Keyword Analysis – Where it all begins

When keywords, also known as key phrases, are mentioned in relation to search engine optimisation, we often get the same feedback from clients who think that keywords are simply a list of words that can be added to a page, the result being that the page then appears in search engine listings for any of the given keywords.

It’s true that there is the scope to add keywords to a page, out of view to the page visitor and that this list used have a bearing on search engine listings but the influence that they have is diminishing.  Using this method, the list of keywords is added using META tags, which are then read by visiting search engines but because of a human visitor not being able to see this list, it’s open to abuse and can no longer be relied on.  Therefore, more and more search engines are dropping support for them and whilst it’s worth including them for any search engines still out there that do use them, Google categorically does not use them.

All of this being said, choosing keywords is an important first step in search engine optimisation as it serves to focus the content of each page.  Typically, a page might have anywhere from one to five keywords associated with it but the more keywords selected, the greater the amount of content required to ensure a high enough usage of each word so that a search engine will be able to ascertain that the keyword is relevant.

It’s a delicate balance however, and using keywords too often in site content can lead to problems.  If a search engine feels that techniques are being employed to trick it, then penalties can be levied which at worst will result in the site being banned from the search engine index.

In summary, keywords need to be selected to accurately and concisely describe the focus of the page and shouldn’t be too generic.  They should then be included in the content of the page in a way that a visitor reading the page is left in no doubt about what the page refers to but in no way leaves the reader tired of reading the same keywords again and again, and again.

Keyword Analysis is the process of selecting these keywords and is the foundation to any search engine optimisation.  The process starts by brainstorming to come up with as many relevant keywords as can be thought of.  This list is then reviewed in terms of competition and relevance to ultimately arrive at the final list.  As mentioned above, keywords should not be too generic as the competition could be huge and as an example, there’s no point aiming for a top 10 listing for ‘Wooden Frames’ if your business sells ‘Wooden Window Frames’ and not ‘Wooden Picture Frames’.  Similarly, if your business only serves a certain geographical region, then any search engine marketing can be much more effective if keywords contain the region.  Keyword Analysis also looks at alternative suggestions to find other commonly used words or phrases that may not have been thought of initially.

The end result is a list of competitive keywords that can be used across the site for page titles, menu links and page content, as well as in the text used to link to the site from external sites.