10 replies to this topic

[bergstenmusic]

I know this is going to sound newb-ish, but it is. What are the keywords for? Are they for search engines, and if so, does anyone have any advice for how to make my site appear in more search results...and should I add keywords to every page of the site?

[Cris D.]

Yes they help search engines find your site, but be careful, keep them valid to the content. Some search engines penalise you if you don't use them "properly". Google 'search-engine optimisation' or "using site keywords" and you'll get a host of tutorials and explanations of how to use them for best benefit.

[bergstenmusic]

Awesome, thanks

[bergstenmusic]

Should I be using keywords on just my main page, or all the pages in my site?

[darren]

Should I be using keywords on just my main page, or all the pages in my site?

generally all of your pages will be indexed, so adding keywords to all pages is a good idea. extra weight is given to the homepage, though. the keywords just indicate to search engines what content is on the page. So some say you should have a specific keyword in your content every 100 words or so. some say more... who really knows, i don't. You can be penalized, like chris said, if your keywords don't match your content, or if they keywords for every page within a site are the same.

[bergstenmusic]

what if the keywords are all relevant to all the pages in my site? For example, the company is an instrument rental company called Bergsten Music Inc so on each page i used keywords such as bergsten, andy bergsten, rental, instrument rental, massachusetts backline rental, pro audio, etc etc along with, for specific pages, the specific brands for the equipment listed.

will I get penalized for that? or should I be using less keywords on these pages?

Edited by bergstenmusic, 06 February 2008 - 05:20 PM.

[darren]

what if the keywords are all relevant to all the pages in my site? For example, the company is an instrument rental company called Bergsten Music Inc so on each page i used keywords such as bergsten, andy bergsten, rental, instrument rental, massachusetts backline rental, pro audio, etc etc along with, for specific pages, the specific brands for the equipment listed.

will I get penalized for that? or should I be using less keywords on these pages?

Not real sure about that one, there are tons of resources online from 'seo experts'. I typically don't worry too much about seo other than alt tags, key words and descriptions. Google does the rest...

[mikef]

Google does the rest...

I believe google ignores keywords ... except when misused when you get penalised. I'm unconvinced that using the keywords meta tag is useful anywhere nowadays.

[Dean]

I agree with Mike, I think I've only used them when a client has been insistent on it - Usually good enough, regularly update content will get you far.

[mikef]

plus think very carefully about what your page titles, aliases (if you're using furls) and link text should be. In the case of aliases, preferably before you launch the site.

use a google-sitemap too, and reference it in robots.txt so yahoo and msn can find it.

[PaulD]

I agree with everything said above - especially that keywords in the meta tag sense are a waste of time and effort.

Finding your 'keywords' IS the hard part. (By keywords here I mean the search phrases your customers might use in searching for your particular service - such as 'music hire East London'). It means understanding your market, your business and your genuine selling points before starting your keyword research. For most websites this is all irrelevant though and a huge waste of time.

In your circumstance unless you are offering instrument hire by post to a wider audience, your only concern should be putting your url in all your posters, leaflets, receipts, newspaper adds etc and giving everyone that walks in the door a leaflet about the site. Perhaps the site could offer a 'reccomend a friend and get this present as a thankyou' type of thing. Word of mouth is very important for regionally based services.

If you were to seo your site you would get a global audience (potentially), but of what use is that to your business?

Then forget seo and just build a very user friendly site. If you want you can even advertise in big online directories just to get regional cover, but as said earlier, Google is what it is because it is good at finding relevant sites all by itself. Just make sure your address is text and not an image on your site.

I know it is what every keen business does NOT want to hear for their first website, but here it is anyway. Your site will not generate customers by itself for quite some time. It will allow you to maximise existing customer spend, and to offer customer support, and to be 'open' 24 hours a day, to sales pitch refferred browsers, and to contact your existing customers via email etc. It will not (no matter what the SEO sites say) get no.1 in google and go on to bring thousands of people into your shop. Once accepted, you can freely develop your website slowly, organically and cheaply.

This topic is vast though and it is late and I nearly just shut down without posting this as it offers little real value except to say dont get too excited about SEO claims you may read. They are usually out of date, just plain wrong or simply a sales pitch. Uncover the secrets the pros don't want you to know - Just £20! Were you tempted? Dont be.

Good luck.