Why think keyphrases? Keywords are just not specific enough anymore to help you rank well in the search engines due to the large number of websites competing for traffic. So do not waste your time optimizing your pages using keywords only. By using specific keyphrases where there is less competition you have a much better chance to rank well in the search engines and to improve the quality of your websites traffic.
Figuring out the best keyphrases for your website will determine whether you actually get any visitors! If you use the wrong keyphrases, then your site will not have a high page ranking in the search engines, so how will you get any visitors?
Every page of your website needs to be optimized to the best of your ability. To do this, you need to think like your target audience. What would someone search for if they were interested in what your website has to offer? It is important to come up with keyphrases that relate to the page you are optimizing.
One tip is to do a search using keyphrases that you want to target and view the source code of the top websites to see the keywords that they have in their meta tags. It is a must to only use keyphrases that relate to your page only! To view the source code click the View pull down menu at the top of your web browser then select Source.
The most important meta tag is the Title Tag. Most search engines and directories use the title tag of your page for their search results and they also consider the keywords that are found in your title tag to be very important for optimization.
The correct place for your title tag is between the heading tags within the HTML that makes up your web page. Your title tag should be between 50 to 70 characters, including spaces. It may be a good idea to place your keyphrases at the beginning of the title tag when possible to avoid having them cut off.
You should include one to two of your most important keyphrases in the title tag, but do not just list your keywords. Your title should be readable and contain your keyphrases. This is not an easy task since your title length is limited, but it is very important. So spend some time on developing your title. Be careful not to just list your keywords in your title because you may get banned from the search engines, since it is considered spamming.
Just to add some more pressure, your title needs to be enticing. Even if you get the top listing in a search engine, it will not do any good unless someone clicks on it and visits your website.
The next tag is usually the description tag and it should also contain your main keyphrases. You should include the keyphrases that you used in your title tag.
The description tag should get right to the point of describing your website and should not just list your keywords. No selling in your description tag and keep the length to about 200 characters.
Did you know that the search engines read the copy on your page to figure out what you are offering? What do you think they are looking for? Maybe keyphrases?
The search engines like to see a lot of copy on your web page. The copy text should contain your keyphrases, but should be informative, helpful content. Why would someone visit your website if you just listed your keyphrases? Make sure that you use the keyphrases that you put in your title and description meta tags.
Remember, before you get to this point in promoting your website, you should have developed useful content that will make visitors stay on your website and want to come back for more! You can always add additional content by including links to articles, tips, and other resources related to your topic.
It is very important to optimize your page text since this could possibly improve your search engine listing and attract other websites to link to you!
Here is a quick list of things not to do for keyphrases:
1. When developing your keyphrases try not to use the same word more then three times in the meta keyword tag.
2. Only list your keyphrases in your keywords meta tag, meaning do not have them in your site content like - keyphrase1, keyphrase2, etc.
3. Search engines can detect whether you use the same color text as your background color to “keyword stuff” your web page.
4. Make sure you do not have more then one meta tag listed. For example, using more then one title tag is easy to do without knowing it.
5. Always submit just one version of a web page. Do not duplicate a page of your site and submit it under a different title and file name.
6. Do not submit your web page more then once within 24 hours.
7. Use only keyphrases in your meta tags that relate to the content of your website.
With the above information you can use keyphrases to get top listings in the search engines and bring targeted traffic to your website. And remember, think keyphrases not keywords!
Copyright 2006 by Joe Rispoli
Joe Rispoli has been involved in online marketing for over 10 years. He would like to invite entrepreneurs to start using his marketing information and free advertising resources to help them promote their home business all over the Internet! Visit his website to find out how to advertise your business for free.
