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Selecting the correct keywords can make or break
your website. Potential customers search the web
for desired sites, and if your website doesn't
have the keywords they're looking for, they'll
miss you.
Determining keywords is an art; it's best to work
backwards. What would a customer search for if
they were looking for your site? You literally
have to put yourself in the consumer's place and
let go of your preconceived notions about what
you think your keywords are. You should remember
when writing your site that you need to use words
that are not only related to your content, but
are popular search words as well. This is called
keyword optimization, or choosing the most searched
keywords related to your content.
Spend some time listing all of the words and phrases
that are related to your website content. Get
ideas from everyone you can think of and list
them all. Visit competitors' sites and see what
meta tags they use. After this research, you are
ready to develop your own keyword phrases.
There are several sites designed to assist you
in keyword optimization. Here are a few of the
free ones:-
The Overture Keyword Tool (http://www.inventory.overture.com
) lists searches related to the keyword you provide.
This tool is great for expanding your list.
Wordtracker (http://www.wordtracker.com)
helps identify keywords that will help your ranking
on search engines. Wordtracker also gives you
other keyword combinations that you may have overlooked.
The Keyword Tumbler (http://www.keywordtumbler.com)
takes your existing keyword phrases and mixes
it up to form new phrases and variations that
you can include in your meta tags.
A great website is not so great if no one finds
it. Remember to research your keywords carefully
from the consumer's viewpoint and then sit back
and watch the traffic roll in!
Evelyn Lim is a publisher of the popular newsletter
"Mapping You to Success" aimed at the aspiring
home based internet business owner. She also hopes
to educate her readers on acquiring multiple sources
of online income. Please visit her site at http://www.e-BizMap.com
for more information.
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