Search Accent

Deirdre

I get calls and emails all of the time stating …

• I don’t come up on the search engines.
• I don’t need SEO, I am already on page one. 

My first response is always “for what?” More often than not, the answer is a single phrase (i.e., flooring, chiropractor, plumber).  Guess what?  If you are a local business, you are never going to come up with one word searches. And you should’t want to. Coming up with a single word that produces the results you want is very difficult, VERY expensive, doesn’t provide substantial ROI, and isn’t what customers type in the search box anyway, making it a waste of time.

What you think your customers are searching for and what they ARE searching for are two totally different things.  Search behavior is based on demographics, location, culture, typing skills, etc.  People have search accents just like they have Southern Accents, Jersey Accents, etc. Have you ever had a conversation with someone and after a few sentences said, “you must be from xyz”? Of course you have; you “heard” their accent.  Are you hearing your customers’ search accent?

How do you know the search accent of your customers? 

• Conduct Keyword Research
• Listen and/or ask your current customers.

Tool: Google Adwords Keyword Tool

We believe in implementing both an SEO and pay per click (PPC) campaign for optimal results.  Using Google’s free tool gives you hints, suggestions, cost per click (CPC), search volume trends, Local Search Volume, and many other quality variables. The research can be used for both SEO & PPC, making it the perfect starting tool for most businesses.

Remember that search behavior is as unique as a person’s DNA.  Understanding your customers’ search accent is a critical success factor in gaining top search engine placement where it counts! 

Note: the more specific a search, the higher the probability the person is ready to call, email, buy, join or visit your physical location.   Once they find you, make sure your site is professional, easy to navigate, and built for your customers (not you).

Personally, I love doing keyword research. I have uncovered countless business opportunities and niches for our clients based on this research.  It is like being a keyword private investigator.

Have fun brainstorming,

Deirdre Cavener
Keyword Search Detective
Twitter: www.twitter.com/kissbyte
Kiss Marketing, Inc.

Blog Editor: Jay Winchester