You hear it being talked about at all the web marketing companies. You think you know what it means (and what the consequences are if you don’t do it) but there is still a grey area that is ambiguous and you are not sure if it is going to sink your online web presence. Using effective keywords throughout your entire website is the make or break it of what will make your business’ website successful.

Effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO … that which drives qualified traffic to your website) requires one thing above and beyond anything else: effective keyword research. The online marketing company which you hire undoubtedly employs a web developer or SEO expert who will choose the correct words and terms with which to frame your company’s website around. The SEO expert will then develop content, page titles and top level content which is focused around these most-search keywords.

If you think this is an easy process that someone within your company could just do and implement yourselves, think again. Search engines (especially Google) have become so razor-sharp strict and particular about a website’s content that your company’s website could be penalized for something called keyword stuffing. Essentially, keyword stuffing entails repeating the same keyword term over and over again (in order to bulk up your company’s search terms), without adding any relevance or additional benefit to your website. Keyword stuffing can actually make your company’s website drop in rankings!

Here is the Cole’s notes version on how to optimize your website with the most effective keywords. First, know your business. What words would someone logically type into the Google search bar in order to seek out your product or services? Second, know your competitors. If you go onto their websites, which terms and keywords do you see popping up over and over on their key content pages. Think about targeting these keywords as well. Third, consult the king of all search: Google. There is a free Google keyword finder at Google AdWords. If you type in a word or a phrase, Google will immediately tell you how much advertiser competition there is and how many searches for that phrase are made in your country each month. This data is gold! Lastly, it’s all about content, content and more content! Now that you have identified your perfect keywords and phrases, it is time to use them on each page of your website (aim for three to four times a page).  This step sounds easy, but the blend between keyword stuffing and including enough keywords is a fine art.

Once you have accomplished these steps, you can improve your company’s ranking and thereby increase the level of qualified leads and traffic to your company’s website.