Despite many online marketers arguing that businesses should not focus on specific search terms, rather the overall online search visibility of their website, keywords are still an imperative part of search engine optimisation.
Search Volume
The number of people searching for the potential keywords you wish to target will be one of the main factors that decides your campaign. Easily accessible tools such as Google’s Key Word Planner and SEMrush will provide accurate details on the number of people who search for specific phrases per month. This can also be geographically tailored to give the search volumes of keywords in different countries, (essential if you are a global business).
Intent
More generic phrases will have far higher search volumes compared with specific or niche terms. However it is also very important to consider user intent when choosing your keywords. The keyword ‘doors’ has 33,100 searches per month. However the people conducting these searches are not likely to know exactly what they are looking for, and more than likely looking for inspiration or just browsing whilst in front of their television. Compare this to ‘bi fold doors’ with a search volume of 14,800. These searches are more specific and have greater intent. Even more specific ‘wooden bi fold doors’ has only 90 searches per month. However the people carrying out these searches are very likely to be ready to make a purchase. Targeting a wide variety of specific search terms with greater intent can often be more profitable and cost effective. A strong SEO campaign will target a variety of keywords with varying intent.
Competition
If you are new to a market, it is very important to carry out competitor analysis. Research the terms that your competitors are targeting and see how much optimisation they have carried out in order to rank. Competitor research may highlight profitable keywords that your competition have neglected.
Your Website
In an ideal world an SEO campaign will be devised whilst the website is being built, this way the site structure can be tailored to suit the keywords that you wish to target. However this is not always the case on more often than not a campaign has to be integrated within an existing website. In these cases it is important not to target too many keywords on one page. Where necessary new pages should be created to provide sufficient levels of high quality informative content.
Location
Depending on the area you wish to target, you will have to adapt your keywords accordingly. Generally speaking e-commerce websites will target national phrases as they deliver throughout the UK. International businesses will have to research keywords across all of the countries they target. Remember to ensure that you correctly translate your keywords from one language to the next. It is also important to consider the varying intent behind keywords in different countries.
Smaller service related businesses such as electricians or estate agents will be most effect when targeting their keywords to specific cities and regions e.g electricians London.
Profit
Consider the profit margins of the products or services behind the keywords you are targeting. You may rank for a keyword that has a high search volume and drives high levels of traffic to your website. However if the products profit margin is low, it may not be as lucrative as ranking for products that have high profit margins.
Keywords are the most important part of optimisation. They will determine the success of your campaign. Faber SEO will work with your business to ensure that your campaign targets the keywords that will be most beneficial to your business.
