Picking out Keywords

When someone uses a search engine, they type words into the search box to find what they are looking for. These words are referred to as keywords or key phrases.

Keyword selection is what any optimization mission starts with. The rule of thumb is to start off with keyword research even before you start compiling the content for your pages. However, it is not always possible, and the most common situation is when you've got a website needing optimization and the content is already in place.

As we cannot make a site appear on top when people search for any word (and it isn't worth trying to), we want our site to appear among the first search results for the terms most relevantly reflecting our business
In this Step, you will learn:

* Basic guidelines for keyword selection;
* The many ways to obtain keyword suggestions;
* Parameters and ways to estimate the potential of every keyword / key phrase.

The algorithm to perform a keyword job is as follows:

1. Figure out the strategic keywords you want to start off with.
2. Conduct preliminary keyword research. Get a list of keyword suggestions for each page.
3. If necessary, select or change the domain name and the names of the pages of your site according to the obtained results.
4. With the data obtained at step 2, perform your advanced keyword research and complete the list of keywords you will use for optimization on each of your pages.

As a result, every page of your site must have 1-3 exact keywords / key phrases associated with it.

You may want to print out this scheme and make it your checklist while working with keywords.