The basis for good keyword research is first knowing what you are trying to achieve, e.g. sell mp3 speakers, then thinking about how your customers are going to try to find you. So for the example given above, ‘mp3 speakers’ as your keyword is going to much less effective than ‘buy mp3 speakers’. This is because someone searching with the keyword ‘mp3 speakers’ could be looking for repairs or reviews and not to buy. By targeting the ‘buy mp3 speakers’  keyword you can pull in more effective traffic from the search engines that is more likely to convert into a sale as the user is already looking to buy speakers.

The most important aspect of keyword research is to be specific, I have come across many businesses who have selected keywords that are far to broad, the problem with selecting broad keywords is that there is usually more competition for them. If you select more specific keywords you can reduce the amount of competition for rankings as well as driving targeted traffic to your site.

When I first meet new clients one of the most common problems is that they do not know their keywords, some have been running sites for several years and are not targeting a specific audience. The first hurdle is to convince them that they are trying to attract a far to broad audience, when I look at their websites their main keywords are usually 1-2 word phrases rather than 3-5 word phrases which are more effective. I should point out at this point that big companies with larger reputations in a field can rank highly for 1-2 word phrases, but generally the small/medium-sized businesses that I work for do not have the resources in order to compete with these companies so they have to focus on the longer keyword phrases.

The process of selecting keywords is not easy, but I look to break it down into three steps:

1. Analyze your business goals (Are you looking to sell a product/service, provide information)
2. Analyze your target audience (Who will be searching for your business?)
3. Analyze search engine trends and competition (How much competition is there for keywords)

Following these steps should lead to more specific longer keyword phrases by combining elements from each stage, if you are looking to sell products then you should consider adding words such as “buy” and “purchase” to your keyword. If your target audience is local then you should add your town/city/region to your keyword.

Hopefully you now understand that being more specific with your keywords can lead to better rankings and traffic from search engines that should convert into more business from your website.

Still feel a bit lost? Why not let us handle your SEO campaign, you can find more details by checking out our Search Engine Optimisation service.

Why Does My Business Need This Service?

It is well-known that the websites ranked in the top five positions on the search engine results pages take 80% of the traffic for their keywords. If your website is not in the top five then your businesses is missing out on targeted traffic and sales.

Our SEO service aims to get your website ranked in the top five for your given keywords and drive targeted traffic to your website.

The Offer

We are offering 50% off our SEO service when you sign up for three months, a saving of £195. Our service usually costs £130 a month but we are offering it at £65 per month for your first three months.

This offer is only valid for campaigns that start before 30th June 2010.

If you are interested in this offer or would like more details please Contact Us quoting ‘SEO 3 Month Offer’.

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity.

A website can help to grow your business to a point that will leave you wondering why you never had one from the start. There are so many advantages to having a website, such as:

• Available 24/7
• Internet marketing
• Communicate with potential clients
• Adds credibility
• You clients expect it

Many small business owners believe that you only need a website if you want to sell products and services online, this is not the case. A small website with information about your company, what you offer and how to contact you can also help to build your business.

Chances are there are potential clients searching for your business on Google as you read this but are heading straight to your competitors who do run a website.

So, to answer the original question; no matter how big or how small your business is you still need a web presence. A small website with information about your business and contact details can be enough to stop your competitors stealing your potential clients.

We know that taking the step of developing a website for your business is daunting, that is where we come in. We make the whole process simple and most importantly affordable, for more information see our Website Design service.

Many businesses create a stunning website but then leave it to gradually rot away over time and lose effectiveness.  It has been proven that a website that looks outdated will put off potential clients from using your business.

Your website represents your business so if it looks outdated then potential clients may feel the same way about your business. By keeping your website looking sharp an up-to-date you can project a positive impression of your business to potentail clients, which could generate more leads.

Below we outline some scenarios which might suggest your website is due a redesign:

1. Unable to add fresh content – If you are not able to add new information about your businesses products and services or upcoming events then you are not interacting with your potential clients in the most effective way. A website is a great place to interact with potential clients and tell them about exciting developments or offers that may turn them into customers.
2. Poor navigation – If users are not able to navigate your website effectively then they will not find the products or services that you offer, this can lead them to go to your competitors where they can easily find the product or service that they are after.
3. Website not listed on Google – Many businesses do not rank in the search engines even if the businesses name is typed into the search engine. This can be fixed by creating a more search engine friendly website that allows the search engines to understand what the website is about and rank it accordingly.
4. Dated information – Many websites still show information about events or offers that are no longer valid, bringing the websites content up-to-date will help build a better relationship with your potential clients.
5. Broken links- This refers to links that point to pages that no longer exist, this is a common problem in older websites as the Internet changes at a rapid pace and websites come and go. A website redesign can remove any links that are no longer valid.

These are just a few of the indicators that your website is due for a redesign. If you think that any of these ring true for your website then have a look at our Website Redesign service.