The fundamentals of Search Engine Marketing are easy enough. Target some high traffic keywords, add SEO (search engine optimization) and implement a back linking strategy. The online marketers job is to locate web traffic, create compelling content and then convert that traffic into sales. This internet marketing strategy has been proven for success. The problem is that most marketers take a short term view of their business and they forget to apply the basics of SEO.
When you go fishing at a lake or in the ocean; if you don’t catch any fish would you proclaim that it’s impossible?” Then if you’re not getting traffic to your site simply ask the question “where are the fish?”
Imagine showing up at the lake with the best radar i.e. (SEO tools) and then taking a picture or x-ray of precisely where all the fish are. This is how the science of search marketing works. The cool thing about the internet is that the search engines tell you what the traffic is for any given keyword. Yet time after time I see the classic mistake of people creating content that lacks any apparent keyword strategy. If you don’t have a keyword strategy you probably won’t find any traffic.
Using the Google free keyword research tool is an excellent start to developing a strategy to locate web traffic. This tool tells you what the traffic is on a given keyword phrase. The local search volume indicates the previous months search volume whereas the global search volume is a projection.
The next step in the process is to identify your competition. You need to understand the size of your competition for each keyword to see if it’s feasible to rank.
The question here in strategic terms is if your competition is a midsized battle ship or are they an aircraft carrier?
Here are some basic parameters by which you can quickly gauge the market:
- Pick a Keyword with a global monthly search volume of at least 20,000 to 30,000 to ensure good traffic.
- Keep the number of competing pages on that keyword under 100,000 so that you have a real shot at ranking.
- Examine the amount of content that has been indexed and the number of backlinks to the site; as this will tell you what actions you need to take to rank.
- Identify who your competition is linking to so that you can devise a strategy to capture links from those sources.
The basics of SEO (search engine optimization) can work for you if you have a keyword set that has good traffic and moderate competition. Realize that any online marketing business takes time to develop. Give yourself at least three to six months to see the full potential of your efforts in ranking. Utilizing “social media buzz” with the social media properties can also contribute to higher rankings.
For a more in depth understanding of your competition utilize market research tools like “Market Samurai” which contains a feature that identifies your SEO competition. This tool takes into account the following factors:
- Cache date
- DMOZ and Yahoo directory listings
- Government and Educational high authority backlinks.
- The number of backlinks to a specified page.
- Number of pages of indexed content by the search engines.
- PR analysis of the backlinks and anchor text.
- Domain Age
So if you are an online marketer remember that keyword research and competition data is essential to your online success. Simply use a basic SEO strategy of identifying where the traffic is and develop an understanding of what the competition is.
Once you have your three to five keywords then focus on creating good relevant content that supports those keywords and start to build backlinks. Utilizing your keywords in the domain name, title tag, header and meta tags is essential for good on page optimization. Remember that keyword research is vitally important to your success as a internet marketer.
Great day to go fishing for internet traffic!