An exercise to get your site in shape!
Submitting your web site to search engines is the
single-most important step, to bringing in a
flood of targeted traffic.
These people are actively seeking you out when
they type your keywords into that little search
box. Question is "Are the keywords they're using,
the same keywords you're using?" and if so, "How
relevant are these keywords to what you're
selling?"
You see, when you submit your web site to a
search engine, some will ask you for a list of
keywords *relevant* to your web site.
Other search engines will only send a spider to
your site to look at your content. What they do,
is take a kind of inventory of the words you use
on your main page. Whichever words you use most
often on this page, the spider will assume that's
what your site is about and will base your
listing on these words.
Then there are those search engines that will
base your listing on the keyword and description
tags within the heading tag of your page.
We are going to focus on getting the right
keywords in the right places (optimizing) for the
free-to-get-listed search engines; then we will
move on to the pay-per-click and the pay-per-
inclusion engines.
Before you begin compiling your list of keywords,
you need to do a little bit of research.
Start by putting yourself in your customer's
shoes. Pretend that you know nothing about your
product or service; this can be very difficult to
do. The best way to find out what keywords your
customers may use, is to ask them. Using your
spouse or your friends as guinea pigs, is the
easiest way to do this.
Without telling them what your site is about,
give them a very vague idea; as most of your
customers really don't have any idea that they
need your product. For example, you might say,
"Honey, if you wanted to make some extra money
for Christmas gifts this year, what words would
you type in this little box?"
If your spouse has the time and is willing to
help you out, ask him/her to go to at least 3
different search engines and conduct at least 3-5
searches, using different keywords and phrases
each time. Also, be sure that she/he clicks on a
few of the results, but only the ones she/he
feels is relevant her/his search.
Note: Most internet marketers are alone in their
work. Meaning, many times the spouse of the
marketer usually doesn't know how internet
marketing works. (My husband can't even turn on a
computer!) Allow your spouse to use any keyword
or phrases she/he needs to find what she/he is
looking for. There are no wrong answers here and
you'll learn a lot more if she/he isn't given a
lesson in search engines beforehand.
Make sure you write down *every* keyword and/or
phrase your spouse uses. Also pay close attention
to the web sites she/he clicks on from the search
results. This will give you an outside look at
how the majority of your customers are going to
find you.
After your spouse clicks on one of the search
results that she/he is interested in, ask them
"Why?" What was it about that particular site
that interested her/him? Take notes; this is good
stuff!
Note: Of course not everyone is selling
information on how to make money online. Some of
you may be selling crafts that you made yourself,
vitamins or weight loss products, long distance
service, etc. No matter what your site wants from
its visitors, you can still do this exercise.
Just be sure that your spouse only has a vague
idea of what she/he is searching for.
The next step in this exercise is to have your
spouse conduct their searches again, only this
time they should have a really good idea of
exactly what it is they are looking for. Tell
them to be specific in their searches.
Again, write down the keywords and/or phrases
they use, what sites they visit from the results
and why.
Be sure to also write down the URL of the web
sites they visit. (This is your competition!)
Next week, we are going to do a little undercover
work. You will become the ultimate internet spy!
Note: The reason I say to use your spouse or
friends for this exercise, is that we, as
marketers, tend to get so close to what we're
doing, that it's hard to get back, outside the
box, as newbies. We know what it is our product
does, and how it does it, but our customers
don't! We need to get inside their heads and
discover *their* idea of our product. This is the
easiest way to do that.
***Attention, MRI subscribers!***
If your spouse isn't available for this exercise,
try using the Keyword Finding Tools listed in the
"Search Engine Tools" category at
Click here Spend some time with the last
resource listed and you'll have your keyword list
in no time!
***Attention, Non-MRI subscribers!***
You can subscribe to The Marketing Resource
Informer and gain access to the only ezine that
does all the work for you and provides you with
easy to use resources you won't find anywhere
else on the net at
Click here
About the Author
Kerri Reeves is the publisher of A1 Home Business
News and The Marketing Resource Informer where
she provides subscribers with Keyword Finding
Tools that go hand-in-hand with this article.
Subscribe right now at
http://www.marketingresourceinformer.com/