September 30th, 2008 by Hall
This afternoon we talk about keywords. And while I obviously have no idea how the conversation will turn out, I’m guessing that ultimately there’s just one ultimate question — how do I pick the right keywords?
Well hold on, not so fast.
Too often in the realm of search marketing it’s tempting to focus on the numbers — of search rankings, traffic, bounce rate, stats, etc. which do of course paint a portrait of a site’s vitality and the success of content. But more importantly is the question of providing value to customers, which the numbers might hint at but don’t entirely reveal.
When you think about the keywords you do or want to focus on, don’t just think about the numbers given to you by a keyword tool. Don’t just think about the competition in the top 10 for that keyword, or the pay per click advertisers crushing the ad space. Don’t just think about what you’re selling, think about what you have to offer.
It’s like the old adage — walk a couple miles in your neighbor’s shoes. But in this case, they’re your customers, and if you haven’t tried them on lately, you might find your business is tripping over itself more than it should.
Agree? Disagree? This afternoon’s your first chance to engage in a public roundtable with us at Hall, talking about this very subject, both the rote technical question of choosing keywords and the greater marketing vision component I’ve just touched on.
