The Science and Art of Keyword Selection:
Creativity Can Save PPC $$$ and Eliminate Competition
Perhaps the most important aspect of site success, at least initially after launch, is the collection of keywords chosen by the site owner or SEO professional hired to do the work. However, an awful lot of new site owners take 10 minutes to write down the first 20 “keywords” that pop into their head and hope for the best.
Hold on a minute. One of the critical steps in long-term site success is keyword selection and the site owner scratches down a list on the back of a cocktail napkin? There is both science and art in developing a list of keywords, and by judiciously selecting keywords, and keyword phrases, you can actually save money with any PPC program (Google AdWords, for instance) in which you engage.
You can also eliminate some of the heavy hitters within your market segment by using both the science and art of keyword selection.
The Science of Keyword Selection
Start nowhere. Start with a blank sheet of paper.
Write down what you think would make good keywords. Don’t forget variations on a theme: ski equipment, skies, ski poles, ski deals and so on. Each of those keywords will open a different file within the search engine taxonomy.
Next, use the Google Keyword Generator to expand your potential list to 30 or 40 possibilities. Use other keyword tools like SEO Elite (you have to buy it) and open source software (OSS. It’s free!) to expand your list even further.
Finally, as you’re in this data-gathering phase, Google the highest ranking sites in your business arena. Using Internet Explorer, click on View>Source to see the HTML code beneath the highest ranking sites. (There are no secrets on the web.)
Review the competitions’ keywords and add them to the list, variants, too. Okay, now you have a list of 50 or 60 keywords collected from: (1) your knowledge of the product or service including industry-specific jargon, (2) machine-generated keywords from various software programs and (3) your superior, higher ranking competitors.
Time to go to work.
The Art of Keyword Selection
The idea, at this stage, is to cull the keyword list down to 15 to 20 words and phrases.
Start by looking over the competitions’ keyword sets. Chances are, if you use the same keywords as your stiffest competition, you’ll be blown out of the water. The links on the first two pages of Google are the cream of the crop so using the same keywords the big guys use isn’t going to do your little site much good.
But that doesn’t mean these competitors’ keywords should be unceremoniously dumped. Consider them the basis for some creative, artful thinking. For example, let’s say you’ve just opened a site selling high-end, imported garden tools. The competition includes huge, brand names: Smith & Hawkin, Home Depot, Gardener’s Supply and some other heavy hitters. So how do you think “Skippy’s Garden Supplies dot com” is going to stack up against this kind of competition.
However, if Skippy is smart, he’ll change competitor keywords in subtle and not-so-subtle ways, avoiding duplication of keywords and phrases with bigger companies. Examples:
____Them You
garden tools specialty garden tools
garden supplies custom garden supplies; supplies for gardening
rakes hand-made rakes; European-made rakes
Now, not as many search engine users will query “specialty garden tools,” that’s a fact. But when users do, Skippy’s small business ranks higher than Home Depot who doesn’t use that keyword phrase. Go Skippy!
Take your list of 50 to 60 keyword possibilities and cut it in half based on the ability to rework the keyword or expand on it. Often, this first cull will include the most popular keywords and many of the keywords added to the list based on your expertise. That’s the whole point.
Search Engine Classifications
Google and other search engines employ a classification system – a taxonomy made up of millions of individual categories. Some categories are very broad – “garden tools” for example, an obvious choice for any small business selling garden tools. Sure, it’s an obvious choice – but is it a good one?
Think of it this way: Would you rather be a small fish in a big pond or a big fish in a small pond. The ponds are the classification categories that form the search engine’s taxonomy. You can go with the “big pond,” top-tier keywords and go head-to-head with deep pockets competitors who have SEOs on staff 24/7.
Or, you can get creative, artistic, and conjure up variations on “big pond” keywords to create “little pond” keywords. Yes, it’s true you won’t see as many queries for more specifically-defined categories, but a small shop can create a high rank in employing more narrowly defined categories: from “rakes” to “specialty rakes.” That small difference places Skippy’s site high in organic search results whenever a search engine user queries “specialty rakes.”
Apply the Same Principles to Google AdWords
Same deal, here, except now it’s about stretching your marketing dollars further.
Site owner’s bid on certain keywords in the AdWords program. The more popular the keyword, the higher the cost-per-click (CPC). So, the price per click on an AdWords cube might be 50 cents for “rakes” and only 5 cents for “specialty rakes.”
Once again, many more people will type in rakes when looking to clean up the yard so those top-tier keyword will generate top-tier results for the big competitors who will eat your lunch if your little store goes mano e mano.
Select and bid on lesser used keywords to stretch your AdWords budget. Remember, you only pay when your link is clicked. But, by defining your keywords with specificity and distinction from other, larger sites, you’ll show up more highly ranked for a small classification keyword.
Again, that makes you the big fish in the smaller AdWords ponds (classifications). You’re paying less per click and, as an added benefit, you’re seeing more qualified buyers. How do you know? Because they queried “quality garden tools.” This isn’t your standard issue weekend warrior. This is a gardener willing to pay for quality, i.e. a better qualified visitor.
Forget Everything You’ve head About Keyword Selection
It’s old advice. If a SEO pro tells you to copy the keywords used by higher ranking sites, find another, more visionary SEO – one who recognizes the value of applying the objectivity of science with the art of human imagination to create a keyword list that actually delivers traffic.
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