The use of keywords and phrases is the most important aspect of effective search engine optimization, otherwise known as SEO. Having a good grasp of how SEO works will guarantee the most visitors to any website or advertising page, regardless of the intent of the online user of the search engine.
Therefore, keyword research is a valuable study to undertake not only for advertisers but for anyone who wants to attract attention to their particular topic of interest. The relevance of the words and phrases that the host uses will maximize the number of visits, or “hits”, to their page or website. Yet there are other factors that affect the flow of online traffic.
Keywords have been used since the beginning of the internet as a management tool that allowed the advertiser or host to control the focus of the various search engines being used. At first, the field was wide open for any word or group of words to be used in attracting hits. But the irrelevant application of keywords began to frustrate users enough that certain guidelines were adopted to refine relevancy and assure more rewarding results for online searches.
The providers of search engines modified the algorithms used in calculating keyword relevancy to the extent that not only was the use of words refined, but the length of the text, the number of times keywords appeared, and even the relevant use of text content became more important than ever. That is why keyword research is so valuable in today’s public forum.
Keyword density is an often misunderstood concept. On the face of it, this would simply mean using a keyword or phrase as often as possible in a body of text, a topic title, or an advertisement. Yet the overuse of keywords can actually defeat the purpose of the posting itself. It can not only cause misdirection to unrelated websites and information pages, but it can and will frustrate the online user to the point that they will stop the search right then and there and use a different phrasing in the search engine. The attention that was sought will be lost, and the searcher will undoubtedly remember the unwanted results and the websites that were associated with it.
One of the more important factors in keyword research is learning how to use not only the correct words or phrasing, but how to analyze the effectiveness of the keyword usage. This is a wholly separate science itself and has understandably become invaluable to advertisers and market researchers who must make the best use of their words, considering that costs and profits are centered around the number of clicks their offerings receive. That is why a great deal of time is spent on keyword relevancy and on alternative word groupings to better understand how to keep the users visiting their sites.
Whether the goal is attracting attention to an advertising display or to a body of text for information and entertainment, keyword research is still one of the most rewarding tools in use today to keep those clicks coming.
Contextured can help your business with Search Engine Marketing and search engine optimization via their Online Web Marketing Service. http://www.contextured.com