Internet Marketing 101- My Misconceptions Revealed Part IV
Today we’re wrapping up the four-part series on search engine optimization and the common misconceptions associated with SEO efforts. If you have not had a chance to read the previous posts in the series, you can start by going to Tuesday’s post.
Read on to learn one of the most common ways keywords are chosen and how this method can negatively affect search rankings for more important and profitable terms.
Misconception #3: Choosing keywords and phrases for which to target your optimization efforts is easy, simply pick some words related to your website and plug them in.
So, if you’re in the hotel business, choosing words like “hotel”, “hotels”, “vacation” and so forth should work, right? Wrong. But, I’ll get to that in a minute.
I once worked with a graphic designer that had me do this exact thing for a client. Just pick some words that describe the business and go with it. I didn’t know any better so I chose a handful of keywords that seemed relative to my client.
Suffice to say, that client is still not ranked.
What I’ve learned: Keywords and phrases that produce results are not chosen simply based on how they describe a business. User behavior and search volume are vital to a successful list of keywords and phrases.
There is an absolute method to establishing the right keyword list and phrases. Remember, though, that this is only part of the SEO equation. Keywords and phrases must be accompanied with proper coding on the back-end of the website, proper usability standards, links and SEO-focused web content.
From a user standpoint, relevant keywords are chosen based on how a user searches for a product or service. Businesses have to set aside their own assumptions and internal search terms and dig into user behavior.
In some arenas, a certain set of keywords and phrases is searched for in high volume (millions per day) which, in turn, creates a highly coveted set of keywords for businesses to use for ranking purposes. This also means that competition increases and those keywords with a high search volume may not be the right choice for all businesses.
For example, if you own a small boutique hotel in the Bahamas, getting ranked under the word “hotels” is a frivolous waste of time. Extraordinarily large businesses and large numbers of businesses are all fighting to get premium spots on search engine results pages (SERPS). And quite frankly, your small boutique hotel in the Bahamas won’t be what most people are looking for when searching for “hotels”, so the likelihood of getting ranked is almost nil.
Remember what I said at the very beginning of this series…Google is trying to provide the websites that are most likely what the user is looking for. So, with that in mind, you realize why your small boutique hotel would not likely get on the first page of Google for the term “hotel.” It’s just not the most relevant site for that broad topic.
Getting ranked under more specific terms like, “boutique island hotel” or “Bahama hotel,” both narrows the pool of businesses vying for that term and is also much more relevant to your business and it will ultimately serve your business better. The people who find you under that term will find what they are looking for, which will help improve your rankings and is good for your business.
There’s so much to know about the world of SEO and I’m sure I’ve only scratched the surface. Hopefully, telling you about some of my misconceptions has helped dispel similar ideas you may have had. Armed with a better knowledge of what works and what doesn’t when it comes to SEO will help you make better decisions for your business and your clients.
Our next series is on Search Engine Marketing (SEM). Learn what SEM is all about and the top misconceptions that can ultimately hinder a business and waste your money.
