Keywords

Key phrases are the very foundation of search. When a user enters a query on a search engine, they use the words that they think are relevant to their search. The search engine then returns those pages it believes are most relevant to the words the searcher used.

Keywords, Key phrase Key terms…?

Key phrases are made up of keywords and key search terms means the same thing as key phrases. Really, you can use whatever comes naturally to you and often you will see these terms use interchangeably. But it is helpful to recognize that keywords can equate a string of words together that form an inquiry: such as, “where to find used books in Vienna” or ” best place to eat Pho in Vancouver”.

Search engines have built a sophisticated understanding of semantics and the way we use language. So, if a user searches for “car rental,” the search engine will look for pages that are relevant to “car rental” as well as possibly “car hire,” “vehicle hire,” and so forth. Search engines have also built up knowledge around common misspellings and synonyms and common related searches so as to try to return the best results for a user.

Because of this, it is crucial that Web sites contain content with keywords that are likely to be used by their target audience. Web sites need to appear when their potential customers are searching for them.

As a Web site owner, or the marketer for a Web site, we need to build a list of some of the terms our potential customers are likely to use to find the things we are offering. A big part of keyword research is understanding search psychology. When we build our key phrase or keyword list, we are tapping into the mental process of searchers and putting together the right mix of keywords to target.

There are four things to consider when choosing a keyword:

1. Search volume. How many searchers are using that phrase to find what they want? For example, there is an estimated monthly search volume of over two million for the keyword “hotel” but an estimated 385 searches per month for a keyword like “Cape Town waterfront hotel.”
2. Competition. How many other Web sites out there are targeting that same phrase? For example, Google finds over 611,000,000 results for “hotel” but only 14,800 for “Cape Town Waterfront Hotel.”
3. Propensity to convert. What is the likelihood that the searcher using that key phrase is going to convert on your site? A conversion is a desired action taken by the visitor to your Web site. Related to propensity to convert is the relevance of the selected term to what you are offering. If you are selling rooms at a hotel at the V&A Waterfront, which of the two terms (“hotel” and “Cape Town Waterfront hotel”) do you think will lead to more conversions?
4. Value per conversion. What is the average value per prospect attracted by the keyword? Depending on the nature of your Web site, the average value per lead varies. Using the hotel example again, consider these two terms: “luxury Cape Town hotel” and “budget Cape Town hotel.” Both are terms used by someone looking to book a hotel in Cape Town, but it is likely that someone looking for a luxury hotel is intending to spend more. That means that particular lead has a higher value, particularly if you have a hotel-booking Web site that offers a range of accommodation.

Keyword Research

How do you know where to start on building your keyword list? It requires a little thought and a fair amount of research using tools that are readily available to help you both grow and refine your list of keywords.

Bearing in mind the factors that make a good keyword, you need to aim for the right mix of keywords. Low-volume terms, with low levels of competition, may be a good way to get traffic in the short term, but don’t be scared off by high levels of competition in the high-value, high-volume areas. It might take longer to get there, but once there, the revenue can make it all worthwhile.

It is also a good idea to create a spreadsheet of the list of keywords, where you can also store information relevant to that keyword. The table above provides a sample of the kind of information worth storing for each keyword. Notice the different between search volume and propensity to convert: what does this information indicate about the kinds of search terms you should use to optimize your web site?

Videos

Keyword Research