Keywords are the essence of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Pay Per Click (PPC) marketing. Keywords are what drives the web. When someone is looking for a product or service they usually visit a search engine such as Google or Yahoo and type a few keywords (referred to as a keyword phrase) into the search box to find what they are looking for. And these days they are usually successful due to the advances in search engine results.

Therefore the main focus of Search Engine Optimization and Pay Per Click marketing is on keyword phrases. Keyword phrases consist of numerous keywords stringed together. Usually when we type our search query into, say, Google, we will start off with something basic like ‘books’. If that keyword is too broad we may refine it by adding another keyword, ‘books hong kong’. Further we could add to that ‘dean koontz books hong kong’. In fact, the number of keywords strung together could be infinite, but usually we will look at a maximum of about 5 keywords in a keyword phrase as users are less likely to use more than that.

When it comes to optimizing ones website, or managing a Pay Per Click account such as Google AdWords, these keyword phrases come into play.

With Search Engine Optimization it is highly important to have these keyword phrases visible throughout your site. This may mean:

• Keywords in your domain name eg. www.hiking-hong-kong.com
• Keywords in your Title and Meta tags (coding tags used to describe the content within your website)
• Keywords in your website content
• Keywords in your image description tags
• Keywords in the links that point to your page from other websites eg. Hong Kong Hiking Trails

The more relevant your website looks to a search engine in terms of the keyword phrase a user searches for, the more likely that your website will be listed higher in the search engine results.

However it is not as simple as just adding keywords wherever you can at a whim. Careful placement has to take place to ensure that there are not too many keywords used on a website. In the past, spammers or Black Hat SEOs used to take advantage of search engines by inserting hundreds of keywords into a page to trick the search engines into ranking their websites above the rest. These days, as a result, search engines are much more diligent.

Consequently, Keyword Density plays a big role alongside the use of keyword phrases to make sure that there are not too many incidences of a keyword in any particular area, which, if too many exist, may result in a penalty consisting of a drop in rankings on a search engine rather than that which was sought, a rise in rankings. Search Engines are very strict now, as they want to provide the best user experience by providing the best search results. 

Similarly, Keyword Phrases play the most important role in Pay Per Click marketing. Search Engines use Pay Per Click engines such as Google’s AdWords to list sponsored links on their search results as well as on content sites. These sponsored links (ads) are triggered to appear when a user types in a keywords phrase in a search engine that matches the keyword phrase bid upon by the advertiser. This also works with content placement ads (ads that appear within the content of other websites) in that a site about ‘dean koontz books’ will trigger your ad selling ‘dean koontz books’ if the content on that site mentions Dean Koontz and if you have also bid upon that keyword phrase.

With Google AdWords, for example, different factors play a role in optimization such as:

• Campaigns focused on certain demographics (in relation to where your product/service is and which languages you provide it in)
• Ad Groups focused on different keyword groups eg. Dean Koontz, Deepak Chopra, Eckhart Tolle
• Keyword phrases related to these specific Ad Groups
• Exact Match, Phrase Match, Broad Match or Negative Match keyword phrases (different ways to bid on a keyword phrase depending on the variations of what a user may actually type into a search engine)
• Ad Text and the use of keyword phrases used therein
• Keyword Phrases used on your website (where your ad points to) in relation to the keyword phrases you are bidding on

In both cases, Search Engine Optimization and Pay Per Click marketing, Keywords or Keyword Phrases to be more precise, play one of the most important roles. Therefore it is paramount that you get this right when either establishing a Search Engine Optimization campaign or in targeting the correct clients in a Pay Per Click engine. Because if the keywords you target are incorrect, then your entire campaign will be worthless and your Return On Investment (ROI) will be nothing as you will be targeting the wrong group of people.