to figure it out.
Use more than your brain
As I mentioned in this article, if you’re trying to figure out what keywords are relevant for your customers, it’s important not to determine keywords on what you think they should be.
Things change so quickly in the digital world – you have to pick keywords that hit the broadest part of your audience. If you try to guess what your customers are thinking, you’re bound to make some mistakes. There’s a reason that 6.7 billion dollars was spent on Market Research last year. It takes time and effort, but the data and details are out there. Do you have the time to find the information?
The Search Engines really are your friends
There are plenty of misconceptions about search engines. The biggest thing you have to understand is that they just want to deliver the most relevant content related to the keyword terms and other searches someone types in the search box.
There are details and best practices for keyword research that you have to be mindful of, things you have to monitor, and rules you have to follow, but there are no tricks to it. The best way to understand how search engines work is to- you guessed it- do some research!
Keep up to date on any algorithm changes, read the Google blog regularly, and have someone, like AMG take your website to the next level!
