Targeted Traffic: Choosing The Right Search Engine Keywords
Thursday, November 16, 2006
You probably would like to have the maximum amount of traffic
to your website, and you may be looking at your website
statistics to see how many people are visiting your site each
day. But before you jump for joy over an increase in traffic,
you should consider whether you are getting targeted traffic or
not. Targeted traffic means that you getting visitors who are in
interested in your product. If it is not targeted traffic, then
you will not see any corresponding rise in orders, inquiries
and sales and when you consider it, these are the most
important statistics for your website.
If you want to get the kind of traffic that can be converted
into some tangible results then there are two steps to take:
Optimize your site for the right search engine keyword or
keywords and promote this site in places where your target
audience frequents.
Who is your site speaking to and who is it attracting? You can
find out by looking at your website statistics and seeing what
kind of searches people are finding your site with. If you are
selling used cars, then you want your site to be found by
people looking for a used car, not a new car. Whatever your
site is about you have to be careful that your unique selling
proposition is clearly identified and emphasized clearly. Your
copywriters have to make sure that the search engine keyword
that people use to search for products such as yours is
prominent in headlines and in the body text as well as in the
link text on the page.
If you are not sure how the usual Internet surfer does his or
her surfing, then go to the www.overture.com site and use the
search term suggestion tool, and you will see approximately how
many people searched for a particular term and what variations
they used during the past month. If you get your search engine
keyword or keywords right, and if your site is properly
optimized for that keyword, then the people who visit your site
will be more likely to follow through and buy your product or
sign up for your newsletter, or take the actions which you most
desire them to take.
Also, once you have your proper keyword or keywords selected
and properly blended into your site you can get highly targeted
traffic via pay per click advertising. This can be expensive,
but if your site can really convert visitors to buyers then it
is the fastest way to get results.
Another way to get targeted traffic is to actively promote your
site in places where your target audience is located. Imagine
what your average customer looks like, how old she or he may
be, what they wear, where they live, and most importantly,
where they hang out on the web. What kind of websites do they
visit? When this is clear in your mind, then you have to bring
your site to the notice of this target audience.
Maybe you will have to advertise on sites where they visit, or
place your link on such sites or in such directories. Do they
visit certain forums? If so, then you should make some postings
on those forums. Do they read electronic newsletters? if so then
you should advertise in those newsletters or write articles that
are published in newsletters and the websites where these people
"hang out." A well directed promotion campaign will bring the
kind of traffic that is useful for you.
To sum up, targeted traffic combined with a persuasive website
equals Internet success.
About The Author: Donald Nelson is a web developer, editor and
social worker. His firm http://A1-optimization.com provides
affordable search engine optimization and website promotion
services. You can read more articles like this one at
http://www.a1-optimization.com
posted by Dennis Cheesman @ 5:31 AM,
