Feedback Form
Home Features Mastermind Forums About Advertise Blog Network Contact Be An Author

Finding Targeted Keyword Phrases Your Competitors Miss

Finding Targeted Keyword Phrases Your Competitors Miss

Finding keyword phrases your competition is missing is easier than you might think. Combinations of two and three word phrases are often overlooked by your competitors when vying for the top competitive terms. This missed opportunity may be a benefit to you to overcome your competition in the search engine rankings.

Think Like A Searcher - Study Your Target Audience

Really look at the audience you want to bring to your website. Are there terms you might not ordinarily use, or that your competitors use, that would work for a small portion of visitors? Remember that single words tend to be more competitive. Find two and three word phrases that would work for a searcher looking for your website topic. If your visitors usually search on "vertical widgets", look at "horizontal widgets" as well. Dig deep to find terms that might not be obvious to you. Be sure to focus your terms on the actual topic of your website, and terms that people would really search for. Have another person compile a list of keyword phrases used to find your website or product. You'd be surprised at the number of variations two minds can come up with instead of one. Think like a searcher - not a website owner.

View Your Competitor's Source Code And Content For Keyword Phrases

Viewing your competitor's source code is very easy and a good way to see what keyword phrases (if any) they are using. Using your browser, view the source code of their page. The title and meta tags should contain the same keywords or variations of keyword phrases if the competitor's website is optimized. Look over the web page content as well as for keyword phrases worked into the text, image alt text, headings and hyperlinks of the pages. If their pages are not optimized you may gain an even bigger edge on the competition by optimizing your web pages.

Using Keyword Tools To Find Variations Of Keyword Phrases

Keyword suggestion tools will provide keyword variations for you. You can find two of the most popular, Keyword Discovery and WordTracker, by searching in Google. WordTracker and Keyword Discovery let you purchase a yearly subscription of the tool for your keyword analysis.

No doubt your competitors are ranking for many of the terms you want to rank on. Search and find the keywords your competitors are ranking on in the search results. Look over your competitors websites for keywords they may be using in their page titles or in the text on the page. Add these keywords into your list.

Begin with your list and see how many variations come up with the keyword tool results. You might be surprised at the popularity of some of the search variations you see. Be sure to add you new keyword phrases to your list. Don't be afraid to use three and four word phrases to target for optimization since most people searching in search engines use multiple words when they search.





Search On Keyword Phrases In The Search Engines

Using your expanded list of keyword phrases, search for those terms in the search engine databases. Note the number of search engine results. The more results, typically the more competitive the term. See the differences in number of search results for plural versions as opposed to singular versions of your keywords in each engine. Note the descriptions that the search engine results bring up - are there any keyword phrases there that might apply to your website? Don't forget the ads Google displays in their search results. Study the ads that come up with your search terms as well. While you are searching on your keyword phrases, check your competitor's ranking, along with the new keyword phrase variations you come up with using Keyword Discovery and WordTracker tools.

Add Keywords Reflecting Your Local Cities And State

You can also target local areas by including them in your title/meta tags and text of your web pages. List only the cities and state you reside in and/or provide services to. You never know who will be looking for a local contact producer of "blue widgets" in your city or state. Some people prefer to work with a local company. Adding in those type of specifics, even on your contact page with your local information, can pull in traffic your local competitors are missing.

Check Your Site Statistics

Last but certainly not least, check your search engine stats program or raw server logs to see what terms your visitors are using to find your website. There may be combinations of words your visitors are using you have not thought of or that may not be in the content of your pages.
Incorporate Keyword Phrases Into Content Of Your Web Pages

Once you have your list of varied keyword phrases, work them into your web page. Incorporating these terms into your web pages should "make sense", in other words, they should read well and not sound "spammy". Most of all, they should realistically be part of the content of the page, not placed there only because you need them in the content. Have another person read your copy to see if it sounds reasonable to them.

Keyword Variations Make A Difference

Don't miss out on the keywords your competitors might miss. Those extra keywords could translate into profits and increased viewing of your website by visitors who might otherwise not find you.





Finding Targeted Keyword Phrases Your Competitors Miss - To learn more about this author, visit Daria Goetsch's Website.

Like this article? Share it with your friends

Article Feedback
 Article Feedback No article feedback found.
  Leave Your Feedback
article feedback

Article Feedback
John Alexander
John has taught keyword research and SEO skills to small groups of business owners and Webmasters from over 80 different countries world wide since 2002. John is also the Director of Search Engine Academy ; Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses at SEO Training Online and the SEO Workshop Resource Center.
I look forward to hearing from you! - Visit John Alexander's Website

Richard Jefferies
For an online Car Loan Calculator and finance for a cheap car loan. Get approved on car loans or car finance in Australia with cheap bank car loans and finding a car finance broker. Commercial car loans including business car finance and car lease. Car Loan Calculator has information on finance companies and getting the right cheap car loan from banks at best car loan rates and a online car loan calculator for all finance in Australia. Get the best car finance with our help at Car Loan Calculator and Finance Ezi. - Visit Richard Jefferies's Website


To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us.

About The Author


Daria Goetsch
(Visit Daria's Website) Daria Goetsch is the founder and Search Engine Marketing Consultant for Search Innovation Marketing, a Search Engine Marketing company serving small businesses. She has specialized in Search Engine Optimization since 1998, including three years as the Search Engine Specialist for O'Reilly Media, Inc., a technical book publishing company. Search Innovation's newest venture is SEOExplore.com, aSe arch Engine Marketing Resources Directory for webmasters and search engine marketers focusing on articles and links to important search engine marketing resources.

Daria Goetsch is a Silver author on EvanCarmichael.com
About The Author

View Author Blog
View Author Blog

View Author Video
View Author Video

Free Downloads


Daria Goetsch's

Complete
List Of
Marketing
Articles

Name
Email
If you enjoyed this article, get Daria Goetsch's Complete List of Marketing Articles For FREE!

More Daria Goetsch
Finding Targeted Keyword Phrases Your Competitors Miss
A Checklist for Small Business SEO
Buzzwords vs Effective SEO Keywords
SEOs Relationship With Website Architecture
SEM Research Measures Success
Free Downloads


 
 
 


Evan Elite Authors
John Power  
Dave Kurlan  
Casey Gollan  
Evan Elite Authors

Become An Author
Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details.
Become An Author

Evan's Latest Video
Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media
Evan's Latest Video

Business Opportunities
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"

How to Start An Online Business

Click Here To Learn More
Business Opportunities



Evan's Newsletter
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Name:
Email:
Evan`s Newsletter

Free Downloads
ACES Research Report Icon ACES Research Report
Traffic to Site Icon Traffic to Site
Increase productivity Icon Increase productivity
Tips For Less Stress Icon Tips For Less Stress
Challenges Of Change Icon Challenges Of Change
Free Downloads - Complete List

Entrepreneur Tools and Guides
Fortune Hunters - CBC Entrepreneur TV
Fortune Hunters
CBC Entrepreneur TV
 
Top 50 Marketing Blogs
Top 50 Marketing Blogs
Top Marketing Blogs of 2009
 
Entrepreneur Tools and Guides

SEO For Africa
SEO For Africa
Lukia Lenge Mbeya (Nzovwe), Tanzania,
Lukia Lenge
Mbeya (Nzovwe), Tanzania
SEO For Africa

If I Were A Startup...
Lisa Shepherd, $335k to $1.1 Mil in 2 years
Lisa Shepherd
$335k to $1.1 Mil in 2 years
Lee Segal, >1,800% Growth in 5 Years
Lee Segal
>1,800% Growth in 5 Years
If I Were A Startup... - Complete List

Famous Entrepreneurs
Estee Lauder, Estee Lauder
Estee Lauder
Estee Lauder
Steve Jobs, Apple
Famous Entrepreneurs - Complete List

Entrepreneur Advice
Jay Conrad Levinson, Guerilla Marketing
Jay Conrad Levinson
Guerilla Marketing
Michael Gerber, The E Myth
Michael Gerber
The E Myth
Entrepreneur Advice - Complete List

Popular Articles
(Premium Authors)

     The emerging marketing choice: fame or respect
By Mark Di Somma
     Brand talking: Wrapping your brand around Word of Mouth
By Mark Di Somma
     The new marketing question. Will they follow?
By Mark Di Somma

Have A Suggestion?
Toronto Salsa Classes / Toronto Salsa Lessons Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
Have A Suggestion?

More Evan Carmichael
More Information