Keyword Optimisation

Keywords are the most important factor in Search Engine ranking. Keywords are the words around which you build your web pages and web site with the hope that when people search for these words, yours is the site that they will see in the top ranking results and click on.

Competition for keyword slots

If your web site is specialised then possibly you will find your web site will gain a high ranking regardless of you putting effort into keyword optimisation. Conversely if you decide to compete headon for very popular keywords, then you may regardless of effort find your site relegated to page 3 of the Search Results. It is a well documented fact that beyond the first page or two of results you are practically invisible so far as the ordinary searching web surfer is concerned.

Niche keywords

The recommended approach to this issue, it to combine your highly desired keywords with a keyword that will still be searched on in combination with the main keywords, but which has far less competition. The logic in essence is:

"Better to be best at one thing, rather than second best at a lot of things"

By being tops for an odd competition you will at least achieve that first page of Search Results a percentage of the time.

Deciding your keywords

Once you have decided your keywords and got into the process of optimisating your web pages, it is going to be hard to alter them. Hence this process should take up some considerable time and attention.

Customer Survey

We would recommend you take the time to survey potential customers, asking them in the most general terms possible what they would enter into a Search Engine to find your product? This needs to done with a lot of care, so as not to invalidate the feedback. e.g. you need to avoid saying what would you type to find "automatic fruit juicer" unless you want those same terms echoed back at you.

Analyse the keywords

Use a tool such as Good Key Words to check out which combination of possible keywords offers both popularity as a search term and shows the least possible competitions. Also consider that you need to actually use these keywords on your site, and use them a lot! So consider whether you have selected a combination you can really use?

Optimise your site

Finally get your keywords in close proximity in all of your relevent web pages, paying special attention to title and headers and all the other optimisation tips we have provided.