Choosing The Right Keywords And Doing Competitive Analysis

At the heart of every SEO project are keywords. Keywords are what people type into a search engine when they want to find something. They can be single words, phrases or even questions. Every webmaster who wants their site to be found will note the importance of the right keywords. However, if you are completely new to SEO and have no idea how these keywords can benefit your site, this article will explain how.

Search engines such as Google, Bing! And Yahoo, will put a lot of focus on relevance for the end user. In the early days of the internet, the way people found things was through directories. Websites were categorised by content, location, services and other factors. They were to direct a user to the most useful sites as quickly as possible. Search engines work on the same principle but with more immediate results. A person types in a word, the search engine robots scan webpages for the most relevant content and display them all, starting with the pages the robots think are the most useful for the user.

The robots will look in different places for these keywords for clues on the overall content. Keywords are the most important things to address as they are the first place the robots will look. So choosing the ones that best describe your business or website is a task which requires a good bit of research and time. These keywords should be included in headings and titles on the pages, and also in the HTML code, specifically in the meta tag. Google will only take the time to scan the first 10 words or phrases (or 67 characters) that are listed in the meta tag so there is no room for error when choosing your keywords.

A keyword can be seen as a means of categorising your site. So obviously, the more relevant the keywords, then the more likely it will be that you will target the right traffic. Search engines place huge importance on this. Don't be tempted to fill your meta tags and page content with words you believe people type in the most despite having nothing to do with your site. Practices like this fall under Black Hat SEO, and can get your site banned from major search engines. In the case of Google, blacklisted sites are rarely allowed back.

One of the most beneficial ways of getting the right keywords is by performing competitive analysis. This involves looking at the competition in the same field of business and seeing their strengths and weaknesses. What you are looking for is a weakness that is common among all or most competitors, be it a product being overpriced or a service that isn't offered. When you have found these weaknesses, you can address them in your own business and focus the keywords on this. That way, you will draw the section of the market that isn't catered for.

This is only a short overview of the process overall. Competitive analysis can take weeks or even months to complete. It is a necessary part of business however and is not one which should be taken lightly.