How to Know the Best Keywords for your Business

keywords foundationSEO starts with a foundation. It is from the foundation that we get to know where to build, what to build and how to build it. SEO is all about starting on the right foot with the right foundation. That foundation is held by keywords.

The Cornerstone

It is vital that you get your keywords right. Otherwise, all your SEO campaign is a big, epic fail. Imagine the loss if you’re building your marketing campaign on the wrong kind of market. You can’t sell designer shoes to the lower class. They just won’t buy – coz it’s just not in their best interest and budget to do so. The right marketing campaign needs to target the right market.

Go deeper. If you already know the right market, you need to know how that market thinks. Get inside your market’s head and adopt your customer’s mindset.

When choosing the right keywords, you have to make sure that:

  • The product/service/idea that you’re trying to sell to other people is enveloped in those keywords
  • People are really searching for those keywords
  • The competition for those keywords ain’t too tight
  • You can rank first page for those keywords

It’s all about Core Competency

Whenever I would target a keyword for one of my clients, I always ask them about their core competency. “What sets you apart from all your other competitors?”

This is a vital question to ask because it is what makes the company unique. It is also what would make your keywords a bit more unique so that it will be more focused on your target market.

A broader keyword doesn’t mean more sales

In fact, a broader keyword won’t get you much. If you’re targeting single keywords, it won’t do you much good unless you’re an information-packed website like wikipedia – in which case, you’re trying to define the word or give information about it.

But if you’re a company trying to sell an idea, product or a service, then you would want the right customers to be the one pouring in your website through their own search queries.

The more laser-focused your keyword is (meaning, the more specific the keywords are) the better. Because the people coming in your site would then be more focused too. Yes, it can mean fewer traffic – but are you after traffic or sales? Are you after the number of hits? Or the number of people who buy into your idea?

Different kinds of keywords

There are different kinds of keywords that you can choose from. These are the bits and pieces of data that you already have. You just have to pick from your menu as to how you’re going to use them and if they are what’s best for your type of business/website.

Searchability is key

How much search is a keyword getting per day? Per week? Or perhaps per month? You have to know the numbers. Otherwise, using the wrong bait. You can’t get the right fish with the wrong bait.

You have to make sure that the fish are looking for your bait – and that they’d bite. Your keywords should be searchable by your target market. It must have a good amount of target searches in order for it to drive traffic to your site.

Some tools that can help you study a keyword’s searchability in a certain period of time are Wordtracker and Wordze as well as Keywordspy.

Tips for Keeps: Make sure that you’re building on the right keywords. Take time to set the cornerstone of your SEO and internet marketing. Otherwise you’re just wasting time.

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Sean Si

About Sean

is a Filipino motivational speaker and a Leadership Speaker in the Philippines. He is the head honcho and editor-in-chief of SEO Hacker. He does SEO Services for companies in the Philippines and Abroad. Connect with him at Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter. Check out his new project, Aquascape Philippines.