Keyword research is the cornerstone of a successful organic SEO strategy. A successful small business Search Engine Optimization strategy depends upon a solid foundation – and that foundation is keyword research. If you are not targeting the terms that are most popular in a keyword search that applies to your business, little else matters from an organic SEO perspective.
You invest in business cards, letterhead, inventory, logo design and small business website design…why not make a small investment in making sure your website has the potential to drive targeted visitors to your website. An SEO audit and keyword research services are logical bedfellows and each provide very useful data that can be used to create a more search engine friendly website.
Without Keyword Research, You Don’t Know Jack
Assuming you know what terms apply to your business without keyword research is a bad idea. Many small business owners make the mistake of believing they know what terms prospective customers use in a keyword search in order to find their products and services. Often that assumption is wrong and targeting the wrong terms can have a catastrophic impact on a site’s performance. Having an SEO Specialist take on the important task of keyword research is an investment in the future success of your small business website.
Keyword research is the absolute first step toward implementing a successful SEO strategy. Trying to optimize a site without it is like trying to drive from New York to Los Angeles with no map and no GPS. Keyword research services from SEOAly help to put you on the path to success and make sure that you start out going in the right direction, rather than veering off course into the land of anonymous websites that never get found in a keyword search.
SEO Services, and the cost of keyword research services in particular, varies widely based on a number of factors – including the size of your site and the number of terms you intend to target. SEOmoz, whose blog has nearly 35,000 readers, created a blog post that helps business owners better understand the pricing for SEO services: “SEO Pricing & Costs – What Should You Charge / How Much Should You Pay?” Much of that pricing falls well outside what typical small business or start-up can afford.
I offer three keyword research packages to meet the needs and budgets of small business owners. You can expect to receive your report within 30 days of placing your order. So…what are you waiting for? Your keywords aren’t going to research themselves!
Primary Target Terms – $99
This keyword research package is just as the name implies. I will identify up to 10 of the most popular keyword terms that apply to your website and your target audience. This is the basic solution for a small website (typically of 5 content pages or less) and is a great first step toward making sure that your website is targeting terms that are widely used in a keyword search.
Primary Target Terms with Competitive Data – $199
This package takes basic keyword research a step further. I will identify up to 20 of the most popular target terms that apply to your website, but also provide you with information regarding the competitiveness of those terms.
The more competitive a term, the more difficult it is to rank well for it. The key to a successful organic SEO strategy is not only identifying the terms that are used regularly in a keyword search, but also targeting terms that do not have an enormous amount of competition. Not surprisingly, this is the number one choice of most small business owners as it provides the most bang for your buck without breaking the bank.
Complete Target Term List – $299
The complete keyword research package includes a much longer list of target terms that apply to your site. The complete package also includes data on the competition for each term, making it easier for you to target popular terms that have the least competition.
Identifying the long tail keyword terms that apply to your site allows you to leverage the power of blogging more successfully by writing keyword focused posts that your target audience is interested in. And blogging is a fantastic way not only to lead your target audience to your blog, but to establish yourself as a leader in your niche from the perspective of search engines. Why? Because it will help you rank better – that’s why.
Once your site targets the appropriate primary and secondary terms, targeting any remaining tertiary terms – even those that generate a moderate to low number of searches on average – could provide a significant overall boost in traffic. This package is very useful in helping you to identify a wide variety possible terms that apply to your site and taking full advantage of the potential traffic that can be driven to it from the organic search results. The number of terms included with this package varies greatly and can range from 30 terms in upwards of 100 terms, depending on your niche and target market.
I Researched My Keywords…4 Years Ago
Um, okay…good luck with that. I’m sure the terms on that keyword research report are still 100% accurate and valid. As are the search volumes included on it. Look, user behavior changes. Search users may not use the same terms in a search today that they used 3..4…or even 1 year ago. What do you suppose the search results for the word “tweet” looked like 5 years ago? I guarantee there was no mention of Twitter among them.
The terms people use and the information they’re hoping to find when they do is constantly evolving. Don’t assume that the keywords someone used to find your site 2 years ago are the same terms they’d use to find it today. The only way to know for sure is to do periodic keyword research. Don’t assume. KNOW!
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