A keyword can be defined as a word or phrase that can be utilized in searching for a website. Keywords can be placed in titles, a body of text, online catalogs, abstracts, indexes, notes and subject headings. Using the right keywords is very important, and keyword optimization, if done correctly, will aid in driving traffic to your site. In order to know which keywords will be most effective for your site, there are a few things that need to be done:

• Examine your websites’ first page; make sure that it contains a central theme.

• Find the words or phrases that best describe the content on the websites’ first page.

• Make a list of the aforementioned words and/or phrases.

• Do not use highly popular keywords that are being used by a thousand other websites.

• Figure out the popularity of the words you have chosen by utilizing a keyword directory or one of the many keyword suggestion tools.

• You can now narrow your list down to just a few optimal words.

Use the above process for every one of your pages, and you will be able to more effectively optimize the power of your keywords. Remember that when you are determining what keywords will work best for your site, that there are different types of keywords. Knowing about each type will aid in the optimization of your keywords.

When determining what words to use as your keywords, you should first determine what the focus of your website is, what value the websites’ information has to offer, as well as who your target audience is. Knowing these particulars in advance will help you to choose keywords that will be optimal for your website.

Types of Keywords

Generally, keywords can be grouped into three different categories. These categories are as follows:

• Theme Keywords- these types of keywords are used to target a highly specific audience of people. They are normally used on every single page of the site, and are quite effective at boosting page rank.

• Single-word Keywords-these types of keywords are normally used between 5 and 7 times on a page, and are used to target a wide, general audience.

• Multiple-word Keywords- these types of keywords, sometimes referred to as “keyword phrases", are used to target a specific audience, usually in a specific location. These types of keywords are also good at improving page rank.

Tools to Use

There are many tools available that will allow you to examine just which keywords are overused, which ones are not, and which keywords will best benefit you and your website. Since there are so many tools available, you will need to figure out the one that you are more comfortable using. Some keyword tools are free, while for others there is a charge. Some of the tools that can help you find good keywords for your site are:

• Keyword Search Tools

• Keyword Research Tools

• Keyword Lists

• Keyword Software

• Keyword Databases

All of these tools can be located on the World Wide Web, and will help you in researching certain keywords and phrases and that you may wish to use for your website.

Although finding good, effective keywords can prove to be a bit time consuming, it is better to invest a little more time in order to achieve the best results. Rushing through the process of choosing keywords and incorporating them into the content of your site will just be wasted time, as it will not get traffic to your site, nor will it improve your page rankings with the search engines.

With so many tools and processes available for you to use in your quest to find the right keywords, with a bit of time and patience you should be able to get your site optimized with the right keywords that will prove to be highly effective. Remember that good keywords and keyword phrases are vital to the life of your website. Make the task of finding good keywords a top priority when it comes to your website. You may be pleasantly surprised when your websites’ traffic increases and your page rank goes up with the search engines; all because of a few, well-placed keywords!