Keyword Breakdown
A critical part of the upfront assessment will be to analyze the keywords and key terms (grouping of keywords) used in marketing materials, including the current website already. Are these the correct keywords that potential customers will be using when searching? Are there other keywords or phrases that customers could be using to search? Perhaps the most overlooked is what competing websites are using as keywords. Are competitors using other keywords that can be used? Are other sites that rank highly for desired key terms also heavily using other key terms? In many cases, it is possible to optimize for a region or locality, this must also be considered during analysis. It is also important to note that most will use at least 3 or 4 words when searching, so keyword phrases are at least as important as individual keywords.
Once a complete list of keywords and phrases can be established, it will be important to narrow the list down to a specific set of key terms to which optimization would be most beneficial. The list size will have a direct impact on both resource requirements and timeline for the remaining phases of the upfront assessment at the very least. If optimization is required for a broad range of generic terms the implementation strategy, timeline and effectiveness will be much different then for a narrow focus on specific keyword terms. Measurable results are possible in a manageable timeframe only when a finite set of unambiguous terms can be established from the onset.
Once the set of keyword terms are established, it will be time to conduct searches and analyze the top sites for these keyword terms. The high ranking sites could be real competitors or they could be indirect competitors providing useful information about the keyword phrases in question. The keywords usage in the content of the top sites will provide some data as to what the spiders consider valuable content. Perhaps even more important will be determining if any specific site or sites are always at the top of a broad range of keyword searches. If there are, analyzing the sites will be a significant learning exercise to uncover useful methods that have already achieved good results. If no one site appears at the top of a range of searches it is either an area of significant opportunity to become the leading resource of information, or the field is extremely competitive making the SEO even more challenging. In any event, it is best to have a complete understanding prior to spending valuable time and resources.
