Choosing Keywords for Websites

Choosing the right keywords

Here are 2 examples I noticed for my guesthouse. I have a nr 9 position on google for accommodation South Africa. But I receive few referrals and from the few I get I have a very low conversion to sale rate. Why? The keyword is just too general. Someone looking for "accommodation South Africa" is not looking for a single guesthouse in the Drakensberg rather a collection of accommodation in South Africa.

On the other extreme I have a great ranking for the keyword "Malaria Prophalaxis KwaZulu Natal" with a form to request further information. This brings lots of referrals and although I don't even operate in a malaria area my answer to the request for more malaria information along with info about our guesthouse has a 60% conversion rate. This is my third most successful page after "Drakensberg" and "Drakensberg accommodation".

Most keywords are not as extreme as these two and the decision to build a page for a keyword or not is mostly more obvious

Tools to help you find Keywords

• Site Build It
• Word Tracker
• Overture keyword suggestion tool
• Common sense

Keyword profitability

It is not enough to just identify the possible keywords or keyword phrases. You need to know how profitable this identified keyword is going to be. By that I mean how many people are searching for this keyword held against the number of websites that you will be competing with for this keyword. You can use Overture to find the number of searches made for a particular keyword and using google with that same keyword you can see how many sites you will be compeating with. Of course you can already see what a lot of work this task is. I uses the Site Build It keyword brain storm tool which works these statistics out automatically

In Conclusion

Identifying keywords is the first place to start when designing a web site. Use the wrong words and you wont get the traffic. Use the right ones and wow what a difference as you see the traffic just build and build and build.

More resources about building an internet marketing strategy for tourism services using the internet

• Marketing your Tourism Service on the Internet

If you have any questions about any of this then drop me a mail or give me a ring 036/3523143 and I will see if I can help you. I am not an internet expert or an internet provider rather a tiny guest house owner in the foothills of the Drakensberg. All I can give you is a wealth of information on how to go about promoting your tourism service by building a website yourself affordably.