Search Engine Optimization Tutorial

Keywords are one of the most powerful search engine optimisation tools at your disposal when it comes to getting where you want to be on results pages. The words that users enter into query boxes really are the keys to doors that'll lead them to your site. It's because they're so important that good keyword research is absolutely essential.

Someone with little or no experience of what constitutes good free SEO tools might ask why keyword research is necessary, since if you market mineral water, for example, ‘mineral' and ‘water' must be your keywords. What more is there to think about? Quite a lot, in fact.

If you're one of the thousands of new or minor producers of mineral water, and by Minor we mean not ‘Evian' or ‘Perrier', using just mineral and water as keywords is unlikely to get you onto the top spots on results pages, since they're already taken for those keywords by major players in the industry, who already have a reputation and popularity. It's much better to be specific about your product, and to conceive of ways in which to market it effectively from an SEO perspective.

If the mineral water is sourced in the Highlands of Scotland, use those as keywords. If the water is high in a particular mineral that is particularly good for the cardiovascular system, then ‘heart' might be a good keyword. In that way, someone typing ‘mineral water highlands Scotland heart' might well find himself or herself at the door to your site.

The process of deciding on keywords is a complicated one, and involves careful consideration and much research. We've compiled six tips to help you to get the most out of your important keyword research.

1.    Experiment with searching on your own. Find out which words are taking you where on the Internet. Try to get a feel for some keyword strategies that appear to have worked well for others. If you're marketing mineral water, be exhaustive in searching for competitors and find out where they are ranking. Compile a list of the keywords used most often. This list will be a valuable tool when you decide which keywords to have for your site, and which you should forget.

2.    Do some research into what keywords are already bringing users to your site. Assuming that you already have some kind of website up and running, which you are going to optimise, use Google Analytics to track the searches that are bringing you up on results pages. If you discover that as a small producer of mineral water your site is ranking on page 63 for the keywords ‘mineral' and ‘water' then you know where you are coming from. Data collected from Google Analytics can really help you to decide what keywords are going to work best for you. The information will also serve you well in charting progress you'll make from SEO.

3.    Research more obscure keywords for lengthier searches. It's estimated that upwards of 70% of searches are from queries containing multiple keywords. Investigate which words are likely to feature before and after main keywords in searches, and include them on your pages where possible too. If you're marketing mineral water and you feel your product has a calming effect for example, describe it as such for those people who might search using that word.

4.    Don't overuse keywords. With keywords there can be too much of a good thing. Search engines realized long ago that the method of judging a site's relevance for users using keywords was being abused. For that reason featuring an over-abundance of keywords is likely to incur their wrath. Seek advice from professional SEO services about what's enough and what's too much, to be sure.

5.    Remember that keywords are not the end of the story. Keep in mind that there's a lot more to search engine optimisation than keywords and that although you'll have made a great start with your research there are other SEO tools like links that need just as much attention.

6.    Be ready to adapt to change. SEO is an ongoing process, and that applies to keywords as much as to anything else. Be ready for the market to change and for new opportunities with keywords to present themselves.

Consult an SEO agency with a proven track record for more advice on the latest methods of keyword research, and keep up to date with SEO developments online to get more information.