In response to a recent enquiry we had through our SEO Liverpool blog, today we’re looking at keyword research for existing websites.
Keyword research is arguably the most appropriate starting point for any search engine marketing consultant. We know that our Keywords direct the searcher to the website, therefore our primary aim is to create a list of keywords that a searcher would desire.
So how should we start to generate the list…
Identify The Websites Key-pages
We need to find the appropriate pages that a searcher would need to make a conversion or buy a product or service. Obviously the home page should always be treated as a key-page. I would always choose individual product pages and probably add a ‘convincer’ to that list e.g. testimonials, case-study or accreditation page.
Rough Keyword List
For each page, you should write a quick list of potential keywords. It’s always good practice to ask potential or existing customers, especially those with different persona’s. Remember it’s just a rough list based around the products or services and possibly locations so you may need to be clear on Geo-specifics e.g. SEO Liverpool, Search Engine Optimisation Manchester.
Different persona’s look like this e.g. If I was to buy a camera, I’d know the brand name and some basic features, a professional or hobbyist would know more technical information such as model numbers.
Quick tip – As a starting point find a competitors website, that ranks number well for your product or service. View their page source from your browser tab. Look for the keyword meta tag, as this should give you ideas relating to your keywords. As in the previous post, the title tag will have the most sought after keywords (shown at the top of the browser once you’ve opened the website).
<meta name=”keywords” content=”Sony Camera, Sony 4567×4, professional Sony camera cheap” />
Check Keyword Popularity
For this you’ll need either your own keyword software such as ‘Wordtracker’ or use the ‘free Adwords keyword tool’ (just type this into Google)
For the purpose of this post we’ll look at the free Adwords Tool.
- Insert your draft keywords into the ‘Word or Phrase’ box
- Un-check the following boxes, ‘Only show idea’s closely related to my search terms’ (This will generate other keywords that will be useful)
- Un-check ‘Broad’ under the ‘Match Types’ on the left hand side column (Otherwise you’ll include keywords, in any order and with extras – this is a problem)
- Check the ‘Exact’ box (Only shows the exact keywords in that order)
- Click the ‘Keyword ideas’ tab
You’ll then generate a list by selecting each keyword, which you can download.
Notes. high search volume and low competition is good, high search and high competition not so good. Keyword volumes under the ‘Local Monthly Search’ look at Google UK, but if you enter a Geo-specific, you’re laser targeting.
From this list we can generate suggestions and you’ll have the ability to drill down to find a lot more keywords around your products and services.
Export the results, arrange them in priority for each specific key-page. You’ll then have a solid draft list.