Keyword Optimization and Metatags

The keys to making keywords work for you are how your site is constructed and what your content contains. First let us examine how Google and the other sites actually deliver results from keywords that you give their computers so that you can understand how to maximize your website’s visibility.

When you start a search, you may use a phrase like Hard Drive. Google culls its records and gives you results based on what it thinks is relevant. However, you may realize quickly that the top sites listed have nothing to do with a computer hard drive. However, if you go back and add the word computer, the relevancy to YOU becomes better. The approaches Google uses to determine relevancy is twofold:

1. Keyword Density. If the words “hard drive” come up many times in the article, Google assumes it’s going to be relevant to you.
2. Keyword Placement. If the keywords appear near the top of the document they are given more relevancy.

Now that you know this, what do you do with it? I recommend a keyword density of once every 100-150 words when writing articles and to make sure that you have the keywords prominently placed near the top of the article. If you are using a copywriter and give them a list of keywords to use, this is the general formula they will use as well.

If you can combine some specific keywords with more general ones, you will have solid traffic to your website. Generic keywords are typically harder to get hits on but perseverance and practice you will find a winning combination.

Metatags

First of all, I am sure some of you are wondering what a Metatag is. A Metatag is information contained within your webpage but not viewable in your browser. The tags contained within give some information on your site.

The key to Metatags is understanding how each separate search engine uses Metatags. In the infancy of the World Wide Web, Metatags were the only way that search engines searched. The computing power to catalog entire web pages was not there yet. However, they began to be abused by unscrupulous people, often having PAGES of metatags on their site trying to get you onto their site by whatever means necessary. Today, Metatags are only part of the relevancy equation or in the case of Google completely ignored.

The metatag you should pay the most attention to according to Google’s current rules is the Meta Description tag. Make sure you have an accurate and relevant description of your site and use keywords in the description. However, make it concise and do not flood the description with keywords.