Keyword Research and Selection 2010

Gather, Sort and Organize Your Keywords into High-Performance

SEO Campaigns

Stoney deGeyter - Pole Position [email protected]

Keyword Selection & Organization

From this

To this

© Copyright 2009 Stoney deGeyter

Why keyword research matters…

Target your audience properly

Know who your audience is

right keyword, wrong audience

right audience, different terminology

Know where your audience is

words they use what they mean

Keyword Research

Establishing the Foundation


20%

24%

22%

15%

9% 5%6%

How People Search

1 word 2 words 3 words 4 words5 words 6 words 7 + words

Source: Onestat

Why Keyword Phrases Rule


Keywords Help You Understand

Target Audience

Areas of Interest

Needs to be Met

Business

Students

Hobbyists

Education

Information

Ideas

Strategy

Direction

Community


Interest

Gather

ResearchExclude

Purchase

The Keyword Buying Cycle


Not all keywords are equal

• Low volume keywords– Produce little or no search traffic– No traffic = no sales

• Poorly targeted keywords– May produce lots of traffic– Non-targeted traffic = fewer sales

Smaller amounts of targeted traffic

vs.Larger amounts of untargeted traffic

Keyword ABC

Keyword XYZ

Low volume keywords

Poorly targeted keywords


It ain’t easy doing it right

• Quality keyword research is:– Sometimes difficult– Usually time-consuming– Always important

• Stay focused– Research thoroughly– Analyze carefully– Target thoughtfully

Finding Core Terms

Phase I


Understanding Core Terms

BagSports bagBaby beddingGarage plansSchool suppliesKids ski clothingCost segmentationBatteryMotorcycle batteryBattery chargersFlowmetersSnowmobile clothingPlastic key cards

Are Are Not

Relevant

qualifiers

Represents

page topic

2 or 3 words

Overly Broad

Single-Word


How to Find Core Terms

Title tags

Meta keywords

Meta description

Text

Navigation

wholesalerollinghondalargewaterproof

No qualifiers

supplysupplies

teachteacherteaching

No stems


Brainstorming KeywordsWhat can I find in thesauri, taxonomies and ontologies?

What is the average customer searching for?

What are my visitors trying to accomplish?

What terms are used in industry glossaries and reference materials?

What solutions do I provide?

Are there any geographical phrases that are relevant?What terminology

describes problems I solve?

What related categories can I find in search directories?

What questions are my visitors asking?


How to find core terms

• Step 3: Comb through competitors websites

– Ignore what you don’t offer– Avoid trademarked terms

Title tags Meta keywords

Meta description Text Navigation Product

namesProduct

descriptions

TM



• Step 4: Use keyword research tools– Search out other core terms– Scan results for something new– Look for new core terms

• New words not previously found

WordtrackerQuintura

L3xicon



• Step 5: Analytics & server logs

How do people find

you?

What qualifiers are used?

What keywords convert?


How much is enough?

• There is no magic number– Might have 10 or 10,000!

• Terms may change over time– Some added– some removed

• Not all will be valuable– Will know more during

analysis phase

teacher supplies

teaching supplies

free teacher supplies

teacher supply stores

teacher supply

free teaching supplies

teacher supply store

elementary teacher supplies


Four Factors of Prioritization

Search volume• How often?• Low volume = low

results

Target Audience• Better conversions• Better targeted =

lower volume

Profit Margin• Better conversions• Higher markup• More demand

Meet Demand• Avoid driving traffic

where expected demand cannot be met


Look beyond “right now”

• Current exposure factors into current sales

Low exposure makes products look less

worthy of targeting

Increasing exposure increases traffic &

sales


Researching Search Phrases

Phase II


What is a search phrase?

• Stemmed variation of the core term• Core term with attached modifiers• Stemmed variation of the core

term with modifiers• Any group of words that

contain the core termschool supply

school supplies

Discount school supply

Home school supplies

School store supplies


Core Term Qualifiers

beauty supply

beauty supplies

discount beauty supply

natural beauty

supplies

beauty supply store


Research

Analyze

Eliminate

Evaluate

Document

Keyword Research Takes Time


How to find search phrases

• The research factor

Core term

Modifiers

Stems

Qualifiers



• The deletion factor– Remove phrases with bogus

words– Eliminate phrases that change

meaning of intent– Delete unrelated terms– Keep if unsure

free

uk

cheap



• The split / combo factor

Travel bags

Wheeled travel bags

Wheeled leather travel bag

Overnight travel bag on wheels

Wheeled sports travel bag

Weekend travel bags

Leather weekend travel bag

Durable weekend travel bag

Heavy duty weekend travel

bag


Combining core terms

• When to combine– Fewer than 10 good phrases

• Exception for niche industries– All phrases are low search volume

• How to combine– Group most similar together– Avoid inconsistent spellings– Verify on-page unity


Splitting into sub-core groups

• When to split– Over 150 phrases– See dozens of similar qualifiers– Qualifiers with similar meaning

• Split as often as makes sense– 10-15 similar qualifiers

Analyzing Keywords

Phase III


Understanding Keyword Types

Single-word

Multi-word

Phrase variations

LocalizedConvert-ability

Search volume

Info queries

Single-word

Multi-word

Phrase variations


Search volume

Info queries

Single-word

Multi-word

Phrase variations


Search volume

Info queries

• Lower search volume, Higher targeting

Single-word

Multi-word

Phrase variations


Search volume

Info queries

•Plurals, singulars and stems•Changed word order

Single-word

Multi-word

Phrase variations


Search volume

Info queries

• Geo-targeting improves conversions• Add geo-qualifiers as necessary

Single-word

Multi-word

Phrase variations


Search volume

Info queries

• Analyze for convertability• Eliminate phrases that don’t convert

Single-word

Multi-word

Phrase variations


Search volume

Info queries

• Actively searched phrases• Start with lower-hanging fruit

Single-word

Multi-word

Phrase variations


Search volume

Info queries

• Answers “about” type questions• Target as secondary


Look for Quality

• Intent• Desire

Searcher

• Seasonal• Future

Trends • Gaps• Profits

ROI


Don’t rely on your own analysis

• Seek out additional opinions – Colleagues– Assistants– Managers– Outside experts– Clients

Organizing Keywords for Success

Phase IV


Making SEO successful

• Keywords are just the parts

Phase1

•Figuring out the engine type

Phases

2&3

•Learning the parts needed

Phase4

•Piecing it all together


Buy Blue Widgets

California Widgets

How to Use Widgets

Red Widget Review

Discount Widgets

Custom Widget Design

Map Out Content/Keywords


Organize for Performance

Achievable

Quickest results

Most profitable


Assigning core terms to pages

• Analyze each page– Leave out product pages

• Write down page topics– Wedding rings

• Men’s wedding rings• Women’s wedding rings

– Duffel bags• Wheeled duffel bags• Large duffel bags

• Assign core terms as appropriate


Answer questions

Provide expert advice

Review products

Expand on benefits

Write information

articles

More Keywords than Pages? Add Content

Add Informational Pages


Shop

BuyInfo

Research

•Looking for general information•Don’t know what they really

want•Optimize on higher-level

category pages and articles

•Have narrowed down to product type

•Comparing features•Optimize on category and comparison pages

•Have specific product in mind•Looking for trustworthy place to buy•Optimize on specific product pages

Segmenting Keywords

•Looking for education•How-To and other informational queries•Optimize on blogs and article pages


Specific Desires

ImmediateConcerns

Broad Topics

• beauty products

• facial cleansers

• hair styles

• dry skin remedy

• organic shower gel

• look younger

• reduce irritation

• environmentally friendly

• all natural

Keyword Focused Content Generation


Cheap• discount• bargain

Organic• natural• raw

Present• gift• surprise

by meaning…

Basketball• baseball• football

Foxtrot• Waltz• Tango

Oscars• Grammys• Emmys

Grouping Related Qualifiers

by relation…


Let the content guide keywords

Fit

Space

Message

Distraction

Noticeable

Flow

Adjust

Delete if Necessary

Be Creative


Conclusion: Don’t rush

• Keyword research is an important process– Take your time to do it thoroughly– Rushing leads to mistakes

• Mistakes mean poor SEO performance

• Lay the foundation with the best keywords– Greater chance for SEO success– Less cluttered pages– Better audience targeting– Improved conversion rates

All good?All good?

Or…?Or…?


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Stoney deGeyter - Pole Position [email protected]

Thank You!