Search Engine Optimization Fundamentals | Stacey Morgan Smith

As I left Northern Virginia one weekend, I was in an SEO mindset, and even a road trip reminded me of search engine optimization.

I should first say that I’m a very conservative driver. I’d rather take my time getting to my destination than risk the fees and anxiety associated with a speeding ticket.

A few miles into the trip to Southwest Virginia, I found myself to be part of a pack of cars. We tended to stick to the center lane, moving over only to pass or be passed, and we were moving about the same speed. We stuck close to the speed limit, used our turn signals, turned on our wipers in the rain, and we left a safe following distance.

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Search Engine Optimization Fundamentals | Stacey Morgan Smith

So we’ve discussed that you HAVE to know your keywords and that an effective SEO campaign without keywords is like rowing a boat without oars. (You know where you’re going but are stuck without the right tools.) Well, you have to know HOW to use your tools!

How do you write with your keywords?

Well, you DON’T fill a page with them. Anybody can copy and paste their keywords over and over, but that’s one way for search engines to drop you from their index.

You should try to work your keywords into your content. Use them the way you would in natural speech. Forcing yourself to use the same tense or plural form of a word is awkward to the reader and search engines notice.

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Search Engine Optimization Fundamentals | Stacey Morgan Smith

So we’ve discussed that you HAVE to know your keywords. An effective SEO campaign without keywords is like rowing a boat without oars. You know where you want to be, but how in the heck can you get there without the right tools? There is always time for keyword research!

How do you choose keywords?

Start by thinking of every word that could be used to describe your product. Write down words people may search for to find your site. Ask other people – friends, coworkers, social networkers.

Once you have a list of possible keywords, use some of the wonderful free tools Google has provided to think outside of the box. The Google Search-based Keyword Tool, Google Trends, and Google Insights for Search provide additional keyword opportunities.

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Search Engine Optimization Fundamentals | Stacey Morgan Smith

I’ve read recently of SEO specialists who are asked to do the impossible – jump right in and optimize a site. “There’s no time for keyword research. Get links, links, links!”

 Every business needs links to their site to build authority, but every site MUST find and use keywords to attract the right visitors to their site. Using the right keywords is an integral part of your search engine optimization efforts.

What are keywords?

Keywords, or keyword phrases, are the words you use on your Web site to talk about your product or service.  They are also generally the words that searchers type into search engines (query) to find your site.

They are

• product or service words (boats, shoes, SEO, repairs), 
• descriptive words (gray slate, budget-conscious, experienced), or 
• (geographic words (Maryland, DC, Northern Virginia, etc.), to name a few.

Searchers are becoming more specific in their queries. Almost 60% of all searches are 3 or more words. When you write your content, you should know which keywords to use.

Searchers’ goals influence your choice of keywords. A searcher may be researching an item or they may be ready to buy.

Generally speaking, researchers want broad or general information, and buyers want more specific information. SEO ”rules” change every day, but this one has remained constant. 

If I wanted to find a hotel in Northern Virginia, I may search for “Northern Va Hotels” to get more information on pricing and specific locations; however, if I have already done my research and I’m ready to book a room, I may search with much more specific words, such as “Northern Fairfax Virginia Hampton Inn.”

You should have information on your site to appeal to both types of searchers; however, you may want to use different pages. If the focus of your site is selling an item, provide some pages that are purely informational. This will get more visitors to your site. It may also gain you links from other sites if they consider your information useful to their customers or readers.

Keywords are vital to SEO. Next learn how to choose them!

Stacey Morgan Smith is the director of search engine optimization for Northern Virginia Internet Marketing Company NetStrategies. With over 14 years’ experience as an editor and proofreader, she brings a different viewpoint to SEO. Along with the rest of the NetStrategies team, she can help you increase your leads from search!