Great content begins with great keywords.
If you sell business accounting software, there are hundreds of ways people look for your product in search engines: "accounting software," "bookkeeping programs," the names of your competitors, and so on.
How do you find the best keywords to target these customers? Fortunately, there's a formula.
Great keyword = high search volume x high likelihood to buy
Using the free Google keyword tool, you can find these numbers as Global Search Volume and Cost Per Click. These are the only numbers that matter.
- Search volume is critical. Why would you go after keywords that no one uses? This is like setting up a beautiful sales display in an abandoned factory. (For more on this topic, read our blog post Forget the Long Tail. Go for the Body).
- Cost Per Click is a good indicator of the value of a customer, or their likelihood to buy. Because CPC is based on market pricing, a higher CPC generally means a better customer prospect (and a more valuable business).
The two biggest mistakes: either choosing too many keywords, or too few keywords. Our recommended approach is to create a master list of fewer than 100 valuable keywords in your market. Then tighten your focus by identifying your 10 most valuable keywords on this list. We call these the "Golden Keywords."
Like actual gold, but much lighter.
Your golden keywords aren't just the ones that will build your business the fastest. They're also the keywords you need to marry. Invest in them for the long haul. Don't get distracted.
If one of your keywords is "wedding planner," then tackle that keyword from every possible angle. Create content around celebrity wedding planners, the best wedding planners of all time, the first wedding planner in history, and so on.
Maintain laserlike focus on these keywords, as you're coming up with great topic ideas for your content, which is the subject we'll tackle next.
Next: Generating great ideas!