Keywords That Produce Results

Not all keywords are created equal. Even those that do appear to be remarkably similar can be wildly different in terms of their real value. Take these two hypothetical examples, for instance.

“Where to buy blue widgets now”

“Where to blue widgets come from’

Clearly, they’re in the same ballpark, thematically speaking. They’re both about blue widgets. Let’s say that both of them get an equal number of searches every month, too. As it turns out, they both have the same number of competing pages, too. Thus, they both have the exact same KEI.

Which one is worth more to you? If you’re selling blue widgets, the first one is the clear winner. If you’re selling a book about the history of blue widgets, however, the secon option might do more for you.

This is a pretty obvious example and it certainly isn’t hard to see why you might love one keyword more than the other. In practice, it’s not always quite this clear. However, the core principle remains in place. It’s not just the words. It’s not just the numbers. In terms of producing real results, it’s important to think about what the words mean, too.

That’s not always our strength, especially when we’re dealing with big projects. In those cases, it’s a lot easier to deal with the numbers than it is to apply our noodles to the actual meaning of the search terms. However, it’s likely that the seemingly inefficient use of human intervention in keyword quality assessment could produce better outcomes.

Are you really looking at your keywords in terms of their meaning and probable repercussions or are you running the numbers and divvying up the workload?

Assessing the meaning and the “stories” behind keywords is a subjective process and we don’t have tools that will handle it for us–yet. But it can still pay off in a big way.

Narrowing the Keyword Field for PPC Advertising

One of the most common mistakes committed by PPC advertisers is building a capaign based on relatively broad keywords.  In fact, the SEOMoz listed this tendency as its #1 pay per click mistake.  It’s that common–and that potentially devastating.

If you’re only bidding on the giant keywords in your niche, you’re undoubtedly paying top dollar for traffic.  You’re also missing out on ways to get more targeted (read:  more valuable visitors for a fraction of the price by uncovering and bidding on good long tail keywords.  This blunder made it up to #3 on the Karcher Group’s top ten list of PPC goofs.  

How should you narrow the field of PPC keywords?  First, take a look at your stat sites.  Find out what search engine terms people are using to find your site and use those as a jumping off point.  You may uncover a few hidden gems that way.  Second, get serious about your keyword research.

If you’re not using professional keyword tools and you aren’t doing your homework, you’re probably throwing away more money than you need to on your PPC campaign.  Focus on finding keywords that are intimately related to your niche and site–particularly those that communicate a buyer’s mindset.  Don’t just dig one level deep, either.  The most cost-effective keywords (and those that frequently offer the greatest return on investment) are of the long-tail variety.  

Pay per click advertising is a rock solid way to profitably promote your web interests, but the whole process can often be misleading for new participants.  There’s a instinct to bid for the most popular keywords, pitting  you against more competitors.  Owning a good spot for a huge keyword will bring you traffic, but the price per click may turn the cost of acquiring it against you.  The bet way to make PPC truly profitable is to isolate equally relevant, but less competitive keywords.

Too Much of a Good Thing? Overdoing SEO

Good SEO requires more than just a commitment and a work ethic. In fact, too much work in certain areas can actually do more harm than good. We tend to naturally embrace the notion that “more is better” but when it comes to optimizing your site for search engine performance there are times when it pays to back off a little bit.

The most obvious proof of that theory becomes obvious when you look at the old-school SEO technique of keyword stuffing. If you’ve been online for more than a few years, you can probably remember those sites with “hidden” keywords designed to attract search engine attention. That kind of stuff actually worked, too. Now, however, it’s a recipe guaranteed to put you on Google’s bad side. That’s why the keystuffing era is history.

There are some practices used today that will suffer from overkill. One of them involves the use of anchor text in inbound links to your site. People doling out the SEO advice will often tell you that the right anchor text is a great idea. What they fail to mention is the fact that too many backlinks featuring the exact same anchor text will raise a flag at Google. It looks automated and may make Google wonder if you really “deserve” all of those votes of confidence. That’s why too much of the same anchor text is a mistake. You need to mix it up.

Another example is the use of bold texting. This on-page SEO technique can work. The search engines do notice those <b> and </b> tags and they take notice of what rests between them. However, you dillute the value of bolding when you toss it around too much. You also give yourself away if you’re bolding every single instance of a keyword. This is another great place for SEO moderation.

You can do too much of a good thing. Bolding, anchor text and keyword stuffing all prove that the best SEO involves knowing when to put the pedal to the metal and when to slow down.

Meta Tags in 2009

Meta tags have been part of the SEO discussion for years and no matter what happens in other areas, the topic has a way of rearing its head again and again.

That wouldn’t be a bad thing if it wasn’t for the fact that so many commentaries on meta tags are relying upon old information that no longer reflects the SEO reality associated with their use.

So, in hopes of getting 2009 off to a great start, let’s separate truth from fiction with respect to meta tags and search engine optimization.

First, if you believe meta tags are a real difference maker in terms of your search engine rankings, think again. It simply isn’t the case. Once upon a time, when Google and the other search engines were less advanced, they tended to rely upon meta tags much more than they do today. Currently, the top SEO experts argue, meta tags have less influence on SEO today than they ever have.

Second, if you think you should disregard meta tags completely, you might want to reconsider your perspective. No, they aren’t the big deal they once were. However, SEO is often a game of small improvements and finding edges wherever they exist. That includes meta tags. They are still used by some of the minor search engines and the info in your meta tags often appears as part of search results. You don’t want to sweat blood over your meta tags, but there’s no reason to ignore them completely.

Third, don’t be sloppy when you do tinker with those meta tags. If the keywords embedded in the tags don’t match the actual material on your page, there’s a good chance that the search engines might give you a slap on the wrist in the form of worsened rankings. It would be a shame to hurt yourself with something that only offers a slight SEO advantage.

Optimize PPC Campaigns

I’ve received a few questions lately about optimizing the pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns for websites. It seems that some people aren’t getting the traffic they expected, so I thought I’d give you a few valuable tips on making the most of the PPC strategy.

After talking with a couple of these online marketers, I found out that they haven’t taken advantage of the tools to help them refine keywords or wrap keywords effectively. In one case, adding negative keywords made a difference almost instantly.

First of all, PPC will only be as effective Read more