Let's talk briefly about what SEO is exactly.
From Wikipedia:
"Search engine optimization (SEO) is the
process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from
search engines via "natural" ("organic" or
"algorithmic") search results for targeted keywords. Usually, the
earlier a site is presented in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS) or the
higher it "ranks", the more searchers will visit that site. SEO can
also target different kinds of searches, including image search, local search,
and industry-specific vertical search engines. As a marketing strategy for
increasing a site's relevance, SEO considers how search algorithms work and
what people search for."
I couldn't have said it any better myself J
These days, SEO is required for a website or blog to have
any success in the search engines, even if it is only a minimal effort. There
are a number of ways to properly SEO your site and we will get into all of
those methods in future posts. For now, we will start at the beginning with
choosing your keywords. As mentioned in the above definition, the goal of SEO
is to get your site to rank in the search engines for targeted keywords. Keywords are the terms that people use in the
search engines to find information on the web. The idea when choosing keywords
is to select terms that people are already using to find information related to
your product or service. By ranking well in the search engines for particular
keywords related to your business, it allows people to find your product or
service when they want it, therefore giving you an opportunity to gain a lead
or even better, a sale. Now that you know the value of keywords, let's move on
to how you go about selecting the best keywords for your site.
The first step is to do some brainstorming. Think to
yourself, "If I was looking for information about my product or service, what
terms would I use in my search to find what I need?" Virtually everyone reading this will be
involved in the real estate market in some capacity. If you are a real estate
agent or broker, chances are you are trying to attract buyers and sellers in
your local area. Put yourself in your target audience's shoes-what keyword
terms would you use to find out about real estate in your local area? For
example: I live in Palm Beach County, Florida. If I was in the market for a
home, I would probably search for terms like "Palm Beach Real Estate", "Homes
in Palm Beach County", "Real Estate in Palm Beach", etc. Write down as many
keyword terms as you can that you think your target audience would use in their
search.
Resource: Having trouble coming up with keyword ideas? Use
the Google
Keyword Tool to generate ideas for keywords. Enter any terms you have come
up with into the noted area and let Google give you some good ideas. This tool
will also show you how often your terms are searched for and how competitive
the market is for each keyword.
The next step is to do some homework. Your goal is to
determine the 10 best keywords for your site. Why 10? 10 keywords cast a large
enough net to get you as much traffic and business as possible. Choose too many
keywords and you dilute their effect-choose too few and you may be selling
yourself short. When you are researching your keywords, you want to find out
which of the terms in your list are the most highly searched. Use the following
FREE tools to choose the best terms:
Google Keyword
Tool-As mentioned above, this tool will show you how often terms are
searched for and how fierce the competition is for each keyword.
SEOBook
Keyword Suggestion Tool-This tool will give you the stats not only for the
keyword you entered but will also give you related keywords with their stats as
well
Keyword
Discovery-A good source of keyword stats
Wordtracker-Another
great free tool for keyword data
Compare the data you retrieve from these various keyword
tools. Try to choose keywords that are popular but keep in mind that the more
competitive the term, the harder it will be to rank for it. Once you have
chosen your keywords, it is time to implement them on your site. They need to
be located in the HTML code on your site in the meta data-contact your
webmaster if necessary for clarification. For Dev Element clients, you can
change your keywords yourself so email me at njames@develementllc.com for
instructions if needed.
In my next post, we will explore some of the many ways that
you can optimize your site for the keywords you have chosen. Visit The Real Estate Expert Network often for more great
blogging and SEO tips!
