Home Decorating

1. Google AdWords Keyword External Tool- We may as well start here, as this is what most people know. It is a terrific resource for starting your keyword search and even more valuable if you utilize it correctly. To take advantage of this tool, sign in from your AdWords account when performing searches. (If you don’t have one, sign up for one!) This enables you to have far more searches returned to you when you do a search. If you don’t have an account, or simply choose not to sign in, you are limited to 200 keyword phrases per search. Sign in, and you get many, many more!

2. Google SKTool – This is their search keyword tool, and it is located directly under the search box on a Google start page and is labeled “Sktool.”. It returns much the same data returned in an AdWords tool search but is based on the search box, making it a bit more convenient.

3. Google Wonder Wheel – Located in the left sidebar of a search results page, the Wonder Wheel is a unique beast. It provides a visual relationship between the keywords they are returning and the keywords that you are considering. This can be a good clue about how Google sees the relationship and relevance within the collection of search terms, which can be useful information when designing your site’s architecture. Knowing how to silo your keywords the way Google sees them could result in better rankings.

4. Related Searches – This is a list of related terms that people who are searching for your term also search for, and it is located as a list of ten keyword phrases at the bottom of a search results page. This can be a very useful list to not only make use of but to also search laterally within these terms. You can find some gems this way.

5. Google Suggest – This useful function within the search box brings back ten suggestions based on the term you are typing in. You will see it appear as you type. This can be a terrific tool for expanding your list, as you can easily expand your universe of keyword phrases. As an experiment with this, enter the main keyword “diet,” add a space, and type the letter “a.” You’ll get ten suggestions. Backspace over the “a” and type in “b,” and you’ll get ten more such as “diet breakfast.” Just meandering through the alphabet with this will get you 260 keyword phrases that Google itself feels are relevant!

6. Google Trends – This tool has been very popular since its inception. It helps you to instantly gauge the popularity and any seasonal or news-driven traffic trends in your chosen keywords. Very good information to possess!

Keyword selection will vary widely. Depending on the website type that is requires. Sites that are static and that are not driven by any database have a limit on the number of keywords that can be included. On the other hand database driven websites that are dynamic allow optimization efforts using keywords in unlimited numbers. If a new website is created then you should determine the specific number of keywords that are needed before creating the site. This allows you to plan the site architecture to meet your needs instead of the other way around.

Keyword selection starts with a session of brainstorming and you will need to write down each idea as it occurs. Once you have created the initial list of possibilities it is time to start crossing some off. Three important things to remember when doing this are:

. Longer keyword phrases are usually much easier to rank highly with
. A large number of the search engines do not include word stemming capabilities
. Most search engine searches are entered into the search bar using all lower case letters

Keyword Selection Tools Available

There are a number of keyword selection tools available that can help you develop effective keywords. Keyword development is one of the most important aspects of SEO, because the keywords used can make all the difference. Some tools available for this purpose are free while others may have a small cost involved. A few of the best keyword selection tools are listed below:

. Google AdWords Keyword Suggestion Tool- This is a tool offered by Google and is designed so that AdWords advertisers can determine the most effective keywords for a specific website. You simply enter a keyword and this tool will give you a list of related keyword suggestions that you can use. Unlike some of the other tools this one will not show you how often a search is made for a keyword or phrase though.

. Overture Search Term Suggestion Tool- This tool allows you to locate new keywords for a website and also shows the frequency for searches that contain the targeted keywords and phrases. All you have to do is enter the keyword or phrase in the tool search box and then hit the enter key. The tool will tell you how many times this keyword was used in searches for the allowed time period. The tool also provides suggested keywords that are relevant as well.

. Search Engine Keyword Suggestions- A lot of the directories and popular search engines offer keyword suggestions when you perform a search. Not all search engines offer this but the most commonly used search engines will. MSN, Yahoo, and many others will offer related keywords as suggestions when you run a search, and these suggestions can help you with your keyword development strategy.

Find your keywords then build your site
Ideally you would research your keywords as you build your brand and purchase a keyword rich domain (this still does have a big impact on ranking). If you can focus on which keywords you will target and then build your site architecture around that your site will be built on solid foundations. Don’t worry if you already have a site that needs improving, keyword research is a constant process for best results.

Keywords can improve your business by:

Uncovering opportunities within your market place
Suggesting titles for articles
Relevant site content ideas
Bolt on services to consider
Themes for viral marketing campaigns
Titles for ebooks and downloads

#1 Brainstorm a raw keyword list
Get down as many words based on your business theme as you can, keep writing till you have exhausted all thoughts. Tips for brainstorming:

Use a thesaurus
Inspect competitors sites (use the google keyword tool)
Get in your customers head and think what they would be looking for
Consider localised spellings
Common search phrases include: how to, best of, buy, review
Use the google suggest tool in the search box

#2 Using keyword research tools
The only tool you really need is google keyword. Unless you are an affiliate marketer looking out for niche opportunities and conducting hours of research to find golden keywords you only need free tools. When using google keyword it’s best to check the [exact] match box on the left so that your results are based on exact keyword matches. Also consider your location and whether global or local searches are more relevant to your type of business.

Run your keyword ideas through google trends: look for upward trends to make sure your market is sustainable. Also check for seasonal spikes in search so you can be ready for high sales periods. Conduct a quick run through the free keyword tracker tool to look for any phrases you may have missed. Ignore the figure data on this tool as it is highly unreliable.

#3 Filter your keyword list
Once you have your raw list you need to filter down to find the buying keywords. Run through your list in the google tool and look for searches between two and twenty thousand, check the CPC value and look for high numbers. A high CPC signifies a keyword that has strong bidding; a keyword only has strong bidding if it converts well to sales and is worth having. This is the hardest part of the process trying to find the phrases worth targeting; refining your keyword list takes a bit of intuition, creativity and time to check data. Remember to look for words that a potential buyer would use at the point of purchase: high traffic is not success; traffic that converts to sale is success.

#4 How to use your keywords on your site
Once you have a defined list with one or two overall theme keywords apply them to:

Meta titles
Meta tags
Meat descriptions
Anchor text
Alt tags

Apply to every single page. Ensure that on a single page the tags, titles and descriptions etc are consistent. Stick to one or two keywords per page.

Aim for 250 to 500 words per page for content, insert your keywords in the first sentence and paragraph but don’t over stuff. Keyword density used to be a real hot topic but is not an SEO technique today: quality writing counts.

On each page use a H1 tag at the top with your keyword. Any H tags should be in sequence order down the page: H1, H2, H3 etc (you don’t have to use all H tags, H1 is the only important one). Break up your copy with bold subheadings, use the keywords in these. Again don’t over stuff just for the sake of it, your copy needs to be readable. Quality first. Continually assess and research your list to make sure you are targeting the right words/phrases.