Big Bob’s Frankfurter Co. in Toronto, Canada has created a website, and Big Bob wants a first page Google listing. He optimizes his page and ranks #1 for the word frankfurter in Google, Yahoo and MSN, but is shocked when the Big Bob’s Frankfurter Co. website gets very little traffic. Where did Big Bob go wrong? He was marketing frankfurters when he should be selling hot dogs. Nobody uses the word frankfurters anymore, at least not in this neck of the woods, and if you are trying to rank for keywords, make sure that you are optimizing for keywords that people actually search for.

Finding the right keywords to rank for is really a big part of the battle, as what people actually search for to find sites like yours will dictate the amount of relevant traffic your site will receive.

There are applications available to help you make this happen. The WordTracker Free Keyword Tool is one service that will help you find what keywords you should be optimizing for. WordTracker also has a paid service if you are looking to get a little more involved in the SEO process.

But while you can use an online tool such as WordTracker, you should not underestimate the power of your own brain! After all, you are a person, what search strings might you use? I like doing brainstorming before using any tools, and I might even ask some people to see what they would search for to find different things online. Personally I find this helpful in giving me some direction and real life ideas that go beyond using tools.

So what should you keep in mind when selecting the right keywords:

• Don’t optimize for a series of single words, try to work on 2 or 3 word combinations as these will give you better traffic results.
• Be locally specific if possible. Generally people do not search for “flowers” they will search for “flowers london ontario”.
• The more specific you can be, the less competition you will face.
• Be sure that your keywords relate to the theme and content of your site. You want the traffic to be relevant traffic and convert into readers, or buyers of your product/service.

I also like to test my keywords when I have selected them in Google Trends. I play in Google Trends all the time, and I know it is not the be all end all, but it’s fun and gives me some Google data for my research.

It is also interesting to test these in Google. Test out variations. What terms are many Google PPC ads coming up under? This is extremely instructive if you are new to this because a PPC campaign requires pre-existing keywords research. Do not rely on this information, but it shows you what positions your competitors are really vying for.

Honestly, this is my favourite part, keyword selection. It’s like deciding what outfit you are going to wear on a night out and you want to “own the room “. :)

A few resources I compiled about keyword selection:

The Ten Commandments of Keyword Selection on SEOChat

Guide to Keyword Researching Tools on Search Engine Journal

Keyword Selection Strategy on RustyBrick

Tools for finding the right keywords:

WordTracker Free Keyword Tool

Google Adwords Keyword Suggestion Tool

Overture Keyword Selector Tool

(Please note: All names used in the example are entirely fictional in nature and any similarities are purely coincidental.)