For the next few weeks, we are going to do a series of SEO tips, designed for the small business owner to improve their own SEO. Check in each week for your Tuesday Tip: SEO SERIES.
For this week’s #tiptuesday, I’d like to discuss keywords. Keywords are the building blocks of your online marketing plan. The right keywords will send your digital marketing down the path of success, or cause it to veer wildly off course, so it’s important to choose wisely. They are incorporated into every page of website, your social media, your branding and inform you about your clientele.
Here are three guidelines for choosing the best keywords for your marketing.
1. Avoid industry jargon.
You know the technical terms for your business. Do your clientele? Probably not. Not only are clients unlikely to use technical terms, making them less relevant, it could even alienate your target market. Bring the cookies down to the lower shelf, and choose keywords in common language, even when they may not be as accurate or inclusive as you’d like.
2. Research your keywords.
Google releases specific metrics about search volume and competition there are crucial for choosing the best keywords. Search volume is the nation-wide, monthly count of how many users are searching for a keyword. Competition, or IAAT as its called, counts how many websites are attempting to rank for that term. The goal is to find keywords that have high search volume and low competition.
Don’t rely on your own knowledge or intuition here. Research the keywords and KNOW what terms your users are using to search for you or competitors.
3. Add geographical targets.
Location is relevant! Once you’ve chosen your keywords, append each one with a specific location or geographical area. For example, if you were using the keyword “Web Designer”, change it to “Web Designer in Frisco CO” or “Web Designer in Summit County CO” to add your location. This insures that your website won’t get lost in the abyss of the 1 billion plus websites out there.
Remember to start small and work in larger and larger geographical areas as your website and rankings improve. Don’t reach so high, that you don’t rank anywhere. If your business would like to rank nation-wide, you may need to find a niche via the keywords instead of the location.
Stay tuned for next week’s #TipTuesday: SEO Series about Title and Description tags, only the most important bits of hidden code on any web page (according to Google, that is).
