What is a keyword?
A 'keyword' is a word or phrase that online consumers type into search engines while researching and comparing products and services, or when simply seeking information. Your web pages must be optimised for the keywords your customers are most likely to use during the search process. Understanding how customers search drives the creation of pages designed to rank for those searches. Targeting the right keyword is essential for improving online sales.
Push Pull Marketing and Keyword Research
In traditional media, such as press, radio, or tv, companies push or broadcast their marketing message in the hope that it reaches an interested audience. In push marketing the communication is initiated by the company.
The internet completely reverses the traditional process. Now your customers start the communication by typing keywords into a search engine that describe the products or information they are trying to find. In this process the customer pulls information from the internet based on the keywords he/she uses to search, this process has become known as reverse broadcasting.
The image below clearly highlights the fundamental importance of keyword research. Target the right keywords and you create a path right to your website, get it wrong and you make it difficult for customers to find your website. Simply put customers cant buy what they cant find.
Encouraging Qualified High Conversion Traffic
Even if your web pages rank fairly high in search engine listings, you may still not be getting the 'right' kind of traffic to your site. You should be encouraging 'qualified' traffic to your site, that is those customers who are actively looking for the product you provide, thereby increasing the likelihood of turning visits into sales.
According to a study conducted by AC Nielsen "Users were nearly 50 percent more likely to click on listings in which the keyword was included in both the title and description."
The importance of effective keyword research can never be overstated, researching and selecting the right keywords for your business helps to bring targeted, high conversion traffic to your site. Well researched keywords will raise the profitability of your website and play a major roll in expanding product reach and building your brand online. With so much at stake its important that you get it right first time.
SEO Scotland offer keyword research as a stand alone service or as part of a Search Engine Optimisation campaign. For further information Contact SEO Scotland