What are Keywords? Why Do I Need Them?

Keywords are words that may be used by viewers searching for information, search terms or phrases that are related to an advertisement or ad copy.

In search engine marketing the keyword or search phrase is crucial. Keywords can be a single term or keyword phases can be used which contain multiple words.

To appear on those first few pages of a search engine a website must contain a density of keywords or phrases related to the search terms used. It is an imperative part of search engine optimization for any website.

When you go to a search engine such as Google and search for something, you are using a keyword or keyword phrase. For example, if you do a search for "website design" you are using keywords for your search. The results that come up will be as follows:

The top two results are paid advertisements (a company paid for you to see their ad when you searched using those words).

The results listed over on the right are also paid advertisements

The results listed on the page underneath the top two are your natural search results. The words that you chose for your search are listed within the content of the websites and Google is showing you the most relevant results. (This is a simplified explanation, more information can be found in SEO articles.)

If you have ever tried to figure out keywords or keyword phrases, you know it can be a daunting task.

Some websites make the mistake of just listing anything and everything under the sun for their keywords. Major search engines take into account many factors. If you are listing a keyword that has no relevancy to your website and there is no copy on your website to back it up it will not be taken into consideration. Another mistake often seen is the over-use of keywords on a page. Again, if you are using a word over and over on your site, (when it isn't needed) in order to get higher rankings - you are barking up the wrong tree. It won't help you get any closer to the coveted "Top".

Keyword density is key. We'll write another blog on that subject soon.

Back to keywords and how to find them...

There are many tools out there, and even services you can enlist to help you choose your keywords. I suggest going with the freebies.

Here are three that I like to use:

1. Google Adwords - Keyword Tool
This is an excellent source for figuring out what your keywords should be. Simply type in a keyword or phrase that is relevant to your website (make sure you check synonyms) and get your information. Another excellent tool is the next tab over "Site-Related Keywords". You can simply enter your site url and see what keywords you should be using based on the content that's already on your site.

2. Overture Keyword Selector Tool
This is Yahoo's PPC campaign (Overture) tool. You can enter a keyword and search and you will be shown the keyword phrases and how many times they were searched for on Yahoo for the previous month. This is a fabulous way to see if you are on the right track. If people aren't searching for what you are advertising, you may want to take another approach.

3. Google Suggest
This is a fun tool that guesses what you're typing and offers suggestions in real time. It also shows you the number of times the phrases were searched for. It can be useful to give you ideas of what other searches were performed using one of your keywords and inspire you to find new phrases.

Remember, it's not just about what your keywords are, but how you use them on your site and in your advertising.

Joanne Pele is the Vice President of Operations at Complete Business Systems. Complete Business Systems provides a ready-to-go branding package for your company, including website, logo, business cards and letterhead. Additional services include postcard design, databases, press release and web content writing. For more information, visit Complete Business Systems or call 800-479-9186.

New Business Website Help

Congratulations! You've started your new business and now you're ready to have your new website built. It's an important step in your business success. Naturally, as this may be new territory for you - you have some questions. We're here to help you!

Whether you've decided you'd like an online business card or catalogue, or you'd like to open an online store (Ecommerce website) - it'll help if you understand the basics of the Internet and websites and how it all works.

Once you understand the basics, it's not complicated at all. For simplicity, I like to use the analogy of your home to describe how websites work:

• Website: A website is your "home" on the Internet.
• URL: A URL is your "address" on the Internet, and it includes your Domain Name.
• Hosting: Hosting is your "rent" for being on the Internet.

Where to start?



First you'll need a domain name. We have touched upon domain names in previous articles, you can read about Domain Names here.

Next up, you'll need to find hosting. Many web design firms are now offering hosting in addition to website design and you may be able to find a designer that can help you with all four of your requirements:

1. Domain Name
2. Hosting
3. Website Design
4. Website Maintenance

Finally, you'll need to work on your website layout in order to communicate with your web designer what you'll require for your website. We've listed the basics for you:

Decide what type of website you'd like to have:

• Brochure: A website that showcases your products or services with images and descriptions.
• Educational: A website for people to read information about your company or services.
• Ecommerce: A website where you can sell your products or services directly online.

Once you've decided what type of website you'd like, you will need to figure out what features you'd like your website to have:

• Will you have members sign up for use of your site?
• Will your members require a special area to sign in before viewing their members area?
• Will you require video or audio uploads?
• Will you require a CMS (Content Management System) to enable you to make changes or updates to your websites?
• Will you require a custom contact form for your site? (i.e. online application)
• Will you require a photo gallery?
• If you require an online store, how many products will you be selling?

Now that you've planned what type of site you'd like to have and what features your site will require, choosing a specific look and design options for your site is the next step:

• Do you have a company logo? Would you like your site to match your logo colors/style?
• If you don't have a company logo, what color scheme would you like to have in your website?
• What style (if any) would you like your website? (i.e. classic, professional, high tech, whimsical, Web 2.0)
• Would you like a flash intro or some other flash element on your website?

Next you'll need to plan the structure of your website and how you would like your website to be viewed. Most websites contain main Menu items and individual Pages under those menus.

• How many Menu items would you like to have? (i.e. "Home", "Company", "Products"...)
• How many pages under the individual Menus would you like to have? (i.e. "About Us", "Mission Statement"...)
• Do you have images you'd like placed on the pages?

Now that you have your basic information you can communicate clearly with a web designer in order to begin creating your business website.

Other important aspects of your website that should not be overlooked are your website keywords, meta tags, page descriptions and analytics. Make sure that you choose a designer that will help you to market your site using SEO (Search Engine Optimization) so that you don't have to spend a bundle on an Adwords or PPC (Pay Per Click) campaign.

We created a form on our site if you'd like to download it that includes the basic information covered in this article. For our potential customers, we also have the form located online for you to fill out. We also have additional information for small business planning in our Articles section of our website.

Best of luck to you in your new business and in building your business website!

Joanne Pele is the Vice President of Operations at Complete Business Systems. Complete Business Systems provides a ready-to-go branding package for your company, including website, logo, business cards and letterhead. Additional services include postcard design, databases, press release and web content writing. For more information, visit Complete Business Systems, or call 800-479-9186