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Step 2 - Importance of Keywords
In the realm of SEO, it’s all about the keywords that you purposely and carefully choose to target. As mentioned in the previous step, keywords are the terms people type into the search box.
Let's do an example where we'll type in the keyword "music downloads." On the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) shown below, a person will quickly scan for relevance and is most likely to click on the organic search result or paid search listing that contains this very same keyword "music downloads" or one that is highly similar to it.
We've circled the "music downloads" in red (not in every location in this sample page) to show you the different places where it appears. For the sake of review, at the very top and right-hand side of the results page, you have Paid Search listings (Sponsored Links). This is totally distinct from the Non-Paid Search (Organic) results - starting with the result Free MP3 music downloads.
Just below the top two sponsored links, you'll find news results which are articles including the keyword "music downloads" from Google News. Notice in the organic results how "music downloads" is in bold in the title, description, and website address (URL which is green). We'll talk later about how to include your keywords in page titles and write pithy marketing messages in the descriptions.
 Which keywords do people use to find your site?
We’ll direct you to the best keyword research tools that will not only tell you which keywords your target audience uses most frequently but also will give you an estimation of how difficult it will be to rank for that keyword.
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Your proficiency at keyword research is one skill, as part of this entire EndoSEO.com SEO skill set, which will pay huge dividends for you. |
Most people guess at which keywords to use, do some cursory inspection, and do not even know much about the actual keyword tool they’re using. If you’re looking for below-average to average results, then you’ll get just that when you do keyword research in this manner.
But for high rankings, more conversions, more sales, and higher profit margins, it begins and ends with your ability to pinpoint the right keywords and leverage them wisely throughout your entire SEO and Paid Search campaigns. More...
 Use several tools to research your target keywords:
We believe that a balanced, diversified approach to keyword selection is much better than a one-dimensional attack. Think about using at least three keyword research tools so that you can pick up on trends and use the info drawn from different databases.
The right tools will help you estimate how many searches will be performed for a given keyword, related keywords, common misspellings, and even how difficult it will be to rank for any given keyword. More...
 Not a single keyword tool is perfect:
Wordtracker was one of the original keyword tools out there for SEOs and PPC marketers until a slew of keyword expansion tools burst onto the scene in 2006. Since then, many have criticized the shortcomings of the tool by saying that their sources of data yield inaccurate traffic estimates, insufficient data for long tail keywords, and omissions of some high search volume keywords.
Look, no keyword research tool is flawless and there's not a single tool out there that will do all of the work for you.
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It's up to you to train yourself to be a clever, diligent researcher who knows how to manage and wield multiple keyword tools effectively to make sound judgments. |
Keep in mind that the main objective of Step 2 is to decide on and get equipped with the keyword research tools that match your level of SEO experience. More...
 Our Top 10 List of Free Keyword Tools:
1. Wordtracker keyword tool
2. Keyword Discovery tool
3. Google AdWords free keyword tool
4. Download Keyword Pad
5. Google's Traffic Estimator
6. Google's search-based keyword tool
7. Google Insights for Search
8. Google Trends
9. Wordpot's free keyword finder
10. Microsoft's Keyword Forecast
 Experiment with your keyword tools:
Ok, so you've got your tools of choice and now it's time to start experimenting with their features, while investigating some basic and broad search terms appropriate to your business.
Use this time to get a very rough idea of around 10 keywords you'd like to optimize for your site. More...
 See which keywords your competitors are targeting:
The ins and outs of real keyword research, i.e. how to make strategic keyword selections, will come after your survey of the competition. We’ll now show you some quick tips on how to glean what your competitors are doing, vis-á-vis SEO, and use this knowledge to eventually dominate your niche.
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