Most people know that Google and other search engines use keywords to help users find exactly what they’re searching for. What they don’t know is how to choose the keywords that will help users and help their businesses make a profit.
There’s a lot of competition on the internet for keyword rankings on search engines. You can’t just optimize your website for one or two keywords anymore. If you want to capture search traffic and increase your conversion rate, you need to use more specific keywords. Tweet This
In this blog, I’ll go over the kinds of keywords that can make you money, as well as the kinds of keywords that could waste your money.
Head Keywords vs. Long Tail Keywords
You may have heard these terms thrown about in an internet forum or from a slick salesperson. What’s the difference?
Head keywords are popular search terms that produce a high search volume. Tweet This Head keywords generally contain 11-25 characters. According to a study by Search Engine Watch, head keywords account for almost 60% of all impressions (the number of times a site URL appears in search results), clicks (a user visits your site by clicking on the link), and conversions (the visitor makes a purchase).
For example, if you own a restaurant in Tucson, the most relevant head keyword for your business would be “restaurant Tucson AZ” (16 characters). This keyword is vague enough that it would yield a high number of searches.
However, if you want your restaurant’s website to rank on the first page of search results, you will likely have to pay a lot in advertising costs. After all, this keyword is quite competitive, as there are a lot of restaurants in Tucson, that are presumably also targeting that keyword. Then once you’re on the first page, your business may not be what users are searching for, so you don’t make back your money in conversions.
A better strategy is to employ long tail keywords. These keywords are longer (usually 26-40 characters) and more specific. Long tail keywords account for 6% of clicks and 10% of conversions. This may sound like less compared with head keywords, but actually it’s a better bang for your buck. You receive more conversions (money in the bank) per visitor to your page. According to Search Engine Watch, long tail keywords are about 66% more profitable than head keywords.
Let’s go back to your restaurant in Tucson. If you choose a long tailed keyword that is more specific, you can expect a higher return on your investment. The keyword “Asian fusion restaurant Tucson AZ” (30 characters) may not yield as many searches, but you will experience a higher conversion rate.
Broad Match vs. Phrase Match
When you record which keywords you want Google and other search engines to recognize, two of the most effective choices are broad match or phrase match options.
Broad match signals to Google that you want search engines to include your website if users type in search terms that are slightly different than those you specifically defined. Variations include synonyms, related searches, misspellings, and reordered words. Tweet This
Choosing broad match keywords helps you shorten the time you spend building keyword lists. However, Google takes your decision into account. Broad match keywords can contribute to a lower quality score, and your website may not rank as highly as you want.
Phrase match indicates to Google that you want users to find your ad when they type the exact phrase or close variations of that phrase into a search engine. Google generally will not bring up your website as a search result if the user typed the search phrase in a different order.
You lose out on some search traffic by choosing phrase match, but Google considers this to be a higher quality score. Also, you can view a search terms report of what customers were searching for when they found your website. When you know what your customers are already searching for, you can make more money by optimizing your site to fit those keywords.
Get Optimizing!
Now that you know how to choose the right keywords for your business, start setting up an SEO strategy to take advantage of business available online. Potential customers are already searching for products or services your company offers. Wouldn’t you like them to find you?
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