Nowadays, if people want to look for something, whether it’s an answer to a simple question or the location of the nearest pizza delivery place, they use search engines. Gone are the days of using the yellow pages and area maps. Search engines like Google and Yahoo have forever changed the landscape of how things can be found.
As a small business website owner or operator, you should tap and maximize this trend by making your website more visible to search engines through these keyword targeting and search engine optimization tips.
Focusing on Specific Keywords Related to Your Business
A website, no matter how large or small, should include at least some related keywords in the title tag or body of the pages. These keywords are then used by search engines to generate results for users. Keywords are not merely disjointed single words but can actually be phrases which should be able to adequately define exactly what your website and company offers while being simple enough to be easily understood and found through searches.
In selecting these target keywords, make sure you avoid these common keyword targeting mistakes that people make:
- Too little or using only one word as a keyword
- Too much or using words that are too common or general and lastly
- Too rare, by using words which are too specific or specialized.
The trick in making your website stand out in search engine results is actually striking a balance with all three factors.
Too Little
Too little, meaning using single words for your title tag will likely not translate into getting higher ranking in search engines which will also mean that the site will become less visible to potential clients. Imagine owning a custom-made pillow company, if you were to put “pillows” on the title tag then you’ll likely rank pretty low on the search results. This is because people searching for pillows by simply using the word “pillows” will have to sort through roughly 73 pages of results, including some rather disturbing ones, I might add.
Too Much
Too much or using general words also wouldn’t work. It doesn’t mean that just because you use more words, the results would improve, by putting “custom-made pillows”, the terms are still pretty general and will probably still result in a low search rank.
Too Rare
Conversely, one should also consider that being too specialized in your title tag would be counterproductive to getting hits on your site. For instance, lets us return to the pillow company for a moment and change the tags to say “abrazador pillows dophin designs”. You’d probably get a top stop for the searches for this specific query but then how many people will actually be looking for that specific item?
The key therefore to make your title tag and key words stand out in order to target those visitors who would be interested, if not actually searching for the service or products you have to offer. Instead of putting “pillows”, why instead not use “custom-made pillows” or better yet specify a location in your title tags like “custom-made pillows New York” so that clients who are looking for that product can easily determine where you are.
In the case of “custom made pillows New York” you immediately narrow down the search field and you’re more likely to get a higher ranking in search engines. Remember that in designing your site, you should always think about what you would do if you were searching for something. If you were living in New York and looking for a custom pillow store, you wouldn’t merely type in “pillows” unless you want to sort through all those pillow sites in hope of finding one that is in New York in the first few pages. You’d probably narrow your search down.
There are certain tools which can provide necessary information on how to customize your site based on the different search engines. Try checking out the following keyword tools:
You can also hire Search Engine Optimizers (SEOs) whose job it is to make sure that your small business website can get near top results among the search engines. But be wary of the SEOs you select. If you are no familiar with SEO, you can read Google’s explanation about the subject in Google Webmaster Central. It is pretty nifty and has a number of useful tips for starters and advanced users, as well.
Again, remember that the goal is to get more customers to avail of your services or products and your small business website is an excellent tool to help you do this. Your objective is therefore to make sure that your website performs its purpose by optimizing to get as much relevant hits as possible, which can hopefully translate into sales.
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