News and Reviews
In the last issue I mentioned Ken Evoy's newest book about writing copy for your website, "Make Your Words Sell." I highly recommend it. But, if you're looking for a freebie, you're in luck. You can sign up to receive a free mini-course via e-mail about writing sales copy. Just click here to send a blank e-mail message to: twmswoodworking@sitesell.net
Conquer Keyword Confusion! (Part 2)
Last time, we talked about the many different meanings of the term "keywords", and outlined a step-by-step method for generating a solid list of keywords for your website.
Now, let's put those keywords to use creating a real website. You'll see how to use the list of keywords to
- Guide your website content development;
- Implement the keywords META tag in your pages; and
- Bid on terms at GoTo.com and other pay-per-click search engines.
Heirloom Woods Case Study: How to Use Your Keywords
We'll use our old friend Heirloom Woods, the website being developed by Mike Glennon, as our example. (His site, a work in progress, is at http://home.att.net/~mjag/ ). In previous issues of this newsletter, we saw how Mike decided to focus his website on baby cradles, and we came up with a list of keywords for the Heirloom Woods website:
Synonyms or more specific terms:
(baby | infant) cradle(s)
(baby | infant) crib(s)
baby bed(s)
handmade (baby) cradle
[wood | wooden | oak | cherry] cradle
baby cradle manufacturer
More general terms:
[baby | infant] furniture
baby products
Related topics:
[baby | infant] (cradle) bedding
newborn bedding
(baby) crib safety
infant safety
changing table(s)
nursery [accessories | items]
Now, we'll see what to do with that list.
HTML KEYWORDS META TAG. In the HEAD section of your main web page, you should have a keywords tag. The current one from the Heirloom Woods site is:
<META name="keywords" content="Custom woodworking, presentation quality pens, writing instruments, Hand Crafted, Custom Shelving, Detached cabinetry, small furniture items, cradles, baby cradles, boxes, jewelry boxes">
The keywords META tag is used by some (not all) search engines as part of the ranking process. Now, there's a lot of debate about exactly how long this should be. My belief is you should keep it as short as possible, reinforcing the notion that your site is highly focused on one topic.
So, continuing with the Heirloom Woods example, our objective is to be one of the top-ranked sites when someone uses a search engine to find "baby cradles". I recommend the following:
<META name="keywords" content="baby cradles, wooden cradles, infant cradle, cribs">
Again, this is subjective. My reasoning is that the plural form is used more often by searchers, so most of the terms are plural. (Remember, some search engines draw a distinction between singular and plural.) I've included both baby and infant as synonyms. "Cribs" is thrown in because you can count on searchers to sometimes use this word when they really mean cradle.
Ideally, you would experiment by submitting your site to the search engines, looking to see how you rank, then trying again with different keywords until you get it "right".
WEBSITE CONTENT DEVELOPMENT. This is the hardest step. We've already talked a lot about why it's important to focus on a single product. The home page of your website should be content-rich and focused so sharply on that one product that search engines will be forced to rank your site highly. That means repeating the words you used in the keywords META tag in your page title and headline, and again throughout the body text.
We'll talk more about the details of writing copy for the home page in future issues. For now, keep in mind that search engines index text. So you want a lot of text, and you want it all focused on your chosen keywords. To keep from getting too repetitive, go back to your list of keywords and use some of the other terms that didn't make it into your "short list" that was the META tag.
The other way keywords will help you is by suggesting topics for other pages on your site. For example, it might make sense to have a page on baby crib/cradle safety. This would take some research, but would be a very useful resource when completed. Just the type of thing someone who was in the market for a cradle would be interested in.
This content would serve three purposes: 1) it would show up in searches for crib safety, hence drawing more targeted surfers to the site; and 2) it would enrich the overall website, getting the shopper a bit closer to pulling out her wallet; and 3) it would provide an opportunity to collect e-mail addresses, especially if some key content was offered via auto-responder (more on this later.)
Finally, the list of keywords points the way to some affiliate marketing opportunities. For example, bedding for cribs and cradles is a natural tie-in that would enhance the Heirloom Woods website and generate commission income. (I don't know if there are specific affiliate options available for this product line, but it's something to look into.)
BID ON SEARCH TERMS. This step is easy, though somewhat tedious. Pay-per-click search engines allow you to bid on specific search terms. You decide what your rank will be, based on how much you bid. The largest of these services is GoTo.com.
To use this type of search engine, you first need an idea of what a targeted surfer is worth to you. That is, what percent of targeted visitors to your website make a purchase, and what is your average margin on those sales?
I'll make up an example: suppose 5% of people searching for "baby cradles" make a purchase from the Heirloom Woods site and the average margin is $50. That means, on average, the site earns $2.50 per targeted visitor. So, if you were to launch a marketing campaign (of any type), you could afford to spend up to this much per person who actually visited your site. (Of course, you would actually want to spend much less, otherwise all your profit would be spent on marketing.)
This is how much you can afford to spend for pay-per-click search engine listings.
For comparison, here's an example of a traditional marketing technique for woodworkers. In the past, I've sent out postcards advertising my own custom baby cradles. I rented a list of expectant mothers for about $.25 per name. (By the way, this is an unusually well-targeted list for a woodworking mailing.) If 5% of the people who receive the postcard request more information, you would consider the mailing a success. If each person who asks for more info is considered a "visitor", it means each targeted "visitor" cost you $9.
Want to check my math? It takes 20 postcards to get 1 "visitor" because 5% of 20 = 1. Those 20 cards cost 20 x $.25 (list rental) x $.20 (postage) = $9. (Of course, this doesn't include the production costs involved.)
Remember that with pay-per-click services, you get very targeted traffic, so you can afford to pay more per click. Once you decide how much you are really willing to spend, bid on ALL the combinations of keywords you can come up with. It takes a long time, but it makes sense to bid on them all, as long as they are still targeted; you only pay when someone clicks.
I'll get into more details in a future issue, but this should be enough info to get you started.
In the meantime, if you have questions or comments, please send them to me at todd@BridgewoodDesign.com.
