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Choosing Keywords For Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

8/13/2014

Do you choose your words carefully? Your search engine optimization (SEO) success will depend on your ability to choose the right keywords for your website. Effective keywords can help increase your website's relevancy and its ranking on search engine results pages. When you consider that most searchers won't look past the first page (or top 10) of the search results, it's clear that keywords must be chosen very carefully.

Keywords used for search engine optimization can be found in two key locations. When they are used in your Web site's metadata, they will only be seen by the search engine crawlers (unless visitors have the option to "View Source" of your page). Keywords should also be used throughout the content that your visitors will see on the page when they arrive at your site. In general, it's thought best to choose 1-3 keywords per page and to achieve a keyword density of 2%-6%, although opinions vary.

While keyword selection – along with link building and even Web site design – is an essential component of search engine optimization, it's also quite challenging. For this reason, many people choose to work with a professional SEO company (like Digital Specialists, Inc.). When you're ready to choose keywords for your search engine optimization campaign, there are four key factors to keep in mind.

Keyword Volume

Keyword search volume is a valuable indicator of a term's popularity at a given moment. It can have a significant impact on search engine optimization, which means that you must choose keywords that people are actively searching for when using a search engine like Google®. You can check keyword search volume by using a variety of online tools such as Wordtracker.

Keyword Relevance

A keyword must not only be popular among searchers, but relevant to your site's content as well. By using keywords that let people know what they will find on your site, you can reach those visitors who are truly interested in your products and services. When developing your search engine optimization strategy, remember that it's never a good idea to try to "trick" search engines. Search engines value relevancy when assigning rankings, so they'll be checking to see that the keywords you use in your meta tags are also used throughout your site's content.

Keyword Competition

A simple search for a given keyword will tell you how many results the search produces – in other words, how much competition you have. The more sites that rank for the keyword, the more difficult it will be for you to compete. You can improve your search engine optimization results by finding keywords with high relevancy and low competition.

Keyword Focus

Broad keyword phrases are almost always going to make it impossible for you to achieve a high ranking. Try narrowing your focus to target your products' niche audience by expanding your keyword phrase. For example, a beauty supply Web site might try "professional hair care products" instead of "hair care".

Selecting keywords is just one aspect of your search engine optimization campaign, but it is an important one. Your search engine optimization success depends on finding targeted keywords that have the right balance of search volume, relevancy and competition.

Google Analytics: There's Finally An App For That!

8/1/2014

The New Google Analytics App - And It's FREE!

By: Adrienne Erin in Featured Google Smartphones/Mobile Applications Webmasters

“There’s an app for that!” That’s how the saying goes, but it hasn’t always been the case for some of the tools most wanted by marketers and webmasters. Take, for instance, Google Analytics. Plenty of high-level professionals have wanted to be able to use their iPhones and iPads to check real-time analytics while on-the-go, but their “app well” has been notoriously dry.

Fortunately, the landscape has recently changed for the better.

As of July 2014, there is finally an app that allows mobile users on iOS devices to explore their Google Analytics data. No matter where they are, they will now have access to most of the information that they hitherto could only find if they were tethered to a laptop or desktop. It’s a huge boon for business people who love their Apple devices, and it puts them on the same playing field as Android users who have had this kind of accessibility for about two years. Until this point, only third-party apps have been available for the iOS crowd, and those apps have been cobbled together. This app is as official as it gets, which is always preferred.

Perhaps the best part of the Google Analytics app for iPhones, iPads and, yes, even iPods, is that it’s getting decent ratings from users. As is typical with most apps, glitches abound and testers are quick to alert the world to those problems. The lack of negative feedback – with the exception of some initial login issues that seem to have been fixed – bodes well for the longevity of the app, as well as its trustworthiness. Nothing is more frustrating than an app launch that feels more like a setback than an advantage.

iOS-Based Google Analytics App Highlights

The real proof of this app’s ability is in its features and highlights. Below are some of the top ones that will prove useful to any individual who wants to monitor site data on-the-go:

Acquisition rates – To determine the number of visitors their sites are getting, as well as where they’re coming from, professionals can enjoy a screen that shows a complete compilation of all the info. The screen gives viewers an easy way to quickly determine if a landing page or other campaign is starting to gain traction. For example, on the day that an e-newsletter is released, it might be wise to check in every hour or so to see if the e-newsletter is starting to encourage people to click on links to the website. This is great for people who are data-driven.

Behavior of visitors – Want to know when your site is being viewed the most? The Google Analytics app breaks it down in a handy chart that’s color-coded. The darker the shade, the more users are visiting at a specific time. Again, this is where Google Analytics has nicely melded raw numbers with visual interest. At a glance, it’s easy to see that, for instance, you’re getting more “hits” between noon and 1 p.m. than you are between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. on a given day of the week.

Country/Territory of visitors – If you have a serious need to know where your users are coming from, you can find it with the country/territory screen. Not only does it give you an overall look at how many visitors in total you’re getting, but it gives you a breakdown of where they logged on. Though this might not be as useful for every company, it’s fast becoming useful to those that are geo-targeting their markets. In those cases, it’s extremely helpful to be able to see if a certain geographic area is being represented, or if you need to boost your marketing in that region.

Multiple site abilities – Although some users have noted that if you have more than 10 sites, it might be tough for the Google Analytics app to keep up, the app seems to be good for multiple sites. This is terrific if you are a webmaster or marketing expert monitoring sites for several clients.

One caveat is that, like all apps, the official Google Analytics app for iPhones and other iOS devices isn’t meant to be as robust as the desktop Google Analytics package. Therefore, you cannot expect to use the app in the same way that you would use Google Analytics from your laptop or desktop. Instead, the app is meant to give you all the advantages of knowing real-time stats wherever you can use a mobile device.

App Wrap-Up

While the Google Analytics app for the iPhone isn’t going to change the world, it may just change the way many people use their Google Analytics. For all those “nomads” who have no real place to call the “home office”, it’s going to be a pleasant change. After all, they can dive into their analytics practically anytime, anywhere; with this kind of ability comes instant power and knowledge. In other words, this app is ideal for the hyper-alertness necessary to stay competitive in a sphere that’s constantly changing. Any tools or platforms that provide users with that extra “edge” are welcome by leaders who are serious about getting and staying ahead. Plus, it keeps them from being surprised by a sudden dip or increase in traffic.

What’s possibly the best thing of all about the Google Analytics app? It’s 100 percent free, so the CFO can’t grumble about the cost of the product.

Choosing Keywords For Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Google Analytics: There's Finally An App For That!

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