expertSEM

Anyone involved in search engine optimization knows that the key is in the keywords. Unlike pay per click, SEO doesn’t allow for optimization of an endless list of terms, but rather a concentrated list of high impact keywords that will drive large volumes of traffic to your site. This is why it is of the utmost importance to select just the right words for just the right pages. And how might one accomplish such a feat? Research, research, research. A successful campaign will be most possible when you consider each keyword from various angles and metrics. There are a myriad of online tools available that pull various pieces of keyword data, so spend some intimate time with each keyword possibility and consider the following questions:

What is the average monthly search volume?
Probably the most obvious metric. If one keyword gets 500,000 monthly searches and another gets 20,000…I think you get the picture.

What is the current ranking position, and which page is it indexed on?
If the site is ranking on page 3 for a keyword, then it’s already been acknowledged by the engine as being relevant. However page 3 does not get the traffic, so it will need that additional SEO push to get it to the front. Also, make sure that the page you optimize the keyword for is the page it’s already ranking on, otherwise your efforts will be lost.

What keywords is the competition using?
It is not necessary to go after the same keywords as your competitors, but seeing what terms they are pursuing could give you ideas not thought of before.  Besides, it’s always a good idea to be knowledgeable about your competitors marketing efforts.

Who is already ranking on the potential keywords?
If you search a keyword and the top ranking sites are irrelevant to your vertical, then it may well be that the engines will find their content more appropriate than yours and prevent you from decent ranking.

Also, this is a good way to see if you are even in the running to rank on the phrase. If only the big fish are ranking on a keyword and you’re company is not in the same league, then maybe you’d be better swimming in a slightly smaller pool (or using a slightly less broad term).

Are the keywords already showing up within the content of the page?
On-page content plays a big role in whether or not it will rank for the given keyword, so making sure that the keyword exists somewhere on the page, or can at least be added in, is very important.

What keywords are in the H1 titles on the page?
Not a make it or break it rule, but it certainly helps if the keyword is in the H1 title of the page.

Are there any geo modifiers that need to be considered?
As Google becomes more concerned with geo targeting search results, it’s important to consider whether a geo modifier is significant  to your campaign. For instance, a hospital located in Denver will not only have a much higher chance of ranking on a term like “Denver Hospital” rather than “Hospital”, but the traffic coming to the site will be much more likely to convert.

So as you can see, picking keywords for an SEO campaign is not a simple process, or at least not if you want the campaign to be a success. Put in the time and give it the proper analysis, and if you’re lucky, you’ll start seeing keywords in your sleep, just like I do.