Keyword placement considerations

When you are determining whether or not a keyword is relevant for the customers who intend to find you, just visit google page 1 for that term that you are considering. When you see the Search Engine Results Page or SERPs, please ask yourself, is this page targeted to the types of people who want my services? Is it intuitively obvious?

If the answer is yes that people are looking for what you offer on google page 1, then that phrase is a good choice. Another great question to ask yourself is about user intent AND branding: Does this SERP page embarrass or misrepresent my brand? If the answer is no to that question, then the keyword in question is a GREAT keyword discovery for you that should be included. If the “neighbors” that you would be found among would tarnish your brand, then that keyword is obviously not a good fit. These questions are very important because they will prevent any negative views of your brand, and eliminate the possibility of a high bounce rate. Bounce rate is the percent of people who visit your website that leave immediately.

If you have a high percentage 50-80% depending on your niche, this can negatively affect your ability to rank for more keywords over time. Google’s algorithm does appreciate a low bounce rate because a low bounce rate insures that the quality of content is very good for the users who arrive to your website via the term it is ranking for. The great thing about Google is that your website can target low competition phrases with the right user intent in a great neighborhood. In a great neighborhood on Google Page 1, your company website traffic will thrive.

 Not to beat a dead horse, but if you chose the wrong keyword(s) this can damage your brand in a few ways. Prospects will create a sky-high bounce rate for you and diminish your ability to rank for additional keywords because the trust and authority of your site will be stagnated.

 Please remember that Content is King for Google. Also remember that User Experience and User Intent are equally important. If your users cannot find what they thought you had by reading your title and meta description in the Google SERP, then they will leave in a few seconds, cause you to have a high bounce rate and hinder your ability to improve your keyword placement.

 Finally ask yourself: Will the people searching on that keyword find what they are looking for? Will your website appearance in the SERPs matter to them? Are you and your brand comfortable with appearing on Google page 1 in that neighborhood?