Many internet marketers think that keyword research is a preliminary measure in their search engine optimization efforts, but it is fundamental to all facets of marketing. It is not only for an internet site to land high in the search engine results page, but also applies to traditional brick and mortar businesses and other aspects of your marketing strategy. It is important to know what your customers are looking for in order to provide it for them.
Your customers have a buying cycle:
- The first stage is the curiosity stage. This is when a person will use a generic keyword in a search. For example, he or she may simply type in “cameras.” They aren’t really sure what they want yet, so will browse through the results until something catches their eye.
- The second stage is when the potential customer settles on brands or desired features. The keyword(s) used get more specific, like typing in Canon if that is the brand of camera that they are interested in. This gives you a clue in what people are looking for in a business.
- The third stage is the conversion stage. (This is the one that you really want to see!) The customer knows what he or she wants and they are ready to buy. The keywords are exact for the product or service they are looking for and indicate that they are comparing prices and checking availability. In this case the keywords could be “Canon EOS Rebel,” being the exact brand, make and model that he or she wants.
Knowing this buying cycle, it’s important for you to analyze the keywords you are using to see how they fit into your marketing strategy. If you find that some are totally ineffective, it’s a good idea to find others that will do more for you.
Give your tips and hints on using keywords and keyword research so we can use them more effectively.
