keywords: research & optimization

Presented by Karen PorterUM School of Business Administration& ImpactOnlineMarketing.com

Keywords: Research & Optimization

Fall 2013 ImpactOnlineMarketing.com

Welcome to This SELL Course!

About the course About your instructor Course resources

ImpactOnlineMarketing/sell-keywords Karen’s contact:

[email protected] (406) 529-8931

About you!


Keywords – Foundation of the Web

Keywords are how everything online gets found Keywords are string of words entered by

searchers into a search engine’s search bar Can be a single word, 2-3 words, or even more This entire string of words is referred to as a “keyword” Long keywords (4+ words) are referred to as

“long tail” keywords The more detailed the keyword:

The lower the search volume The more precise the targeting and ability to match needs


Getting Ranked (and Found) Online

On-site (on-page) – how keywords are used on the web page itself (we will focus here)

Linking – quantity and importance of links coming into a site (called inbound linking)

Social signals – how important is the site to those who visit


Focus Today Primarily on Google

Here’s Why: 2013 Search Volume Stats Google 67%

Bing 17%

Yahoo 12%

4% AOL, Ask, others


Google SEO Algorithms: Changes Over Time Originally weighted primarily on on-page SEO

Very easy rank Very little competition Search engines very unsophisticated

Move to emphasize linking too (50/50) See as impartial “voting” for a site’s / page’s importance

Addition of social signals (40/40/20) More difficult to “cheat” – relies on end users to validate

Movement more toward social (weight unknown)Fall 2013 ImpactOnlineMarketing.com

Keywords: The Foundation of SEO

What makes a “excellent” keyword – one worth optimizing? Enough search activity to drive sufficient traffic to site

-Or- small search from a lot of “long tail” keywords

- and - Not too much competition (is there a chance to move

onto the first page of Google?) Long tail keywords generally much easier to rank for


Keyword Research

Step 1: Determine search volume for variouskeywords relevant to your business, topic, niche

Step 2: Determine amount of competition you face for the keywords you would ideally like to rank for

Then: Incorporate the most promising keywords into your site


Step 1:Determine Keyword Search Volume

Use Google Keyword Planner Must open an Adwords account to use the

Keyword Planner (no spending necessary) Only use EXACT match to explore Look at search volume column only (ignore

competition and Adwords columns) Which words have most search volume?


Keyword Match Type

Only use EXACT match to explore keywords Exact match = tennis shoes Phrase match = tennis shoes for women –or-

blue tennis shoes size 9 Broad match = shoes for tennis –or-

tennis rackets and shoes Keywords must be compared “apples to apples” Google Keyword Planner delivers Exact Match results Other tools may offer a Match Type option


Keyword Example: “visit montana”


Researching “Local” Keywords

Usually not enough volume in smaller markets like Missoula to get accurate results

Use a similar larger market and do your search in that market to determine search trends Observe search tendencies and apply volume

trending data to Missoula (we’re assuming it will apply) Keep in mind this is not precise keyword research, but

it can still provide you with very valuable direction


Class Exercise

Write down several keywords you assume are being used to search for your business or products


Participant Examples


Live searches and discussion

Determine Strength of Competition

Install MozBar on Firefox or Chrome Monitor bars under each site listed on the

first page of Google DA = Domain Authority PA = Page Authority Look for results that have both DA and PA

= or < than 40 If two or more results meet this criteria, good

chance of getting ranked on page one of Google(assuming you use best practices of SEO)


Using MozBar (Firefox & Chrome) Search Google for “install Mozbar” Will deliver PA and DA results for each result on the

first page of Google (BOTH must be = or < 40) Need 2 or more qualifiers from 10 results on 1st page


Participant Examples


Live searches and discussion

On-Page Elements of SEO-or- What to Do with Keywords


Meta tags (fields in code specifically added for search engines) Title tag (meta title) MOST important – by far Description field important as verbiage in Google /

search engine results Meta keywords NOT important at all Title tag and description used in Google results Example for keyword: Missoula Italian restaurant

On-Page Elements of SEO (cont.)


Page title (headline on website page) – different than the Meta Title TAG

H1, H2, H3 headers Page URL (www.sitename.com/keyword) Use of keyword in page content (1-2% density) Photo titles and alt tags

Inbound Links


Quality of inbound links more important than quantity Links from important sites provide credibility to yours

Large, well-respected sites Government sites (.gov) Education sites (.edu)

Links from link exchanges / low quality / brand new sites offer little value

Links from plethora of article sites, directory sites, etc. not helpful

Social Signals


Content shared socially from your website / blog Traffic from social sites into your website / blog Time on site / time on pages (Google Analytics) Page views (Google Analytics) Bounce rate (Google Analytics)

“Sleuthing” to Check Competitor SEO


What are your main competitive sites? Which sites own the first page of Google for your KWs?

Which keywords are they trying to optimize? What are they not doing well?

You can capitalize on things they are missing

After doing keyword research: Visit sites that are ranking well for your best keywords Visit those sites’ source code to “sleuth”

Sleuthing Source Code


On any website: In white space on page, do a right click > drop-down Select “View Source” or “View Page Source” option

If on Google, see clickable link (this is page’s Title Tag)

Keywords: for More Than Just Web Sites


Examples of Using Keywords on Social Sites

(Quick tips for getting found via keywords – and possibly ranked)

Facebook – keywords vital in short and long page descriptions

Linkedin – keyword use in summary and profile is how others will find you for your skills and expertise

YouTube – keyword use in channel name, video name, video description is critical to coming up in YouTube search (and in Google search)

Thank You!


It has been my pleasure to share with you!

Please visit the webpage for this course http://ImpactOnlineMarketing.com/sell-keywords

Visit the SELL page to see my upcoming courses http://umt.edu/ce/extended/noncredit/profdev/default.php

Share the new 20 week Online & Social Media Marketing certificate program offered January-May with anyone you know who may be interested

Offer course suggestions and provide feedback!

http://impactonlinemarketing.com/sell-keywords

http://umt.edu/ce/extended/noncredit/profdev/default.php

keywords: research & optimization

Documents

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