Think Before You Engage: 100 Questions to Ask Before Starting a Social Media Marketing Campaign

69. What Keywords Do I Use?

As general users of the web, people often type in the term or phrase that makes most sense to them when looking for the information. For example, someone looking for a new dentist in San Francisco may type San Francisco dentist into Google's search bar. The websites or information found online (such as Twitter pages, addresses and phone numbers in the Google map directory, news articles, and so on) that Google feels are most relevant to that search term populate into the search results page. Keywords are the terms or phrases that people use to search for a website. The quantity and quality of these terms as used on a website can help search engines to determine the relevance of a website to the keywords. The more relevant a search engine deems the website, the earlier the website can show up in search results.

Research can be done to determine what keywords are most commonly used for a specific site or topic. By using these keywords in relevant context, a website can tailor its content to focus on what the brand believes is most important to its consumers.

Various tools are available to help determine what keywords to use for a website. These tools show the level of demand for each keyword and can assist in ensuring that the selected keywords have the greatest likelihood of positive ROI.

When selecting keywords, it's best to be as specific as possible. ...