SEO in 30 Days, Day 4: Keyword Research, Step 2

In Day 3 of the SEO in 30 Days series we explained how to conduct basic keyword research to determine which phrases would benefit you most in terms of bringing the most qualified traffic to your website. In Day 4 we outline two common mistakes companies make and why they are detrimental.

Avoiding common mistakes when determining the keyword focus of your website

Being effective in your keyword research isn’t easy. This is one of the most important steps in any search engine campaign, and can help ensure that relevant visitors get to the best pages on your site for their specific queries. There are several common mistakes that often happen during the keyword research process. Here are a few effective keyword research techniques that will get you on the right track:

1. There is a tendency to focus too much on your company/firm’s name. Don’t do it! Search engines can easily understand your company/firm’s website; branding is essential, but shouldn’t be the priority. Typically you won’t have much trouble ranking for your own company name. Keep page elements and copy focused on your selected, researched legal keywords instead. For instance, the target keyword should be positioned at the front of the title tag while branding follows at the end.
2. Oftentimes, keyword research prompts the use of high-volume, “generic” keywords for your website and landing pages. It’s easy to get caught up in the numbers game, but that isn’t the most effect keyword research technique. Instead, we are looking for relatively high search volume terms with concentrated legal modifiers that can help draw in the right crowd. For instance, instead of optimizing an important landing page for merely “law firm,” use high-volume and highly relevant modifiers that describe your practice such as “truck accident law firm” or, even better, “Chicago truck accident law firm.”

In Day 5 of the SEO in 30 Days series we’ll continue our discussion of keyword research: organizing your keyword list.

Related posts:

1. SEO in 30 Days, Day 6: Keyword Research, Step 4
2. SEO in 30 Days, Day 5: Keyword Research, Step 3
3. SEO in 30 Days, Day 3: Keyword Research, Step 1
4. SEO in 30 Days, Day 7: Keyword Research, Step 5
5. SEO in 30 Days, Day 9: Keyword Research, Step 7