Creating an effective online web strategy starts by picking the right keywords.
There’s no ifs, ands or buts about it – choosing the right keywords is the first step towards creating a high-performing online web strategy that’ll get you found online.
And all of that starts with your keyword research.
Keywords are essential to creating a successful online marketing campaign. Your choice of keyword determines what keywords your website and content are geared towards getting you found for, as well as who your website is visited by.
You’ve had a look through your keyword data using Google Adwords or a free software such as WordTracker. You’ve found hundreds of potential keywords that you might rank for.
But how do you go about choosing the right keywords?
Online marketing essentials – what do people want when they type in a keyword?
For starters, the first thing you need to do is get rid of the words you know you can’t use. We’re talking about words that don’t have very much to do with what you are selling, or for services you don’t offer anymore.
As an online marketing company we often see people attracted to keywords with good statistics that aren’t quite right for their product or service.
Just because a word has good metrics does not mean that it is a word you should target.
For example, if you were marketing yourself as a content writer, your SEO research might suggest ‘typewriter’.
If somebody types in typewriter and they find your website advertising you as a content writer, chances are they’re going to click away immediately.
They don’t want a content writer – they want a typewriter.
Another great example: imagine you run a haberdashery. Searches like “cheap shoes Melbourne” are completely irrelevant – by contrast however, “shoelace store Melbourne” might be closer to what your shop offers.
Once you’ve weeded out these words, you can start looking at the numbers.
Make sure you don’t make the mistake of targeting words with good statistics that don’t relate to your work!
By the numbers: what to look at when performing keyword research
So you’ve got all the keyword data in front of you. The problem? You can’t tell heads from tails.
We don’t plame you – trying to understand everything that’s on the report can be intimidating, to say the least.
Your spreadsheet will be full of numbers and words – what does it mean, and which ones of these numbers represent “good” keywords?
When it comes to online marketing, there are two important numbers you’ll need to pay attention to:
- Search frequency – how many people search for this particular combination of words
- Keyword competition – how many other websites are competing for that keyword
To have the greatest chance of success, you want to focus on words that have a high search rate and low competition.
Now, we aren’t saying that you can’t go after keywords with a super high search rate and high competition – these might be perfect for you business, after all.
What are long tail searches, and why are they essential to your online web strategy?
Here’s an example: say you’re a sparkie. You’d think the search term “electrician” would be an absolute goldmine for site visits and clicks.
The problem is that it’s too broad – people searching that mightn’t be looking for electrical services at all. They might be looking for the history of the profession, for example. Alternatively, they could be looking at the requirements for becoming a licensed electrician.
Not to mention, the competition is insane – 164 million different results!
Okay, so let’s add “Melbourne” to the end to turn it into “electrician Melbourne”.
Immediately, the amount of competition drops from 164 million results to 9.3 million results. Much better, and people searching for this are much more likely to be in the market for a sparkie.
Of course, 9.3 million is still a big number – not to mention, you’ll be getting searchers from all over Melbourne. If you’re based in Craigieburn, someone in Dandenong isn’t really in your service area!
Rather, what we suggest is that these particular keywords be looked at as long-term goals.
That’s because ranking for these searches is considerably harder than high-volume, low-competition searches. You’ll have more sites to compete against, and therefore, a lower chance of ranking.
In many cases, chasing after high-volume, low-search keywords can gradually build your site credibility to the point where you start ranking for high-volume, high-credibility searches anyway!
Can we narrow it down further?
Yes – and that’s exactly what long tail keywords are all about!
A long tail keyword is an extremely specific phrase that directly targets exactly what it is you are trying to sell. Each time you extend the search and get more specific, you’re lengthening the “tail”.
Furthermore, this has the effect of narrowing the field considerably, lowering the amount of competition.
Certain tails are also much more likely to result in clicks and leads for your business too. For example, if somebody has searched “emergency pipe repair Brighton”, chances are extremely high that they’re in the market for a plumber!
While there may be a lower overall search rates for a long tail keyword search, we guarantee you have a much higher chance of being found by potential customers who are looking for exactly what you’re selling.
In essence – it might have a lower search rate but it is perfect for your online marketing campaign because it has higher customer retention possibilities for you.
The bottom line is that long tail keywords are essential to an effective online marketing strategy. The directly target your exact clientele.
Hire the online web experts to help you with your keywords
A good SEO strategy starts with choosing the right keywords.
Luckily for you, iformat’s online marketing experts can help you with that!
We take care of every aspect of your online presence, offering complete the SEO research for you, help you select the right keywords and incorporate them masterfully into your website.
We can deliver a lot more than just keyword optimisation, though – our online marketing team can also assist you with:
- Business assessment
- Search engine optimisation
- Website structure
- Web design
- PPC Advertising
- Sales conversion techniques
- Content strategy
- Online marketing
We will turn your website into a 24 hour marketing team – and let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want that?
If you’re interested in finding out more about what we can do for you – you contact us by giving our team a call on 1300 88 64 50.