Search Engine Optimization First Steps

There is an abundance of information out there on how to market products and services on the internet. In fact, probably the biggest seller on the internet is “how to market on the internet”.

However, with so much information it’s hard to know where to start. So, I’d like to address that very subject by pointing out some very important initial strategies.

The internet is growing fast and there is a lot of opportunity. But, what you need to know first, before you dive right in, is how much market share is available for what it is you sell. For example; if your business is a spa, you should be looking into how many people per month are search for spas in your area.

The reason is because most people, about 85% of them, use a search engine to find products and services. Therefore, the search phrases that they use and how many times they use them is very important information. This will help you determine whether the market you’re going after is big enough.

How do you find out how many people are looking for your products and services? There are some free tools but they are not nearly as beneficial as Wordtracker.

Wordtracker is an online subscription tool that allows you to see exactly how many people per day are searching for any particular keyword phrase. It also makes good suggestions on which keyword phrases you should be using based on your target market.

Just guessing at what keyword phrases people are using is less than good enough. Why not find out exactly?

What it does very well, aside from showing you how many people are searching for what it is you sell, is gives you a pretty good idea what your competition is doing. You see, for each keyword phrase that applies to your business, there are likely dozens if not hundreds of companies that are using the same keyword phrase.

Therefore, when you are working with Wordtracker you need to verify each keyword phrase by doing a competition search. That will give you a KEI rating or Keyword Effectiveness Index rating. This is the relationship between how many searches there are for a particular keyword phrase and how much competition there is for that phrase.

A general rule to follow if you’re just starting to build a web presence is to choose keyword phrases that have a KEI rating of 4 or more. I usually say in my seminars, “a KEI of 4 or more is worth playing for.”

Once you choose your keyword phrases there are a couple of basic rules that you should follow when placing them on your website. The first rule is; your website can have an unlimited number of keyword phrases. In fact, the more you use the better opportunity you have of attracting your targeted audience to you.
However, if your website can have unlimited number of keyword phrases, how many keyword phrases should one single page have? That’s the million dollar question!

And, the answer is; one or two. You see, if you use more than one or two keyword phrases per page then a search engine literally gets confused. I suggest that you write a significant amount of textual content about the keyword phrase and then insert that keyword phrase a several key places in the text.

How many times should you place the keyword phrase in your page? There are varying opinions but I will say this. Make sure you don’t stuff the page full of your keyword phrases. A search engine algorithm is a very powerful and sensitive thing. When you read you copy, make sure it’s clear and concise and make perfect sense.

The rules for placing your keyword phrases on your site is part of what we call on-site optimization. Next time, we’ll talk about other part of the formula and that’s off-site optimization or link popularity.