A lot has changed in the world of SEO, especially since the introduction of the Google Algorithms, like Penguin, that have been developed to stamp out black hat techniques like spam and keyword stuffing. There have been many articles recently suggesting that the art of the keyword is dead.

We disagree. Keywords and how they are used has changed significantly, but they are still very important to anyone trying to conduct business online. They are still the key to being found by the right people on a search engine, and they are also essential for making your content as powerful and effective as possible.

So, what makes keywords good, and how do you pick them?

The art of choosing powerful keywords is to keep it simple and not over complicate the process. Think about what your business does. This may sound obvious but it helps to be specific and write down descriptive words that could be used to define your business and the nature of what you sell.

This is where you need to be careful and consider all the words that would describe what you sell. For example, you may sell bread. That means you could also be described as a baker, a speciality baker, and so on. The keywords you choose should be terms that most accurately and specifically describe your business and products, while also being the terms that are most commonly used by your customers.

So for example, you may pick the keywords – Specialist baker, Artisan bakery, Local bakery.

Your customers however, may type the following terms into a search engine – Specialist bread, artisan breads, artisan bakery, bread made locally.

Can you see how the differences between your choice of keywords and theirs could render your business invisible to your customers?

The other thing to remember is that keywords are something that needs to be adjusted and changed over time. By monitoring your progress on a search engine’s rankings, and by keeping an eye on how certain keywords are performing, you can change and adjust your choice to suit.

Many companies prefer to work with an SEO team to help them develop their keyword marketing. It’s a good idea because you’ll save time learning from an experienced team who will already have a good knowledge of the best types of keywords to use within your industry.