Search Marketing Blog
Advanced SEO – Keyword Mining, Research, Expansion & More Research
Posted by Kent Schnepp on 08.03.2007Keyword research is arguably the most important component of search engine optimization, and yet, also one of the most time-consuming, and many times, the most frustrating. As the foundation for all search engine marketing efforts, in-depth research into a site’s most relevant keywords ensures that your optimization enhancements achieve prominently positioned Natural search listings for search phases that get results.
Keyword Mining
At EngineWorks, we often initiate the process of keyword generation from an initial set of keywords provided by our clients. Typically, these initial client keyword sets are extracted from previous Paid Search campaigns, which can provide historical site traffic data. However, more often then not, the client provides us with keywords that are far too broad, or completely irrelevant. In addition, we occasionally engage with clients that have no prior search campaigns or initial keyword set. Therefore, the majority of our professional SEO engagements begin with a clean-slate approach to keyword research and analysis.
Effective keyword mining can be achieved through the following process:
- Client Site Extraction – Analyze each page of the client’s site, paying special attention to the title tags, meta descriptions, meta keywords, navigation and content. Each of these elements is a potential gold mine for core keywords. Focus on two, three, and sometimes four word phrases. Don’t be concerned with singular terms vs. plural terms. Just create a list of relevant search terms.
- Competitor Sites Extraction – Gather a list of direct competitors from the client, and follow the same process from step one. Leave out any branded terms or keywords that are proprietary to the competitor’s products and services.
- Site Visitor Perspective – Often our clients use keywords that are very technical and may not make sense to the average searcher. This may be acceptable for most business-to-business sites, but it can also result in missing a significant amount of traffic for a business-to-consumer site. Try to think about terms that searchers who are not familiar with the client’s industry may use.
Keyword Research
The next step is to collect as much information as possible pertaining to a client’s initial keyword set. You need to analyze the search popularity, relevancy and competitiveness of each keyword. To do this, we utilize both proprietary applications and industry leading tools such as Wordtracker and Keyword Discovery. These tools are recommended, however, you can also use Google’s AdWords tools, Overture’s (Yahoo) Keyword Selector Tool, and the search engines themselves.
Effective keyword research should focus on the following three attributes:
- Search Popularity -How many people are actually using these keywords? In the last thirty days, how many searches were there for a particular term? This information is not only valuable for keyword selection, but also helps determine which keywords are the most important.
- Relevancy - Which keywords are the most relevant? There is no reason to optimize a site around search terms that are not highly relevant. I like to assign a relevancy percentage to each term. Branded terms are of course 100% relevant, and single keywords are generally considered not relevant.
- Competitiveness – How competitive are these search terms? Try searching for each term in Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft Live Search. Note the number of results. In general, the higher the results the more competitive the search term.
Keyword Expansion
Sift through the results from your initial keyword research. Select the search terms that have an optimal balance of popularity, relevancy and competitiveness. Filter out any terms that have no search popularity, are not relevant or are unrealistically competitive.
Often, the client’s business objectives will also come into play here. The client may be adamant about going after an extremely competitive keyword, which is fine. Just make sure they understand that there will be a significant time investment in order to achieve viable results.
Plug the selected search terms into your favorite keyword research application. The majority of these tools will provide you with keyword suggestions similar or related to your initial search terms. Jot down all relevant terms.
More Keyword Research
Finally, perform the three research steps on the expanded keyword list. You should now have a substantial list of relevant search terms to choose from. Again, select the terms that have the ideal balance of search popularity, relevancy and competitiveness. Also, be aware of the number of search terms you will be optimizing for. Don’t try to optimize a single page around twenty different keywords. Stick with one to five terms per page depending on the amount of content.
Conclusion
Keyword research is a time-consuming process. However, it is one that will pay dividends if done correctly. Take your time. Gather as much information as possible. If you do, you will be one big step closer to a successful SEO campaign.
K Andre 08.03.2007 at 10:48 am
Well said.
Lisa Peyton 08.03.2007 at 3:17 pm
Kent,
You have done a great job simplifying what can be a very complicated task.
I particularly like your suggestion of sifting through the client’s existing site and top competitors sites. Any opinion on your favorite keyword tool? Wordtracker vs KeywordDiscovery?
I have found KD has a few cool extras like their industry keywords database, which can be a good resource to find out what people within a specific industry are searching for that week.
Lisa
Kent Schnepp 08.03.2007 at 3:41 pm
Lisa -
In general, we use both Keyword Discovery, Wordtracker and some proprietary applications.
I agree, Keyword Discovery has some valuable features.
Another useful tool, specifically for keyword expansion is KeywordSpy.
Tim 08.06.2007 at 8:31 am
Great suggestions! I’d like to broaden your “Site Visitor Perspective” step in the Mining process to include Offline messaging and personal experience research. For example, if your client is a hotel chain, do they have billboard adverts (amongst other offline efforts)? What keywords and phrases are used by their competitors in offline advertising/messaging? Both online and offline familiarity with the business and industry of a client will certainly help someone expand their keyword list, or perhaps act as a catalytic for revealing thematically related keywords.
Kent Schnepp 08.06.2007 at 8:44 am
Tim –
Great addition! We typically, keep track of our client’s off-line promotions and messaging. All of which we use in our SEO campaigns. This should definitely be added to the “Keyword Mining” step.
Thanks for commenting!
EngineWorks - August SEMpdx Hot Seat Recap 08.16.2007 at 11:04 am
[...] (SEO). For more information about keyword research, I would invite everyone to read my keyword research post. For more information about basic SEO, please read the following posts: SEO Best Practices [...]