Keywords and keyword phrases

Quick tips

When you type words into search engines such as Google, Yahoo! or MSN you are typing in keywords or keyword phrases. These are the words the search engines will look for to provide you with a selection of potential pages that match your search query.

If a potential visitor is going to use these keywords and phrases to find specific pages, the search engine results page pages that will be presented to him will include those keywords and phrases.

If the page on your website does not have those keywords or keyword phrases, your web page or website will not be found for those terms by the search engines.

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Choosing keywords and keyword phrases

• Find keywords and keyword phrases for one page at a time ~ not for your whole website
• Think of what words and phrases are most likely to be used by potential visitors to search for that single page
• Choose keywords that accurately reflect the content of each page
• Choose words that are searched for. It is pointless choosing keywords that no-one uses in search engines
• But - choose words that are not too popular. If the word or phrase is very popular, then you will be competing with hundreds, thousands or even millions of other pages!
• Don't use your business name - how many people will actually search for you by name?

More information about choosing keywords

How to research keywords

• Select a phrase that accurately reflects the content of the page you are working on
• It doesn't need to be grammatically correct
• Don't make it too general
• Think of words your target audience are likely to use
• Use about 2-6 words
• Check this phrase in a "Keyword suggestion tool"
• There are many free online tools
  • WordTracker or Google's AdSense Keyword Tool (both open in a new window)
  • Enter your chosen words and the tool will compile and display a list of keywords and phrases that are most often searched for and they also offer suggestions for alternate, but similar, words
• Adapt the phrase as necessary
• You may need to change, add or delete, some of the words
• Check again in the "Keyword suggestion tool"
• Look for a phrase that is searched for, but is not too popular
• You may need to start again!
• Then check out the phrase you think is best in the search engines
• Use these keywords and key-phrases to optimise that one web page

More information about researching keywords

Where to use keywords

1. On the web page
   1. headings and sub-headings - use them to structure your page with page headings and sub-headings with heading tags
   2. web page content - use keywords and phrases naturally throughout the content of page
2. Behind the web page, in the coding
   1. file name
   2. title tag or page title - use them in the page title
   3. meta description tag - use them in the page description
   4. meta keyword tags
   5. alt tags on images - use them in the "alt" descriptions of images
3. Other web pages
   1. on your website - use them in links to your page
   2. on other websites - get links from other relevant websites to your site
4. Domain name - if you don't have one yet

But - don't "stuff" your page with keywords

More information about where to use keywords

If you don't have access to the code for your website, ask your website designer to make the changes for you.

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If you have more questions or you need more help or advice, please contact us and we will endeavour to help you ~ without any obligation.