Keyword research is absolutely vital to SEO. By researching trends in search history you will gain crucial knowledge about your customer base. Once you know what your customers are looking for you will be able to properly reflect your website content to their liking. Keyword research and usage can be trickier than you think. Between choosing keywords, strategically placing them in all your site’s writings, and keeping up on the forever changing trends, this task can quickly become daunting. As your leader in Idaho Falls web development, we are here to help! Here are some quick Do’s and Don’ts of Keyword Research.

Do LOADS of customer research – Don’t be quick to assume.

“The customer is always right”, right? One of the best things you can do for your site is to focus on a specific target audience. You need to study your potential customers extensively. Keyword research will show you how to give the customer what they want. There are plenty of people who want your product, but they might not know exactly how to search for it. Wording is everything. Your description of your product may not match that of a consumer’s. And guess what? The customer is right! You have to adjust your wording to reflect the language used by your soon to be valued and frequently returning customer.

Do use multiple keywords – Don’t get carried away.

It is easy to get caught up in only one or two keywords. More keywords are necessary to increase site ranking. But proceed with caution, there is a fine line. If you over-do it, your posts will be impossible to follow. You’ll want to drop keywords in your writing frequently and consistently, but it’s easy to sound redundant. You will need to match specific phrasing of the keywords, but don’t be afraid to also use synonyms and other phrasings to tie your articles together. If you are constantly using the same keywords over and over in each writing, your site will be unbearable to read. The keywords are what draw the customers to your site, so be sure not to scare them off!

Don’t ignore changes in the trends. Do update keyword searches regularly.

It’s no secret that the website game is constantly changing. Keyword research is not a one time job. It’s important to keep up with the trends to keep your site on top! As you keep up with all the craziness, you’ll be sure to reap the benefits. If you’re worried you won’t be able to keep up, check out these options for website care and maintenance.

Don’t get caught up in the number of hits. Do use long-tail keywords.

The vaguer the keyword, the more competition you will have. If you are just getting started you will need to be more specific to get the rankings. It’s easy to use one-word keywords that have a high search value, but you want to make sure you are targeting customers interested in your product. For example, the keyword “tire” will be a very popular search, however, so many companies sell, repair, buy, recycle, refurbish (you get the point) tires your business will be easily lost in the many pages of results. Something more like “Idaho Falls tire repair” will narrow the search enough to bring your business up in the search engine rankings. These keywords are called long-tail keywords. Because of their specificity, they won’t get as many hits. However, long-tail keywords will bring you the long time returning customers you are looking for.

How can we help?

Now, I know this sounds like a lot, but don’t get overwhelmed. Here’s how you can get started! Jump over to our free SEO audit and see how your site is looking so far. No matter what step you are at in website development, we can help. If the audit doesn’t give you what you’re looking for or if your site isn’t quite ready for that step, please contact us with any questions.