With the world becoming more and more digital understanding how to fully optimize your website to
Basics of SEO:
Googling became such a dominant search engine that it even became a verb: “google it” or to search something. Being at the top of the list for a google search is what every business that operates a website should strive for. Understanding why people search is extremely important, more specifically the types of searches or
Navigational Queries
These are searches or queries where the intention of the user is to locate something. Similar to the phrase “browsing the web” almost to find something. Such as typing into google “Walmart” because you forgot the website to Walmart. These users have this predetermined place in mind. The value of these traffics are high if the user already has a specific brand in mind, and low if you aren’t the website that is in mind.
Informational Queries
These are searches for a quick and simple answer. The answer is not usually open-ended and is non-transactional oriented. These are questions are normally the “who, what, where, when, why and how” type of questions. Since these users aren’t transactional, to gain dominance here is making sure there is quality content in your website. Value of traffic hers is considered low.
Transactional Queries
These are searches where the users intent is to buy, subscribe or even completing a task to something. These searches have a lot of opportunities for better conversion ratesand probability of higherROI. Traffic is valuable here due to the competitive nature and profitability.
Understanding Keywords:
Here is the bread and butter of this article. Now that we know the 3 queries or 3 intentionality of users when searching. We need to understand the keywords they are putting in to optimize your website. Understanding how keywords can you really make it or break it a website. Whether you rather do pay-per-click (PPC) or appear organically on search engines, keywords matter.
What is Keyword Density?
Keyword density is how often a specific word is found on a website. Normally given as a percentage. The importance of knowing this is not to over saturate your website with the same word over and over and over and over and over again (google may think you’re spam). It’s important to understand density because you want quality content. This can also be used for competitive research. Look at your competitors and check their keyword density so you have an idea of what you should be doing for yours.
Long-tail
A lot of large companies are already bidding on shorter keywords. On average people normally type into google about 3-4 words. For those who are typing more, this means there is a better chance of conversionand it’s likely transactional. Long-tail key wordsare extremely vital as it means less competition. Not many people are bidding on these. On top of that it connects your website to natural audiences that want your product or service leading to higher conversionrates.
Connecting the dots
Knowing the basic elements of SEO to gain
Lastly, long-tail keywordsshould not be ignored. They are vital since it’s less competitive and have greater conversions. This brings up the question of how do I find the write keywords for long-tail? Start at the base and think of 1-3 words that can describe your business, move to synonyms and then dive into the industry. What terms are your competitor using? The best tip of all is to think like the customer. What would they search and how would they search it? Programs such as “Google Adwords” and “Wordtracker” are great tools to use to look at what keywords have higher volumes, the cost-per-click(non-organic) and the qualityscore of the keyword. Understanding the basic elements of SEO will result in efficient online marketingand bring a competitive edge against your competition.