Keywords: Their Importance In SEO

Keywords form one of the most important aspects of search engine optimisation; if you get this wrong, you will waste a lot of time, money and effort.

Keywords are the search terms that users of the internet type into a search engine such as Google, Yahoo, MSN when looking for a particular product, service or information.

Search Engines index these 'keywords' so that when a user types in a keyword, the Search Engines will list the most relevant search results related to that query.

Which Keywords Should Be Used?

The key to ranking in search engine lists is relevancy. If keywords in your copy match the keywords used in the search, then your website page is relevant to the results and will (with other factors in place) be returned in the search results.

Choosing keywords for your optimisation depends on a number of factors, including:

Your business and industry use key words that you know should be used when searching for your products and services. As such, the company's input is essential to the keyword phrases used on the website.

Your customers and the people who use your products and services will likely use different keywords and phrases to your company. It is important to know what these are and be able to rank their importance, so they can be incorporated into the search engine optimisation (SEO) process.

Some industries use generic keywords which are very popular, e.g. business insurance, and getting on Page 1 for this term will take a lot of work and time. Using more specific but less popular phrases will mean less people will use it to search for your products and services; however you are likely to rank highly in the search results and it will generate more targeted traffic to your website.

Where Are Keywords Used In The Optimisation Process?

There are four areas keywords and phrases are used for maximum effect;

On the website pages in the metatags - title, keywords, description; these are not seen in a browser window but are ‘read’ by the search engines.
In online articles, blogs and press releases. Keywords used in these articles (especially if used as anchor text in links back to your website) help optimise your website and help guide more traffic to your website. (It will be useful to look at social media and public relations (PR).)
They are used in link building programmes, where specific links and keywords are directed back to your website from other relevant sites.
Used in Pay Per Click (PPC) Marketing; in fact carrying out PPC often helps to hone the keywords and phrases used in optimisation.

The choosing of keywords and key phrases is both a strategic and tactical process and their use is just one part of a good programme of search engine optimisation (SEO). Get it wrong and it will all be wrong.