The cup of SEO Life…you must choose wisely.
Whenever a new campaign starts for a client there is usually some preparation that precedes the actual link building and this normally includes investigating into the keywords that will be used for the campaign. From an SEO perspective this is an absolutely essential area that must be done correctly as it could determine whether the SEO is successful or not and like with anything, further on down the line if the work was not begun correctly it could cause issues.
How to balance what they want and what you need
Of course this is not always easy as you, the Consultant or the Salesman must ensure your client is happy with the chosen keywords but it also needs to fulfil your requirements in order for you to bring a return on investment for the customer. Striking this balance can be difficult as those clients who may not be as familiar with the workings of SEO as you are will sometimes question the choices and it`s your job to turn it around into a positive direction for the campaign and to educate them in the reasoning behind your choices.
If we ignore the pricing element (as this will vary depending on how you calculate your prices) we can say that the biggest factor that can effect your choice will be the search volume data. Using Google Adwords you can determine whether that keyword is a well used term or not, after all there is no point choosing a keyword that noone will use as this will bring no business to the website. Obviously you need to be logical and make sure you are finding words which are relevant to their business (not just irrelevant to the business but that have a high search volume) but it`s finding that balance so the client is happy and you are confident in your choices.
The only time you will want to be stuck with traffic
The more people that use that phrase or keyword, the more hits it will likely attract and therefore the more traffic will be driven to the site. A simple concept and it cannot be stressed enough but it only works if you choose your keywords wisely. Of course there are methods including longtail which can get you out of the mud so to speak, as longtail can be used to expand on the existing word and perhaps turn it into something that may command more search traffic. It`s no substitute for choosing the most appropriate keywords from the beginning but it allows some flexibility and also enables you to change perhaps the direction of the campaign in a more positive way.
Ultimately, we are here to get the customer a return on their investment and so it makes sense to ensure that when starting a campaign and preparing the details, whether it is a Salesman or an SEO Consultant , that we are doing the research, choosing the best keywords for the client and getting the results because of it.
April 4th, 2011
You mention that keywords are sometimes chosen by a Salesman… Are you entirely sure these are the best people to choose keywords? Surely keyword research should be carried out by a professional SEO Consultant? One that takes the time to understand a client’s business? Who understands the search space, who can tell a converting phrase from a non-converting one? Surely these fundamentals are not left to a gung-ho salesman? (unless your salesmen are in fact digital strategists…?)
You also mention Search Volume… You do realise that the search volume from Google’s Keyword tool is not entirely to be trusted? That Click-thru data is often far, far lower than search volume… That in order to actually give a client a good return on their investment you need to incorporate several keywords that can be combined together to get the ‘longtail’ (that you mention briefly).
Then, once you get that first page listing, you must refine the page title and meta description to ‘attract more hits’. Not just leave it there… SEO is not just about listings, it’s about conversions too. You appear to entirely miss this point.
Also, do you never do something as simple as look at existing search traffic – what keywords bring in visitors already? Do visitors convert from these keywords? Where are these keywords in Google’s index? etc, etc… Always asking yourself: How can I positively impact my client’s business here?
You don’t even appear to fully understand the basic concepts of SEO. I think it is a shame that you published this article, there is a lot of interesting and genuinely informative and useful information on this blog, but this one is well below par. I suggest whoever wrote this should learn their trade before attempting to ‘instruct’ others.
April 7th, 2011
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April 10th, 2011
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