Real SEO, Part 2: Practical Steps
In part 1 of this series we discussed the benefits of having authentic content on your site. In part 2, we’ll discuss how to make the content easier to find by potential customers searching the web.
See Spot Run
“Users who know a lot about the topic might use different keywords in their search queries than someone who is new to the topic.” –Google
Your website now has lots of authentic content, but your customers aren't finding it. What to do? People searching the web tend to use different words than when speaking to a friend. This is where the “curse of knowledge” comes in. Because you are an expert at your business, you may use precise, high reading-level terms when writing about your business. The text on your website reads great, but is it using language that those who don’t spend eight hours a day in your world would use?
Break the Curse
Get out of the “curse of knowledge” by moving beyond your own point of view. Find three friends to help you—the less familiar they are with your business, the better. Ask them the following question:
If you were looking for a company that does what mine does, what are three things you might type into Google? (without using any company's name)
- ___________________________
- ___________________________
- ___________________________
Download Question as PDF
As an exercise in thinking outside of the box that is your office, you also should answer the same question. After you have gathered the responses from your informal survey, compare them. How did your responses compare with your friends’?
Now merge the lists of words. Weed out any duplicates and terms that are not authentic to your business. You should be left with a handful of terms.
Take this list to Google’s Keyword Tool. This handy tool gives you a rough number of how many searches are performed for any term, and it also suggests related terms that you might not have considered. Enter your list and click Get Keyword Idea. You’ll then be given a long list including the terms you typed in. If you click on Approx Avg Search Volume, you will sort the list by the most common searches.
Take time to read through this list and identify the top ten terms or phrases that are the most authentic to your particular business, taking into account your branding and posistioning.
With your website on screen and these words in your hand, which ones appear on your site? You might be surprised with how few matches there are. If you are not mentioning these phrases verbatim, there is very little chance that potential customers will be able to find you through search engines.
This is a simple starting point for you and your web content team to use in boosting your site’s findability.
In part 3 of our series we’ll reveal some of the programming techniques we use to help Google and other search engines better understand your content.
by Peter V Cook
A top graduate of Asbury College's acclaimed Media Communications program, Peter is as creatively wise as he is technically savvy. He knows business and marketing while spending his days where the rubber meets the road in code and design. Peter also writes at his blog, PeterVCook.com.
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