The document provides guidance on selecting keywords for search engine optimization. It recommends defining business goals and determining which keywords and terms visitors use to find a website. A variety of free keyword research tools are listed to help identify relevant keywords based on goals and competitors. The document also provides tips on assessing a website's keywords, indexed pages, inbound links, and competitors to improve search engine rankings.

1. www.seocertification.org.in
SEO Preparation
Keywords

2. Before Getting Started…
Be Sure You Defined Business Goals
 Answer the following questions:
 What are my business goals?
 What are the basic elements of my Web site that support
my business goals?
 What is my overall assessment of my Web site in meeting
business goals?
 Who do I want to visit my Web site?
 What do I want visitors to do on my Web site?
 Which pages do I want my visitors to visit on my Web site?
 How do I get started in marketing my Web site to meet my
business goals?
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3. Keyword Selection
 Keyword (and term) selection is critical to users finding
your site.
 These are the words or phrases typed into search
engines.
 They are strategically selected descriptive words or
phrases that
 Benefits include:
 Increase in click-throughs on search engine results
because key words are relevant to the site content.
 Higher rate of conversions once user visit your site
because it is what he or she looking for.
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4. To Do List
 Keyword identification.
 Keyword resources to expand and validate your list.
 Keyword data tools.
 Keyword data gathering.
 Your short list.
Note: There is no guarantee that your site will rank in the top based
on the name of your company. It is a good idea to include it in your
keyword list.
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5. Keywords
 Use your business goal worksheet to drive the
keyword list.
 Use the Keyword List worksheet to fill in
keywords:
Partial illustration of the template.
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6. Keywords
 These may include:
 Company name
 Products and services
 Generic descriptions
 Specific descriptions
 Market terms
 Customer needs and how they are filled
 Unique aspects of meeting these needs
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7. Keywords (cont.)
 Fill in seasons, holidays, and other special
occasions that are serviced by your site:
 Tax time
 Mother’s Day
 Thanksgiving
 Fill in misspellings, slang, and abbreviations
 Fill in Location:
 Variations of company name (Toys RUs, Toys Are Us)
 Variations of company location (St. Cloud, Saint Cloud)
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8. Keyword Tools
 Keyword tools to help you get started:
 SEOBook:
 http://tools.seobook.com/keyword-tools/seobook/
 http://tools.seobook.com/keyword-tools/
 Wordtracker:
 http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/
 Google:
 https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
 Search Engine Genie:
 http://www.searchenginegenie.com/google-suggest-scrapper-
tool/index.php
 Microsoft AdCenter Tools:
 http://adlab.msn.com/KeywordContent.aspx
 WordZ tool (subscription fee):
 http://www.wordze.com/
 Keyword Selector Tool:
 http://www.keyword-selector-tool.com/
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9. Keyword Information
 Trends:
 Google hot trends:
 http://www.google.com/trends/hottrends
 Yahoo! Buzz:
 http://buzz.yahoo.com/overall/
 Microsoft keyword forecast:
 http://adlab.msn.com/ForecastV2/KeywordTrends
Web.aspx
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10. Ranking
 Once you have completed the keyword list, then it is
important to rank them.
 Use the Rank Tracking Worksheet to identify keyword
ranks.
 Take each keyword on your Keyword List and search for it
using a popular search engine site (e.g., Google, Yahoo!).
 Record only listings in the organic ranking area.
 Scroll through a reasonable number to find a listing.
 Look for your competition as you search through the listing.
 Look for any “bad” listing associated with your Web site.
 Broken links
 Pieces of information that doesn’t make sense
 Note on your worksheet the rank (if any) of each keyword.
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11. Indexed Pages
 The basic truth is that if your Web page is
not indexed, then it cannot be found.
 Check how many Web pages are indexed.
 Check how many landing pages are indexed.
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12. Total Pages Indexed
 Let’s start by checking your domain name.
 Use Google or MSN and type the following string into
the search box.
 site:yourdomain.com (e.g., Books4U.com)
 Check out www.cwire.org/data-mining-using-
google/1 for more of Google’s search engine query
language.
 Note how many pages were found.
 Do this for the other popular search engines.
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13. Landing Pages Indexed
 Let’s check each landing page to see if it shows up in
search engine results.
 Enter the URL into the search box.
 If a listing is displayed for the exact URL, then the
page is indexed.
 Otherwise, it has not been indexed yet.
 In the previous lesson, we learned how to submit the
URL to search engines to get it indexed.
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14. Landing Page Notes
 It is often recommended for a Web site to
have no more than ten landing pages.
 Web sites with lots of products may choose
to have a large number of landing pages.
 Blogs should have every posting a landing
page to drive traffic to the site.
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15. Inbound Links
 You want lots and lots of inbound links to your Web site.
 Improves your search engine ranking.
 Brings users to your site through the link.
 It is worth the effort to get other sites to link to your site.
 Keep in mind link quality is also important.
 Check out article: www.webmasterworld.com/forum3/201
 Check out link popularity tool: http://www.marketleap.com/
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16. Site Assessment
 For each landing page assess:
 Unique HTML page title.
 HTML page title contains target keywords.
 The number of words of HTML text is 200 or more.
 HTML exact on this page contains my exact targeted
keywords.
 My home page links to this page via HTML text links
(not pull-downs, logins, or pop-ups).
 HTML text links from other pages on my site to this
page contain my target keywords.
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17. Competition (To Do List)
 You will perform the following steps in
assessing your competition:
 Identify your top five competitors.
 Snoop around on your competitor’s site.
 Assess on-page factors.
 Assess off-page factors.
 Check out paid competition.
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18. (1) Identify Top Five Competitors
 Try to select the top competitors as follows:
 Business competition – keep on top of your competitors as this
may change over time.
 Might be a new competitor around the corner.
 Existing competitor adds products or services.
 Search competition – assess top ranked Web sites.
 Take a look at both quality and content of information in the
listing.
 Pay-per-click competition – you may want to view the competition
in the sponsored ads.
 Check out listings that are not really competition but share the
same targeted keywords.
 “Happy days dog kennel” might compete with the TV show
called “Happy days”
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19. (2) Snoop Around
 Google Tool Bar – free add-on to your browser. Download at:
http//toolbar.google.com/
 Check out the “PageRank” bar.
 Gives the page rank value for the current page.
 A second option is Fagafinder.com/urlinfo/, which also provides
rank information.
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20. (2) Snoop Around
 View Page Source – use browser feature to
view competitor’s HTML code.
 Internet Explorer – View and then Source
 Firefox – View and then Page Source
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21. More Data
 There are several tools that can provide
additional information about your and your
competitor’s site.
 Alexa.com
 Compete.com
 Go to the Alexa tool and check out statistics
on ranking, site traffic, inbound links, site
owner information and related links.
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22. (3) Assess On-Page Factors
 Check out your competitor’s site.
 Look for:
 Competitor keywords
 Page content (visible)
 Meta keyword tags (invisible)
 Record the keywords in the Competition Worksheet.
 Basic Optimization:
 Assess competition homepage (and a few landing pages)
HTML content.
 Competition has its target keywords in HTML page title
 Competition has visible content with target keywords
 Landing page(s) can it be reached from homepage
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23. (4) Assess Off-Page Factors
 Check out factors that competition cannot
control.
 Ranks –assess the ranking of each top
competitor on Google, Yahoo!, MSN, & Ask.
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24. (4) Assess Off-Page Factors
 Inbound links – Use the same tool that you used
to find the number of inbound links to your site.
 Find the number of inbound links on the homepage and
a couple of landing pages.
 Record the number of inbound links in the Competition
Worksheet.
 Google PageRank – Use the Google Toolbar
(PageRank bar) to find the competitor’s rank.
 Record the rank in the Competition Worksheet.
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25. (5) Paid Competition
 Check out the top competition in terms of
the sponsored advertising.
 Search on company name
 Search on product or service offerings
 Search on general terms
 Fill in the PPC (pay-per-click) assessment
on the Competition Worksheet.
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26. Thank You!
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