Friday, January 4, 2013

Keywords: The 21st Century Personal Ad

In today's world of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), it's all about keywords. Also known as metadata, metatags, or simply tags, keywords are the little slices of code that we use to define our site kind of like the old personal ads in the Nickel Nick. "SWF BBW 42YO NS ISO FS P SAM  40-55YO for FTA. LTR ONLY NO CD, MBL or LDR. 420 OK." Search engines use these descriptors to classify and rank our sites just like randy singles perused the personals on a Friday night.

Back in the day, SEO companies used various nefarious tactics to artificially bump up search rankings but Google and others have become wise to these practices and now ban sites using them. Just like using the descriptor SBF on your personal when you are actually SBTG, don't misrepresent your site. It will only cause long pauses in conversation at the Starbuck's when you meet up. Check out this article on banned SEO tactics. It explains that going crazy with keywords is a sure-fire way of getting your site ignored. Make sure your keywords actually pertain to your site no matter how much you'd like to throw in "sexy coeds" or "jello wrestling". It simply won't help.

So the question is how many keywords do you need to be effective and not put you on a blacklist. In the old personal ads, you only had a column inch of print space to sell your desperate self. On the web you can have millions of keywords. You aren't limited to simple classifiers like HWP. You can be of average build, tall enough for your body, not overweight, adequately framed and of moderate stature all at the same time. A good starting point as to the number of keywords you'll need is to compare your site with your competitors. One of the best tools for gauging your keyword strategy is SEMrush.com. This site is a gold mine of information about your own site and your competition. As an online marketer you should definitely spend a few hours on this site. It will open your eyes as to how search engines perceive your site and suggest ways to increase your visibility.

The best place to start regarding keywords on SEMrush is the Organic Search tab. Here, clicking on the Competitors button, you can see how you're stacking up. Generally speaking, the greater number of keywords you have the higher your ranking. The number of keywords must reflect the quantitly of your product or service line. If you are an online retailer and you sell ten products then having 5k keywords is ridiculous. But if you have 10k products in your line then having 5k keywords is totally inadequate. Other factors are also involved in ranking but pretty much it's that easy - add more meaningful words, get more hits.

Although the way we are ranked is partly out of our control, how WE define ourselves is totally within our control. Don't be afraid to add "VGL Domme D SWF SOH WLTM Sub J M P TS 65YO+ for B&D" to your tag list if that truly reflects your site. And frankly who want's to be home alone on a Friday night.

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