The Do's

Use Keywords within <title> Tag

The <title> tab is perhaps the most important place to have a keyword. The reason being, any text within the <title> tag shows up in search results as your page title. Keep your title short (7 words maximum) and use your keyword towards the beginning.

Use Keywords within URL

Keywords within your URL (www.shayhowe.com/seo/keyword-dos-and-donts/) are an added bonus. Repeat keywords from your URL in your document text for reinforcement. If at all possible use dashes ( - ) to break up words within your URL over underscores ( _ ).

Low Keyword Density within Text

You do not want to repeat your keywords over and over however you also do not want them to be so subtle that they are easily missed. A good density for main keywords is 3-7% and around 1-2% for minor keywords. Any keyword density over 10% is suspicious and will be considered stuffing rather than naturally written text.

Keywords within Anchor Text

Keywords within inbound anchor text links can dramatically boost your results. This is because not only are you receiving a link from an outside source, but you are receiving a link from an outside source directly related to your keywords.

Keywords within Headings (<H1>, <H2>, etc.)

Headings are a great place for keywords with an added value. Make sure that your heading is relevant to the text following it as well.

Keywords within the Beginning of a Page

Search engine spiders work from the top down. Finding your keywords at the beginning can act as a much needed push.

Keywords within <alt> Tags

Search engine spiders are not able to read images however they can read <alt> tags within images. Placing keywords within your <alt> tags will help spiders recognize valued content.

Keywords within Metatags

Keywords within metatags are not nearly as important as they used to be, especially for Google. However they are easy to install and done so properly can not harm you.

Keyword Proximity

Keep your keywords next to each other, specifically for long tail keyword phrases, without any words in-between them. If you are targeting "search engine optimization" and use "search engine" in the first paragraph and "optimization" in the second paragraph you will not benefit as much as having the phrase "search engine optimization" altogether.

Keyword Phrases

As mentioned in under keyword proximity, build keyword phrases on top of targeting specific keywords. For example, if your keywords include "design" and "services" combine them to create the keyword phrase "design services". This gives you added value keywords and increases the chances of you matching exact keywords.

Secondary Keywords

Build pages to target secondary keywords to obtain better-targeted traffic. For example, on top of targeting "web design" also target "Arizona web design". This is an easier keyword phrase to target and will provide better-targeted traffic.

Keyword Stemming

Keyword stemming, using a variety of the same word (design, designs, designed) is not extremely important but at the same time it will not hurt either. Typically search engines recognize the root of the word and thus consider all of the stems from the word as related material.

Synonyms

It is not a bad idea to optimize for the synonym of a keyword, on top of the main keyword itself, to pick up some possible traffic. The benefits may not be substantial but every visitor counts.

The Don'ts

Keyword Mistypes

Using common misspellings will allow you to pick up more keywords however you run the risk of looking incompetent. I would advise that if you are going to go after keyword misspellings only do so within the meta tags.

Keyword Dilution

Targeting too many keywords on one page will dilute and draw away from the main keywords you want to pick up. Best practice is to leave off the unrelated keywords and focus on the best performance of the major keywords.

Keyword Stuffing

Using the same keyword(s) repeatedly, making up over 10% of your overall content, looks very suspicious. Search engines will pick up on this and can potentially ban you from their search results.

Related posts:

1. Are Meta Tags Important?
2. Top 10 Keyword Research Tips
3. Content Optimization Guidelines

I have never heard anyone say that a website could have too much traffic, it is unheard of. People are always looking to obtain more traffic - and rightfully so. But how do you obtain large amounts of traffic? Research shows that the majority of all traffic comes from search engines. And how do you show up in search engines? You target specific keywords and market your website or pages around these keywords. With this, ideally the more keywords you target the more traffic you will see. Follow these top 10 keyword research tips to make the most out of your targeted list of keywords.

1. Think like potential customers.

To even begin developing a keyword list you need to know and understand how potential customers are going to search for your product or services. What may be relevant and a common understanding to you may be completely over the heads of your clientele. Technical or specific terms you use might not even be searched. Always think like a potential customer when developing keywords.

2. Analysis any competitors.

It is always a good idea to know who you are competing against. Doing so will provide you with insight not only to how your industry is being marketed online, but to also new keywords and descriptions you may have never even thought about. Visit competitors websites, check their code, and make sure that you are not leaving out anything critical.

3. Use typos and misspellings.

It is not uncommon for people misspell words and phrases in their searches. While you may not want to place misspelled words on your web page for rankings it is possible to run pay per click on these words, and they are often cheaper than the correct spelling. A good tool to use to locate common misspelled words and typos see SearchSpell Typo.

Examples:
Calendar > Calender
Your > You're
Here > Hear

4. Use acronyms and abbreviations.

Acronyms and abbreviations make up a large amount of search traffic, thus making it important for you to make sure that your not missing any keywords. Many keyword generators will miss out on acronyms and abbreviations so be sure that you are doing this yourself to uncover your full potential list of keywords.

Examples:
9/11 > September 11th
SEO > Search Engine Optimization
PPC > Pay Per Click

5. Use multiple verbs.

Everyone has a different mindset when it comes to searching, therefore you want to make sure that you are using a contrast of different verbs.

Examples:
try to play
trying to play
try playing
trying playing

6. Use both plural and singular.

Using both plural and singular keywords will easily magnify your list quickly. Most major search engines will take in to consideration plural and singular forms within organic results however keep in mind if running a pay per click campaign Yahoo Search Marketing does not while Google AdWords does.

Examples:
mountain bike
mountains bike
mountain bikes
mountains bikes

7. Use compound, separated, hyphenated, and merged keywords.

Users often search trying multiple variations of words and spellings looking for the right fit. To be sure you are not missing out on any terms or phrases research compound, separated, hyphenated, and merged keywords.

Examples:
checkin > check-in > check in
startup > start-up > start up
lifesize > life-size > life size

8. Use locations.

One of the best ways to pick up traffic is to localize your keywords. If you are looking to pick up traffic on a national level create a few sub pages targeting localized keywords in the most popular areas. This will directly target your visitors and overall will increase your conversion rate if done correctly.

Examples:
Phoenix web design
Arizona SEO
Chandler, AZ artist

9. Use Adjectives

Numerous users will use adjectives in addition to the main keywords. This is a fast way to pick up keywords and even spark an immediate interest with users.

Examples:
Good, Better, Best
Far, Further, Furthest
Much, More, Most
Little, Less, Least
or Free, Cheap, Amazing, Pretty, New

10. Refine list.

After you have built your keyword list its quite possible that your list is far too big and contains some keywords that can be tossed out. Narrow down the list by selecting a good mix of both broad and targeted keywords directly related to the subject and theme of your website. Keep these keywords as you will want to rank for both. Remove any keywords that are not relevant to your website or keywords that you don't have enough content to support. Remember it is always possible to go back and add content and keywords later as well.

Get Started!

You can begin your keyword research for free using any of the following tools. These are great resources to help you find new keywords or get your pay per click campaign off the ground. However one thing to keep in mind, since these resources are free it is likely that your competitors are using them as well. For the best results be a little creative and thing outside the box when at all possible.

• Google Keyword Tool
• Wordtracker Free Keyword Tool
• Keyword Discovery Free Tool
• Google Trends
• SEO Book Keyword Suggestion Tool

Related posts:

1. Keyword Do's and Don'ts
2. Are Meta Tags Important?
3. 10 Quick E-Commerce Tips