Using the right keywords for your site increases the chances your web pages will land in the first page pf a search return. Unfortunately, website developers and business owners search-optimizing their online presence often make the mistake of defining their keywords simply based on what they associate their products with. It doesn't always work. Why? Because keywords are what customers use when searching for what they need, not what you think your products or services mean. In short, you need to do more relevant research on your keywords and even use keyword optimizing tools to fine-tune your research.
Long Tail Keywords
Finding the right keywords gets a bit more challenging when it comes to narrowing down a search for long-tail keywords. These are 3+ word strings or phrases that your customer might use to get a more focused product search. For instance, both "budget cellphone in Dallas for 2013" and "best Verizon budget cellphone 2013" are long tail keywords that derive from the theme keyword "cellphone." Targeting "cellphone" gets millions of searches on Google each month. But when you search the term, you get 59 million websites in a search result. You don't want to compete with that many websites and expect to be #1 among 59 million other sites many of which are also search-optimizing their pages.
But when you plug "best Verizon budget cellphone 2013" in a Google search, the return is reduced to 7.3 million. That's still a lot to compete with, but represents a significant narrowing that gives you better chances of landing in the first page search result. The main point to consider in long tail keywords is that they are just part, albeit a critical one, of any SEO effort. With several of your webpages, including blogs and content in e-zines optimized for your long tail keyword, your optimization efforts add up week after week and eventually land you on the first page. Also bear in mind that your homepage need not land on the search return. Your inner web pages might land there well ahead of your homepage. It all depends on how the inner pages use your keywords so that subject topic being searched could be better served by your inner pages.
Software tools that optimize your keyword research
There are a number of online software tools you can use such as the Google Adwords Keyword Tool which is one of the most popular keyword research tools used by only marketers to generate targeted traffic to their websites. It's a free tool on the side. What it does best is provide a list of top long tail keywords that matches your theme keyword based on its extensive database of search query information only Google has as the largest search engine on the planet. However, this advantage is watered down since you won't be able to leverage on what other search engines have which 3rd party non-Google owned keyword optimizers enjoy. In addition, there can be literally thousands of these keyword suggestions that are often inaccurate and require a lot of filtering. You're pretty much on your own to narrow down and choose the most suitable for your site.
It is here where some of the more competent keyword optimizing tools can automate the process to arrive at a precise keyword targeting following the four golden rules in keyword optimization - Relevance, Traffic, Competition, and Commerciality. The Google Keyword tool can best be used as your starting point and Master Samurai can pull an initial list of keywords from it. Then its applies PBR (Phrase to Broad Match) and SEOT (SEO Traffic) relevancy filters to remove any misleading or irrelevant keywords and shorten the list to a few, down to the top ten keywords that are used by the top ranking websites in the industry where your product or service belongs. These are the websites you will want to beat and you can use some of the keywords they use to kick-start your SEO effort.
Conclusion
The only drawback is that these tools, at least the better ones, do not come for free, though often offered with a one-month free trial so you can check out first hand what it can do that the Google Adwords Keyword tool can't. But consider their modest price tags, often ranging from $150 to $250 as a small investment in making your SEO initiatives start off on the right direction, easily and with more confidence. Keyword optimization is the first step in any SEO effort. Do it wrong and all your subsequent SEO efforts will surely fail. But not with a competent Keyword optimizing tool at your side.
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