Most of us are aware of the rise in search tool and
directory listing costs, which have gone from $0 to upwards of $200 depending on
the tool and the ranking you are targeting. First and foremost in our minds,
then, is the question "To pay or not to pay?" And many of us are
paying.
I
f you are going to pay for search tool reviews,
listings or rankings, you will want to make sure that your site's code and
content focuses on a relevant and realistic search term. If it doesn't, you are
wasting your money.
How Do Users Search?
Something to consider before choosing your search phrase
or term is how users actually search on the Internet. According to Search
Engine Watch, 44.8 percent of searchers use more than one keyword in a
search. Only 28.6 percent use single search words and of those users combined,
76 percent will try new search terms to find the sites they are looking for when
they don't receive the results they wanted.
Generic or Specific?
The level of difficulty in achieving a satisfactory
ranking is often determined by the generic degree of the search words or terms
you select to represent your site.
In looking at examples from the e-travel industry we
understand that the generic word "travel" represents all travel,
vacation and holiday topics and services. Therefore, choosing to target a
generic word pits your Web site against higher numbers that may not even be your
direct competitors. This further reduces your chances of ranking success.
Popular Related Search Terms
Choosing a search term that best represents your services
or products is the first step. The second is to determine what your potential
customers are typing into search tools. There are a number of sites on the
Internet that will provide this information to you when you join as a member or
begin considering your advertising campaign with them. You can also get such
search information from Google.
In using the e-travel example again, we can see that the
word "travel" was requested for an estimated three million times last
month on these two search tools. Further investigations shows us that
"travel guide" was sought out around 50,000 times and "tour
operator" only 25,000.
What's Your Chances?
A search word or phrase that is popular won't always
bring in the traffic. Another consideration is the number of competing sites
against a term. Word
Tracker offers a free trial in which you can determine what you're up
against.
For the "travel" example there are an estimated
40 million competing sites but for the term "travel information" that
number drops to less than 500,000.
Invest Time Now, Pay Money Later
Take the time to invest in finding the appropriate search
term for your site before you begin paying for reviews or listings. With a
little knowledge and a little calculation, you should be able to determine the
term that will offer you the best chance at search tool ranking success.
The bottom line is, plan before you pay.
Article by Cheryl
R. Cowtan, of Acumentor, a Canadian
company specializing in Internet business consulting and development. Cheryl
has been participating in the Internet business revolution since 1996,
beginning as an Interface Designer and eventually specializing in Internet
Business Consultation.
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