SEO Keyword

Keyword Research is the Key to a Successful SEO Campaign

Original publish date: July 26, 2011 / 4:35 PM
Posted by: Maitreyee Brandon
Marketing Assistant Intern

SEO as a marketing tool has become a revelation for many companies. Business progression and clientele increases can be directly related to SEO campaigns. A great way to get your company website found on a search engine is to find common keywords that potential customers would search for. SEO can be hugely beneficial; but without the right keywords, it is very difficult to get an internet marketing campaign off the ground.

The best way to search for SEO keywords is to know your topic. The more specific your keyword is, the easier it will be for your company to capture rankings using that keyword. Most online browsers search for keywords that are short and very generic, which are called short tail keywords. Short tail keywords acquire more online browsers, but it’s difficult to crack the first page of a search engine results page (SERP) for short tail terms because these keywords have a high search volume and are extremely competitive. While owning a first-page SERP spot with a short tail term is a good goal, it is usually a better idea to attack long tail terms first.

Long tail keywords are usually more specific than short tails and they have less search volume, but this makes them much less competitive. The specificity of long tail keywords means you will be making your site available to those who are searching for your exact goods or services. Ranking for long tail terms is much easier than short tail, and commanding a large amount of long tail terms will give you a volume similar to one short tail term, which will add to your website’s SEO value.

Keywords for SEO are very important because they allow potential customers to easily find your website. If your web design, content writing and blogs contain keywords that have been located as SEO targets, it will be much easier for online browsers to find your site. Many companies are all competing to be on the first page of Google SERPs.  Some ways to move your company forward is to include SEO keywords on every page of your website and to have a web design that contains excellent code structuring.

Finding the right keywords takes a lot of dedicated research. If a company goes after keywords that are too generic for them to rank on, then valuable marketing dollars will be wasted. Adequate keyword research will paint a realistic picture of the SEO landscape a company faces. Using services like Google AdWords and Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns will help a company get a start on keyword research and get them on the path to first-page SERP rankings.