Keywords are the Search Engine’s guide to your web site

Keywords are words that are embedded into the code of a website to indicate what each page is about. Some keywords are invisible to human eyes looking at a web page, although you can see them embedded in the code if you have the option to view the “Source” of a web page in your browser. Other keywords can be seen by humans because they are included in the visible copy on the page.

Keywords originated in the 1990’s when it was felt that search engines were not very good a deciding what was relevant on a web page. They were (and still are) placed within specific tags in the webpage code, generally towards the top of the page.  Today, search engines are much more sophisticated and use a variety of techniques to determine what is relevant and important on a web page. For this reason, web site copywriters will try to “optimize” the content on a web page to make sure that the appropriate keywords are found not only within the tags, but also within the content. So using keywords effectively can still help move your web site up in the search rankings.

When you add keywords to your Web site code and copy you are performing what is known in the industry as Search Engine Optimization. However, unless you are using a professional company that provides SEO services , it is easy to make mistakes with keywords.

Some common mistakes when using keywords for Search Engine Optimization

One of the typical mistakes people use when selecting keywords is to make them too general. If you own a motor sport business, for example, using the keyword “motorbike” is probably not going to help boost your search engine rankings, and even if it does, visitors to your site may not be looking to buy a motorbike, but rather read the results of the latest motocross rally. However, if you use a phrase of several targeted keywords, such as “xyz brand model number dirt bike”, you are more likely to attract visitors who are specifically looking for a product you have for sale.

Another mistake is not thinking about how people might enter search terms to find something – for example, people will often misspell the word they are searching for. By having the misspelled keyword on your site, you might gain a better placement in the results. Companies that offer SEO services can often generate a good list of potential misspellings for you to target.

Also, don’t try to find good keywords by typing them into a search engine and seeing how many results are returned. The search results will only show you how many pages contain those keywords, but not the frequency at which they are searched for by real people. In order to try to find out how popular a keyword is, you can use an online tool such as Google’s Keyword Tool  or hire a professional Search Engine Optimization expert. As part of your SEO services, an SEO expert will review your Web site to develop a list of keywords that are relevant to your site, your business, and your industry. He or she will work wit you to develop a list of targeted keywords that correspond to terms or phrases that people frequently use to conduct a search for your types of services. These can then be implemented into your site as part of the tags and the content on your site.