Overlapping Keyword Phrases

It is a good idea to use the same keywords in different phrases on a page. For example, a page that ranks well for "search engine advertising" should also be able to rank well for "search engine marketing" or "professional search engine advertising."

Only Use a Few Keywords Per Page

DO NOT try and optimize a page for 20 different keywords. As more keywords are added, the keyword density of your page decreases. It can seem as if a robot has written the page. The main disadvantage of too many keywords is that no one will want to purchase your goods, visit your site, or link your pages if the content is rubbish.

Misspelled Keywords

Although it is unprofessional to use misspelled keywords in your body copy or page title, it can however help you to add misspelled keywords to the meta keywords tag (which is explained in further detail in the Meta Tag Guide).

A useful tip for misspelled keywords is to create "Did you mean _____?" pages which focus the title and heading tag on the misspelled version of the keyword and underneath saying "Often at times Internet searchers searching for xxxxx misspell the word as _____. If you are looking for xxx you are in the right place. Learn more about our bla bla bla."

Misspelled keywords are a great idea for throwaway domains. They can give extra, easy traffic with little work. Community sites and forums often show up in search engines for misspelled keywords because of the amount of authors and members who use incorrect spelling in posts.

Plural Keyword Versions

In most cases, the singular and plural versions of keyword phrases are considered different (such as "car" and "cars"), however some search engines do use stemming. It is recommended that you optimize for common versions of your popular keywords.

Capitalized Keywords

As search engines are NOT case sensitive, you do not have to include the capitalized version of a keyword. For example, "Dog" is the same as "dog."

Localized Keyword Research

If you are targeting your site at a specific country, make sure that you are using the correct keywords for that country. For example, the word "thong" in Australia relates to a type of summer footwear, whereas in America it is a type of women''s underwear so BE CAREFUL.

Common Keyword Problems

- Do not use your internal corporate catch phrases as keywords, use phrases that people will actually search for. For example, if your company catch phrase is "Enjoy Life" and you are selling soft drinks, do not use the catch phrase as your targeted keyword phrase. "Enjoy Life" has almost no relation to soft drinks and no one will search for it. A better keyword phrase to use would be "soft drinks" or "refreshing drinks."

- Sometimes words have a more commonly used different meaning which elevates the estimated traffic and competition level without actually bringing in any more sales. This especially holds true for acronyms (examples: pics, cams).

- Do not base choose generic words of which your site is not relevant to at all and are very competitive. An example of this could be attempting to optimize my site for the keyword phrase "win free stuff"; my site is not relevant to that phrase at all, and it has a lot of competition.

Keyword Selection is a Balancing Act

When selecting keywords, you should think of words that are descriptive enough for you to qualify the person and describe your product, as well as being general enough to be something that is frequently searched for. Sales usually are far more important than just the quantity of traffic you get. The power of keywords is in their targeting. Most good keywords are between 2 to 5 words long.

Use your home page to target your primary keyword and use the other pages to target other keyword phrases.

Keyword Suggestion Tools

* Google Keyword Tool

* SEO Book Keyword Tool

* Wordtracker Keyword Tool

* Digital Point Keyword Suggestion Tool

* goRank Related Keywords Lookup Tool

* Wordnet

* Good Keywords

* Keyword Elite