<\/p>\n

In pre-Panda and Penguin days, keyword research amounted to little more than finding out which keyword phrases in a particular \u201cniche\u201d were searched for most often. Having compiled a list of the most popular keywords, you then built a website around them, maybe allocating one keyword to each page or post.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hello Hummingbird\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now you are forced to do a lot more thinking. You’ve not only got to find your target keywords, you’ve also got to find a set of words and phrases that relate to them. The best approach is to \u201czoom in\u201d on your subject and answer their question.<\/p>\n

Some words are almost impossible to rank for, no matter how experienced you are in SEO. For example, \u201cplumbing\u201d, \u201cemergency electrician\u201d and \u201cpainter\u201d would take a huge amount of effort just to reach the top 100 in many areas. Definitely not for the faint-hearted \u2013 or the contractor trying to run a business on the side!<\/p>\n

You need to be more specific. If your website offers deck building, don\u2019t try and rank for \u201cdecks\u201d, instead look to write content that answers questions about decks.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow much does it cost to build a deck?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are the best types of wood to use to build a deck?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAre there any contractors in XXXX who build decks?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

That last question also has you thinking locally. If you are a painter in Seattle, it would be nice to be number one in all the search engines all over the world, but really you only need to be #1 for the phrase \u201cpainters in Seattle\u201d.<\/p>\n

To know which keywords will work best for your website, it helps to be aware of what real people actually search for. The tool most people use for this is the Google Keyword Tool. Sign-in with your Google account (you need to have an Adwords account now to use the tool).<\/span><\/p>\n

I find it best to click on \u201cExact match\u201d in the menu. This gives you the numbers of people who actually searched for the particular keywords \u2013 and not a phrase that include them. Similarly, I click \u201conly show ideas closely related to my search terms\u201d and (unless I\u2019m targeting traffic in another region), select \u201cUnited States\u201d as my location, as this is the largest English-speaking market.<\/p>\n

If I already have my keyword phrase in place, I\u2019ll click on the \u201cOnly show ideas closely related to my search terms\u201d, if I\u2019m looking for ideas, I\u2019ll leave it blank. Make sure the \u201cKeyword Ideas\u201d tab is highlighted.<\/p>\n

You will then be presented with a list of your keywords and an approximation of how many people are searching for each of them globally and in your chosen area. When the results come up, I click on the \u201cLocal Monthly Searches\u201d tab, so that they are displayed showing the most locally searched-for phrases first.<\/p>\n

Make a list of keywords you consider most appropriate to your business. I usually gather up more than I know I\u2019ll need, just to be on the safe side. A typical list for me might have 20-30 keywords in it, even though I\u2019ll probably only use half of them.<\/p>\n

Photo Credit: zen<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In pre-Panda and Penguin days, keyword research amounted to little more than finding out which keyword phrases in a particular \u201cniche\u201d were searched for most often. Having compiled a list of the most popular keywords, you then built a website around them, maybe allocating one keyword to each page or post.\u00a0 Hello Hummingbird\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,34],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8756","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-articles","7":"category-contractor-websites","8":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\n