Effectively build a keyword list

There are a multitude of factors that should be considered when you optimize your web site. When developing great web copy that will provide valuable visitor information and great natural search engine results, begin by building a keyword list. Here are a few ideas to help get your keyword research started.

Here are the steps I use to optimize a website:

1. Identify website themes.
Look for brand names of the products or services that are unique to that particular website. Remember, the website name itself is a brand name too. Then determine the main themes of the website.

2. Create a keyword list
Write down all the keywords related to the brand and themes of the website site. Try to also include keyword phrases in your keyword research. There may be millions of web sites that are similar; therefore you need to sharpen your focus. Search for the niche keywords and keyword phrases that support your brand and main themes. If your niche is too competitive you will have a harder time getting high search engine rankings. Ideally you want your site to appear on the first page for one of the major search engines…Google, MSN, ASK or Yahoo.

3. Use a keyword selector tool.
Pick related keywords, these are words that are something like the main keyword list you created above. You may be able to blend them into the content of your site as it grows. Keywords that have a very narrow focus may not be a popular search term. When I broaden my search to comprise themes and categories, I repeatedly find hundreds of words that relate to the topics that work with my keyword list. To find out how often people are searching on the identified keywords you need to use a keyword selector tool.

I use a combination of both free and paid tools. The real work is understanding the keyword selector tool and the results that they generate. It’s not always the highest search results that will give you the best keywords.