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Increase Web Traffic with Keywords

© Dianna Huff

One question I'm asked frequently is how to write "effective" Web content. The answer, of course, is "it depends" -- that is, what is it you want people to do once they get to your Web site?

But let's go one step back. What if you wrote "effective" content but no one could find your site when doing an online search?

Simply put, if purchasers can't find your site when doing searches, you're losing sales to your competition. Yet, according to unscientific, anecdotal research (mine), some companies still think it doesn't matter if purchasers can't find them on the Web.

How wrong this is. According to a recent Thomas Register survey of over 700,000 opt-in users, at least 21% of B-to-B companies are sourcing purchases online.

In fact, according to a recent MarketingSherpa survey, 69.9% of respondents said they click on organic listings, not the paid ads. (This number increases to 76.7% for Google uses, Google being the #1 search engine for B-to-B prospects, according to the survey.)

In order to "come up" in a search on Google or Yahoo, your site needs to be optimized. A number of elements go into search engine optimization (SEO), but for now, let's stick with keywords or search phrases. Keywords are those words and phrases prospects use to find your company and its products when doing a search - hence, they are the foundation of your SEO strategy.

Keywords are found in a site's meta page titles and overall content - and are read and indexed by search engines. Use the "wrong" keywords, and no one will find you. Use the "right" keywords, and you'll significantly increase traffic.

The following strategies can help you develop a list of keywords and search phrases that you can then plug in once you start writing your site's content:

• Think outside the box: Scour your competitors' sites to see which search phrases they're using (usually found in the source code). Use tools like Wordtracker and Overture's Keyword Selector Tool for lists of words you may be missing.
• Use multiple word phrases: Research has shown that online searchers use two and three word phrases versus single words. Instead of using the generic term, "networks," for example, consider multiple word phrases such as "managed network services," "computer network security," and "network security."
• Don't rule out less popular search phrases: Overture's nifty Keyword Selector Tool tells you how many people searched a given word or phrase in the last month. Less frequently searched terms can sometimes work in your favor because they tend to draw more qualified prospects.