10 Keys to Keyword List Development - Search Engine Optimization

There are certain SEO struggles most all businesses go through today, with varying degrees of success. Keyword Optimization has become an essential part of business, and it remains a difficult challenge for both owners, and the website designer they employ.

Like a right of passage, the spoils go to those who can pass, but the development of a keyword list is just the start of a process of continually testing and refining the list to yield the most sales.

The good news is, the proper use of keyword optimization is highly effective in generating business, and a solid strategy is well worth developing.



Every business interested in ranking on a Google search engine results page (SERP) tries to determine exactly which search terms are most important to their business.

Do my customers search for "car wash near me", or do they simply search for "auto detailing"?

To answer this critical question, the world of internet marketing has brought us a series of sophisticated ways to determine this list. We have various tools available that will help us find out what exact terms create the most traffic, and convert into the most business for a given company.

We can also see what terms work on a specific device, more easily optimizing keyword efforts for both desktop and mobile searches.

For example, "car wash near me", more mobile focus than "auto detailing" for instance, so you can optimize your locally optimized pages for these terms that are searched for through google maps.

So, lets get into the step by step procedure to your personal keyword mapping success story..

1) Brainstorm

There is a reason it took humanity up to 1997 to develop Deep Blue who beat chess champion Kasparov. so use your intellect, your intuition and knowledge about the industry to develop what you think is an exhaustive list of important keywords, both short and long-tail.

Although this sound simple, most stumble here and answer the wrong question.. the right question is not 'what we sell and how do we sell it', but rather 'how do people search the internet to find what we can offer"

So, develop a 'comprehensive' list of keywords you think people use to find your company in a google search. Include single words, two, three, up to six-word phrases, calling each a "keyword"

You will be surprised at how poorly you will be able to guess, and how inaccurate this will be when compared to the actual terms people use, but this is necessary work, as the goal is to find the few words that may be highly valuable, but missed by the automated process to follow.

2) Suggested and Related Keywords

In general, determine keywords related to the terms on your list with various tools available online.
I enter terms into a google search and look for the auto-suggested search terms that are most common, use ubersuggest Semrush's related keywords tool to add terms to the list.

There are many keyword tools available, and many being developed as we speak. Some free tools are all that most businesses need to do some solid research. Check out tools like https://serps.com/tools/keyword-research/



3) Keyword Traffic Volume - External Sources

There are various applications and services online to generate search volume for a given keyword, the favored one has probably changed since this post was written. I use a combination of Adwords Keyword Planner and SemRush. Use this data as one of the priority ranking factors.



4) Keyword Prioritization

This has several components to it, but in general, there are a few main factors: estimated search volume, estimated ability to rank for said term and cost of doing so, the importance of a given term for our company for competitive reasons, the seasonality of a term, the value of a term due to it's ability to drive an action, like a phone call, website purchase, or click on a contact us page for example.

This is not a static list, but a list that continually adjusts to what drives business, how and when, as well as prioritizing terms that may be a part of some future marketing effort, or future goal of the company.

5) Long-tail Keyword Development:

Google Auto Suggest can be helpful here, but there are several other long-tail generating tools available online as well (keywordtool.io for example). I then use Google Analytics, SemRush and a few other Analytics tools to determine what actual terms people use to find your site, will yield some nice results to add to your list.



6) Track Actual Searches:

Set up several tracking programs to log which keywords people use to find your site. Be sure to measure the direct traffic to all of your important landing pages. I use Google Analytics, Google Webmaster Tools and SemRush for this, but there are several alternatives available. Add Social analytics tools as well, to determine search patterns there, and dont forget searches through your own website search function. Take these terms and run them back through the process starting at number one.. brainstorm on related terms to one you might discover here and so on.

Webmaster Tools

7) Determine Your Content Distribution System

Determine what Marketing channels you will be using to disseminate these keywords (website, blog, social media, etc.,) there may be some insights into the demographics of certain channels, and some keyword opportunities in the vernacular of a group of people, for instance. Break your keyword prioritization list up for the given channels where they will be posted. Again, run these back through the process.

8) Track What Terms Convert into Sales:

Setting up conversion tracking with Google Analytics, recording what terms are generating the most clicks on the "contact us" page, or "call now" button on a mobile device, for instance, bumping up these terms on the keyword priority list.

9) Website Keyword Mapping

Assigning to each important page on our website, specific keywords to be used to optimize each page. These terms will be used in the front and back end of website to optimize the specific page for those specific terms.

Starting with optimizing the most important pages for the most important terms, and working your way down to less important pages.

This can also be done with any digital asset with a url, like a blog post out on some off-site service like blogger for example, and map out specific posts to rank for specific terms related to just that post. As in all links, the closer the resulting content matches the search term, the better you will rank for that term.

10) Measure, Test and Refine:

Measure the success you are having in optimizing your pages for given terms, see how your online visibility, your social mentions or activity, your SERP position changes, what terms are converting more than others. And all this is vs the competition, how well they are ranking, their position in the marketplace vs you, what terms they are going after, etc.

Continually adjust the master keyword list, the priority keyword list, and the keyword map to achieve super stardom.

Keyword list dev is like making arrows.. you have also make a bow, learn how to shoot, and wait for just the right time to bag game.

In this analogy, the bow is the content distribution system, learning how to shoot is learning how to use keywords to improve SERP position, and waiting for the right time: hitting the content push at the right time of day, day of week, and/or month of the year.

Subsequent posts will cover some of the steps to actually rank in a SERP for this beautiful list you have created.

Tony@habaneromarketing.com

510-545-2054

"dont panic, there is always a way out, keep working and stay positive" - Jack Ma