The internet is a vast ocean of information, and search engines are the compass guiding users to their desired destination. The typical internet user, when in need of information, instinctively turns to a top search engine. They scan the first 30 results, rarely venturing beyond the first three pages. If they don't find what they're looking for, they tweak their search terms or switch to a different search engine. This behavior is common to approximately 86% of the 110 million internet users worldwide. The question is, does your website leverage this behavior to its advantage?
If your website is effectively optimized for search engines, users should be able to find you even when they weren't initially looking for you. This can lead to a significant increase in daily traffic to your site. Unfortunately, very few websites fully capitalize on this behavior. However, with the right strategies, you can learn how to do so.
For the purpose of this guide, let's assume you're in the business of selling wedding gowns. Your website showcases your products beautifully, but your web traffic is low and potential customers are struggling to find you. Despite your best efforts, your pages rarely appear in search engine results. What's the next step? Prepare to discover one of the most effective online marketing strategies: keyword optimization.
The first step in a user's search journey is to think of a keyword or phrase and type it into a search engine. This should also be your first step. Selecting the right keywords or keyword phrases can significantly boost your traffic. Research shows that most people use phrases of 2 to 3 keywords when searching, as single keywords often yield too many irrelevant results.
Your goal should be to compile a list of 50 or more keywords and phrases. This list should include every word a person might use to search for your site, as well as words they might use to search for related information or products. This task requires research and careful thought, as not all potential customers will think alike or even realize they can find wedding gowns online.
Brainstorm: Spend several minutes thinking and jotting down any keywords or phrases that come to mind. Then, review your list and create additional word combinations from your initial keywords.
Product and Service Analysis: Consider the names of each product or service you offer. These names should also be part of your keyword list.
Ask Others: Consult your family, associates, clients, and friends about the words and phrases they would likely use to search for your products or services.
Competitor Analysis: Examine the keywords your competitors use on their pages and in their meta tags.
Broaden Your Scope: Think of words that describe things related to your site's content. For example, if you sell wedding gowns, consider keywords related to weddings, such as honeymoon, bridal registry, wedding rings, engagements, and other wedding accessories and services.
Consider Misspellings: People often misspell words when entering search terms. Include commonly misspelled words or phrases in your list.
Geographical Relevance: If your business is region-specific, include that in your keyword list. For example, 'Los Angeles wedding gowns' if you sell wedding gowns in Los Angeles.
Use Different Word Forms: Include the long and short forms of words, e.g., consult, consulting, and consultants.
Avoid Spam: Do not use keywords that are unrelated to your website. This can lead to irrelevant traffic and potential penalties from search engines.
Research: Use tools like GoTo.com Keywords Inventory Search, SearchTerms.com, and SearchSpy to find out what people are actually searching for on various engines and add more phrases to your list.
Once you have your comprehensive keyword list, the next step is to use it to boost your search engine ranking. This process can be complex and time-consuming if done manually, but there are ways to automate it.
There are eight major search engines today - AltaVista, Excite, Infoseek, Lycos, HotBot, AOL Netfind, WebCrawler, and Northern Light. Each of these engines uses a unique mathematical formula to rank pages in their index. To rank highly on each engine, you need to create a separate web page optimized for each keyword or phrase on your list.
This strategy can significantly increase your qualified traffic. However, it requires creating about 300 or more finely tuned web pages. Fortunately, services like SearchPositioning.com can automatically generate these optimized pages for you.
Once your pages are ready, upload them to your web server and submit them to the search engines. Then, sit back and watch your traffic soar!
While there are other ways people find new sites, such as following links on other sites or hearing from friends, search engines remain a primary method, especially when actively seeking new information. By leveraging the power of search engines, you can become an empowered internet marketer. No other marketing method is as powerful, effective, and affordable.
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