What is keyword analysis and why is it important?
Well, quite simply it’s the analysis or keywords, well duh. But seriously if you remember in the first chapter we talked about keywords or phrases, which are the words an internet surfer uses when looking for a product, service or website in a search engine.
They type these keywords or phrases into the search box of the search engine, and the search engine spiders then crawl through their database and list all relevant websites in the most relevant order.
Keyword analysis can break down into two areas of concern for you the would-be internet marketer.
- An analysis of the keywords or phrases that your potential customers may type in to find a website like yours.
- An analysis of the keywords on your website and in the back end of your site to see how they relate to the keywords your potential customers will use.
Understanding this process and getting it right can be crucial to your website success.
The first step in this is a simple research strategy whereby you look at the competition and the keywords that they are using or that they come up under and start making yourself a list.
There are keyword suggestion tools out on the web that can be quite useful in finding keywords to use. As well as keyword popularity tools that will tell you the most popular keywords used and the average search volumes there are for these each month.
Knowing what the most popular search terms and words are will tell you where you should be aiming your keywords. If your market is a particularly vibrant and competitive market then you may look at the less obvious keywords or misspelt versions of those keywords that the bigger players may not have thought of to gain a market edge. Remember the internet is a fast-paced environment where the searcher does not always have time or worry about the correct spelling or search term.
If you are going to use a term that is less obvious try and think out the box slightly, maybe you will use slang terms or specialist terms so that you stand out. Try and look out for where the competition has missed a trick.
Another good trick is to look at getting regional coverage first and national and international coverage second. By making your keyword phrases geographical you may find that you become the biggest player in your given area and you may leapfrog some of the more established companies in the area.
There are no wrong or right keywords there are only keywords that relate to you. Try to keep the keywords related to your product or service if your site comes up under a search term that has nothing to do with what you have to offer the user will leave quicker than they arrived.
A keyword analysis is also a very important part of your AdWords or pay per click campaigns so bear this in mind when preparing a campaign. You can find very useful tools that will give you an idea of good and strong keywords to use both in your advertising and on your website. In Google Adwords, there is a very simple easy to use tool for this.
I will go much deeper into keyword analysis and optimisation in future articles as we move from the basics into the more advanced areas of digital and behavioural marketing.
----------------------------
Want more? More articles on digital marketing, SEO, and search engine marketing are below. Maybe some SEO hacking advice coming soon
Get Management Buy-in for Digital Marketing
Keyword and keyphrase optimisation
Programmatic Advertising with Consumer Insight
The changing digital economy
Changing the world with digital marketing
Digital Marketing what is it?
Understanding the internet; stepping into digital ecosystems
Do you have a marketable idea!?!
Managing Digital Marketing a Guide – 101 basic level – intro
You need a website or blog ideally!
Website Design Basics / Usability
Website Design Basics / Mobile Usability
Website Design Basics / Keyword analysis
Website Design Basics / Website optimisation
Any time for a POEM in your digital marketing strategic planning?
Search Engine Marketing & SEO
Content Marketing: it's important but is it still king?
Data Structure and SEO
Offsite optimisation and of signals about your website
Public Relations and Search Engine Optimisation: Friends or Foe
Blogging Advice for New Starters
What can Affiliate Marketing bring your business or cause?
4 Secrets to Article Marketing: Series Marketing Your Cause
9 Article Marketing Tips: Series Marketing Your Cause
A Return on Your Investment and More with Article Marketing: Series Marketing Your Cause
An Overview of the Concept behind RSS Feeds
Article Marketing Is Important: Series Marketing Your Cause
Article Marketing: It is Good to End With a Resource Box: Series Marketing Your Cause
-----------
