Common sense strikes back, it seems, as I can’t swish and flick my SEO wand the last couple weeks without hitting someone who’s talking about being on the “first page of Google.”
The first page of Google. Right, yeah seems like common sense, doesn’t it. We all want to be there. “Get on the first page of Google in 30 days.” “First page of Google in two weeks.” “First page of Google 5 minutes ago…just sign here, step right up everyone’s a winner!”
It makes my soul hurt. Here’s the problem with all that: Google doesn’t have a “first page.” Read that one more time.
What people mean when they say “the first page of Google” is page one of search results for a particular query. But that’s one, single search phrase. It’s unique to that phrase. Conclusion: Google has as many first pages as it has search phrases submitted to its system. Where’s the “common” here?
So when someone says “page one of Google” or “the first page of Google,” ask them what specific search phrase they are referring to. Because I guarantee the guy offering to put your wizbang store on top isn’t going to be able to do it for the term “wizbangs.” It’s too general, too competitive. Try “purple wizbang cylinders” and then maybe you have a shot.
But that’s a completely different “first page,” isn’t it?
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “Common sense isn’t.” I find this to be true more often than not.
In the case of SEO and keywords, many times it seems “common sense” needs to be ignored or thrown out the window entirely. Every person has their own perspective and their own ways of doing things. Search is no different. Ask 10 people to find a single product online, you’ll probably get 7 different keyword searches.
So where is the “common” here? We all want to optimize our websites for search engines – that’s how we get found these days. Hell, I have clients telling me this now, so I’d say it’s probably common sense. But what does it mean?
What is optimization?
“Optimization” seems to have a reputation for being some magical voodoo concoction we apply to the web server, or a wand we can wave at our screens and Inquisio Optimus! Heh. Not likely, Potter.
Search engine optimization is a very focused, data-driven effort. Like a thin-beam flashlight in a dark room, you can’t focus everywhere at once. You need to find the most relevant area (keywords) to focus on, and then put them on your website in a way that makes sense.
But you can optimize for only so many keywords before you’ve diversified your website’s subject matter into search obscurity. But how do we know what keywords to focus on? It’s actually very simple.
How to Choose Keywords
There are two main figures to focus on here.
Traffic: we need to determine as best we can how much daily traffic a keyword gets. By this I mean to ask how many searches per day, on average, occur for this particular word or phrase?
Competition: we also need to find out how many other websites are indexed for this phrase. This is our competition.
Google has all this data, and they’ve generously shared it with us. Competition is easy, as you just type the term into the search field and see how many total results are returned. That’s your total competition.
To get an idea of average traffic, we use Google’s Keyword Tool (sign in for best results). So let’s say I do woodworking and I want to sell items on my website. I need people to find my website for woodworking related terms. So let’s see what Google has to say.
Local monthly average / 30
Woodworking gets a monthly average of 823,000 searches, so a daily average of about 27000. This is fantastic! So let’s look at the competition: 53,300,000. Oh. Alright, so our chances of being ranked well for this keyword…pretty much zero, unless we have millions to spend.
But I don’t just do “woodworking,” do I? How about “custom woodworking?” Google says 403 average daily searches and about 1,820,000 competitors. That’s pretty good search traffic, but the competition is still really stiff. But I don’t do all kinds of woodworking, I specialize in furniture.
For “custom wood furniture” we have 146 average daily searches with 173,000 competitors. Ah, here we are – this is a good keyword phrase. Decent daily traffic that will be relevant, and not too much competition. I have a good chance of being ranked well for this term, given the right effort and enough time.
But this is just one keyphrase – I’ll need a small list of different keywords and phrases for my site. Better get researching!
Onward, upward
So you see the “common sense” approach doesn’t always work. Just guessing about keywords and optimizing for “woodworking,” would disappoint. A strategy based on research, however, will eliminate the guesswork and afford a much better chance at success. Of course there are more factors than just traffic and competition, but this is the starting point.
We’ve come a long way since 2007, with incredible growth in the SEO/social media portion of our business. It didn’t come without a healthy dose of challenges, but that’s what we’re all about and we’re still going strong.
What we do isn’t easy in this changing world of Pandas and Zaarly’s; each new update or piece of technology brings a fresh challenge to our doorstep. Our task is to stay on top of it all *and* bring our clients with us. So we’re always reading, always experimenting, forming new strategies, brainstorming with the rest of RSA, attending seminars, trying to figure out the best approach, the reason for that traffic spike, or how to turn an apparent failure into a success or at least a lesson.
What we hear more and more often from clients themselves are things like, “I know it’s important and I have to do it at some point…,” or, “I noticed a drop in traffic when I stopped SEO,” or, “Every website should be optimized for search engines,” are becoming more common. Business owners and marketers are getting it – an invisible website is an invisible business.
So what’s the hang-up? Usually it’s budget. No one wants to throw thousands of dollars at something they don’t understand the mechanics of – even if SEO seems necessary it can still look like a bunch of voodoo.
That’s why we try to take the mystery out of it all. We tell you exactly what we’re doing and why, and show you the results.
[This guest post from Nancy Marshall Communications in Augusta, Maine, was written by Matt Rideout, Internet Account Coordinator and Social Media Strategist, and originally posted on the Alliance of Marketing Communications Agencies blog.]
Ever seen the movie “Hackers”? Computer programmers can be “different” sometimes, and their terminology for computer stuff can reflect that. Today we’ll be looking at different sorts of search engine optimization “hats,” as they are called, specifically black hat and white hat search engine optimization. Call them yin and yang or good vs. evil. Each hat has its own culture of followers, code of ethics, as well as its plusses and minuses.
One of the most important factors affecting the ranking of your website in search engine results is the number of links that point from other websites to your website. The more high quality links pointing to your site, the higher your site will show up in search engine rankings. Google will assume that because all of these websites are linking to you, that your site must be a great authority on its subject. Nancy Marshall likes to say that it’s like a person in real life. If a person has a lot of important and popular friends, then people will assume that person is also important and popular.
Chances are you have seen an advertisement or received an innocent-looking email from someone promising …Read more »
I have to admit, I thought I might need a passport and a pocket dictionary on my first day at RSA. That day I attended several meetings with the search engine marketing team, and most of the words buzzing around me sounded like a foreign language.
I’m the first to admit, I’m a search engine marketing (SEM) newbie.
I applied for the interactive marketing specialist job at RSA because writing skill was included in the job description. That sounded ideal, since I love writing and studied journalism in college. Little did I know the job encompassed so much more, and I’d be grasping to understand parts of it.
I’ll let you in on a few of the secrets I’ve learned.
Seriously, why bother? Isn’t this kind of a waste of time? It’s not like blogs really matter – it’s just throwaway content, after all. What really matters is the website.
False.
Look, the web is about two things: content and search. Content because that’s what you’ve come for, and search because that’s how you find the content. Nothing else matters.
In light of this, a blog can be the most important tool you employ for two reasons: …Read more »
With the dawn of a new year, there is a lot of buzz about marketing in 2010. The “blogsphere” is flooded with questions like, “What will be the most effective marketing media in 2010,” “Will traditional media become obsolete,” and “Where are advertisers going to spend in 2010.”
This will be a pretty big one and some are even saying that the impact of mobile marketing will surpass that of social media. Be sure to pay attention to how this develops in the coming months and years.
2. Relationship marketing and customer service:
This necessity continues to grow as social media gives EVERY customer a louder voice and influence. Remember that your customers are people too, and not just any people, but the kings and queens of your business.
3. Experimentation:
When it comes to new technologies, sometimes experimentation is the best way to see if they work for your marketing. This doesn’t mean (of course) to blindly pursue new media with no clear goal, intent, strategy and system of measurement. But, it certainly doesn’t hurt to try something new. If you don’t begin experimenting, you will be left behind.
4. Social media and SEO:
We can’t forget about the meat and potatoes of online marketing. Social media and SEO have advanced past the point of being mere buzz words. Don’t expect these two to disappear.
5. Promotions in both new AND traditional media:
Whether businesses are offering incentives to gain friends and followers in social networks, customer loyalty programs, coupons, sales or charitable contributions – promotions are sure to be another 2010 trend. …Read more »
As a business owner or marketer, you’re always taking steps to stay ahead of the competition in a marketplace that’s always changing. The web is no different; it’s always changing as well.
Businesses online must keep up with the constant changes in web technology, trends, and techniques, or be left far behind very quickly.
As for your website, you need to take dozens of constantly-changing elements into account that will, at some point, affect the value of your web presence and the viability of your business online. Here are nine. …Read more »
As the competition for attracting viewers to your web site intensifies, the questions of where to go from here keep coming. Today I am sharing my thoughts about the addition of web video to your web site.
In the audio below, I cover some basic questions that you need to consider before making a decision about web video, and talk about the age-old question of costs. While the discussion will continue in-depth in the weeks to come, this first clip should help you begin the decision-making process with some easy-to-understand fundamentals and historical perspective.
An old, rickety car slowly pulled into the car dealership lot and parked. It belched black smoke as the clunky engine finally backfired and gave up. A man got out of the car and strolled into the office. The salesman met him there, asking if he could be of any assistance.
The conversation went something like this:
Salesman: “Hi, how are you doing? What can I help you with?”
Customer: “I need a new car.”
S: “Ah, I see! Well you’ve come to the right place. We have plenty of cars on the lot, and can order anything you might want that we don’t already have. Any idea what you’re looking for?”
C: “Yes, you see I am a salesman myself, and I spend a lot of time driving to see customers and prospects. But my car is rather old, and the engine barely works. In fact, I can only drive in first gear!”
S: “Wow! I bet that makes it hard to visit many customers in a day. Can I interest you in this brand new Complete Car? It’s well-rounded with a great engine, good looks, comfortable interior, and will certainly connect you with your customers.” …Read more »
Wishing you a year of joy & good marketing
