Picking the right keywords is part art and part science. You need to understand the psychology of how and why people search. People search the web to find information, answers and a solution to a problem. Sometimes it is best to get the help of keyword research services to set the right foundation for your search engine optimization

  1. Create a list of topics, services or market niches that you are planning to cover in your website. This is your list of what you want to talk about on your website. If you are a sales consultant, you may want to talk about sales coaching, sales management, sales process and lead generation.
  2. Start by creating a list of phrases you think people would use in searching. They could be the same as your topic list or they could be slightly refined. These will become your “seed keywords” that you will use in your research.
  3. Go to your competitor websites. What phrases are they using that apply to what you sell? If you go to their web page and click on view source in your browser, you can look at the keywords they list in their META Tags. You can also go to sites like keywordspy.com, spyfu.com or compete.com to uncover which phrases they are targeting.
  4. As you are picking the right keywords, start by only selecting phrases that are highly relevant to what you offer. The wrong keywords will bring the wrong prospects. If someone typed in your targeted phrase, will they want to buy what you are selling? Don’t start by selecting phrases with the highest search volume.