Use the Right Keywords in Your Web Site's Content

When you are writing for your Web site, use keywords that your customers use to reach the most searchers.

Use your customers’ search terms. You may sell ”vegetable-tanned cowhide foot coverings,” “green groundcover seed,” or ”one-of-a-kind extra-special violet outer garments”, but what if your customers are searching for organic leather shoes, grass seed, and purple coats? Until you’ve built up brand recognition, you may need to change the way you talk about your product or service.

Speak the same language as your customers. Search engines don’t think the way people do. A search in Google for “house” brings up different results than a search for “home.” If you only mention “homes” on your site, you aren’t reaching everyone you should. Users query Google for “purple coats” approximately 3,600 times per month. There are zero searches each month for “one-of-a-kind extra-special violet outer garments.” More searchers will find you if you speak their language.

Analyze your site. How do you find out what words people are using to find you? Web site analytics. There are free and fee-based analytics tools that can tell you how many visitors came to your site on each keyword, which can help you decide which words to use to describe your product.

In addition to keyword analysis, Google Analytics, a free tool, will give you a wealth of information on your site visitors. This information can help you measure the effect of your SEO efforts, evaluate A/B testing data, monitor which pages receive the most visits, and assess which pages lose the most visitors. An analytics expert can help you interpret your reports and plan your course of action.

Once you know which words searchers use, use the same keywords. Add in the words that set your business apart from the others, but speak the same language as your customers to get the best results.