The first step to search engine optimization is always, always, always the same – Keyword Research.
I can not tell you how many people don’t do this first. You have a general idea of what people are searching for, but you are wrong. You need to do some research.
Here is what I do:
1. Look at the product I’m selling and try to put myself into the mindset of someone looking for that product or service.
2. Come up with a list of keywords that I think someone might use to find the product or service.
3. Here’s where the research comes in – I then take that list and put it into Google Adwords (Free) or WordTracker (Annual Subscription) – There are hundreds of other keyword tools out there, but these are good for me. SEOMoz can also be a great investment.
4. Use the tools from step 3 to find suggestions, Look for long tail keywords to target. If you are a local business you can often get an advantage over the big players.
5. take those keywords and search them up. This is where you find out who your online competition is. Look at their sites, keyword densities, titles, h1 tags.
6. Now you have a bunch of information to look at and a bunch of keywords to target. Put those keywords on a list and give them to your staff. The more aware they are the more aware your company is.
I’m not saying SEO is simple, but it’s not exactly rocket science.
Best of luck to you!
[...] step 1 we discussed keyword research, now we’ll dive into step 2 – Planning and on site [...]
[...] You shouldn’t kill yourself trying to get the right recipe of keyword density percentages. Try to write naturally for humans. Then after you finish writing your article check the density and try to improve what you can. I’ve often used keyword density tools to find accidental omissions of words from my keyword research list. [...]