Choosing the right keywords can dramatically increase your Web
site traffic. How do you know if you've picked the right ones?
These three steps will help you make the right decision when it
comes to selecting keywords for your site.

1. Think like your user.

2. Do your research.

3. Be specific.

When you start coming up with possible keywords, the first
thing you need to do is narrow down what your Web site is about.
Let's say I'm creating a Web site about my favorite car, the
Porsche 356 Speedster. It makes sense that my first keyword
phrase would be "Porsche 356 Speedster."

But let's think about this from a user's perspective. What other
words might someone use to find my site? How about "sports car,"
"convertible," or "collector car"?

If your Web site is about a specific industry, avoid using
jargon. Instead, choose words that your customers would use to
describe your product or service. You have to think like your
user.

Next, you want to do some research. Take the keywords you've
come up with and run them through a keyword tool, like the one
from Yahoo! Search Marketing. There you will see how popular
that phrase is as well as possible
suggestions for similar
words.

If you have Web analytics in place, check your keyword analysis
and see what words are already driving traffic to your site. If
you don't have Web analytics, get them. They can tell you a lot
about your site and your users.

Also, research the words your competitors are using. Type your
chosen keyword into Google and view the source on the page to
see what other keywords the top ranking pages are using.

Finally, once you've come up with a list of keywords, make sure
they are descriptive and specific. While "car" is a popular
keyword, it's too broad. I would need to qualify it with the
type of car my site is about, like "German car." Even then, I
would be competing with Volkswagen and Audi.

The more relevant the keyword, the more qualified traffic you
will receive. So pick your keywords with care. It's not an exact
science. It's a combination of analysis, experimentation and
good old common sense. It is important, though, so spend the
time and energy it takes to get it right.

About the author:
Kari Freudenberger is an SEO Specialist at Brook Group, a
full-service Web development firm near Washington, DC. For more
articles by this author, visit href="http://www.brookgroup.com">http://www.brookgroup.com.