I honestly cannot remember how I got along before Google. Back in the day a phone book, a telephone and a map were all the tools I needed to make a purchase or find an address. Now that I have Google, I can’t imagine going back to the old way of doing business.

The problem with Google is that it has too much information. Type “photographer” in Google and you’ll see everything from Ansel Adams to Zoom Lenses. Not very helpful if your customer is looking for your studio online.

Here are the steps I use when I’m selecting keywords to help visitors find my website.

First, a keyword can be any number of words - not just a single word - that someone types into Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc. to start a search. “photographer” is a keyword. So is “wedding photographer”. However, “wedding photographer” is a different keyword from “wedding photography”. Upper and lower case don’t matter.

Pick 5-6 keywords to focus on. In other words, think about what 5 or 6 things you should expect a potential client to type into Google to find your studio. One way to pick keywords is to simply ask a bunch of friends and family to look for your studio online without using the actual studio name. Write down what they type. You should begin to see some common keywords that most people type.

Statistically, most folks type 3 words in a search. They may try first with 1 or 2 words, but quickly figure out they aren’t getting what they are looking for. For example, “wedding photographer” will return every photographer in the country, but “detroit wedding photographer” will only return those in the Detroit area.

If you want to try the more scientific approach, use the free Google Keyword tool. For example, I typed in “wedding photographer”, changed the match type to “phrase”, sorted by “local monthly searches”, and found these keywords:

• wedding photographer
• wedding pictures
• wedding photos
• wedding picture
• portrait photographer

Now that you’ve got your list of keywords, you should use them as much as possible throughout your website. Using the above keywords, I might put this paragraph on my home page.

Your wedding pictures record the most important day in your life. Trust Detroit wedding photographer and portrait photographer John Smith. John discovers the inner beauty of each bride and uniquely captures it in their wedding photos. His combination of traditional and photojournalist styles insure that every wedding picture is more than just a photograph - it is a memory that you will treasure forever.

There are many other ways to use keywords on your website but picking the right ones that will help potential customers find you online is the first step.

Tags: SEO, website

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