Keyword Research & Analysis - Targeting Visitors Based on Your Most Wanted Response (MWR)

January 2004

Keywords, keywords, keywords. Everyone is talking about getting the right keywords for your website. Usually, the discussion is about optimizing your website for search engines and using keyword research and analysis to get your site listed at the top.

What are keywords?: Generally speaking, keywords are the words that people enter into in a search engine to find information.

There are a number of mathematical methods of effective keyword research and analysis available to you. Here are two:

1. WordTracker which will help you determine the KEI (Keyword Effectiveness Index) of your targeted keywords. It compares how many times a search is done for a particular keyword phrase to the amount of competition you have for that keyword phrase on a search engines.

2. You can do your keyword research and analysis yourself by using the Google Keyword Sandbox & Overture Term Suggestion Tool. Again, you look at how often your keyword is searched and determine the competition for that keyword.

Mathematical Keyword Research & Analysis is Not Enough

There is one problem with solely relying on the above keyword research and analysis methods.

They are mathematical processes that do not examine the "mind" of the average searcher. Sure we can, to some extent, determine which keywords we can use to secure top ranking. But using these methods, we are missing the WHY.

Yes, you need to do the statistical analysis to choose the best keywords to target, but you need to also determine which keywords are the one's you should target for your MWR.

What's MWR & What Does it Have to Do with Keyword Research & Analysis?

Well, it's your "Most Wanted Response", a term coined for Internet Marketing by Dr. Ken Evoy, author of Make Your Site Sell 

MWR is what you want people to do when they visit a particular page on your website. Do you want them to buy your product? Do you want them to sign up for your newsletter? Do you want them to request more information? Or do you just want them to enjoy the free information you've provided?

Here's an Example for You

Let's say you sell home decor items. You are trying to get people to buy your gift basket of the month when they visit your product page.

Well, let's go on over to our handy-dandy WordTracker  and do our keyword research. Using the KEI, WordTracker says the following keywords are "good keywords":

home decor indoor decor ideas
home decorating ideas
decorating ideas
interior decorating
home decorating
cheap bedroom furniture
kids bedroom furniture
wicker bedroom furniture

Now, don't just blindly input these into your website. We need further analysis. You need to scrutinize the keywords you will put on each page. Your keywords will be based on what you want your visitors to do on each page. Plus, you will need to decide what people are really looking for when they enter the keywords you use.

Keyword Research & Analysis Case Study #1:

>"home decorating ideas"

What they are looking for -

Someone who enters, "home decorating ideas"  into a search engine is likely looking for free information and is not necessarily looking to make a purchase of home decor items online.

Where You Should Use Keywords Like This

- Use keywords like this on purely informational pages that provide free tips on home decorating ideas. However, be sure to recommend your appropriate products throughout this helpful information.

Where You Should Not Use Keywords Like This

- If your main goal is to sell home decor products, a keyword phrase like this should not be the focus of your sales pages or even your home page.

Don't look for traffic for traffic's sake...look for targeted traffic and visitors that will be looking for the information or products you are providing.

Keyword Research & Analysis Case Study #2

- "kids bedroom furniture"

What they are looking for -

Someone who enters, "kids bedroom furniture" into a search engine is more likely in the market to buy some furniture.

Where You Should Use Keywords Like This

- These are the kinds of keywords you want to use on your sales pages. If you sell kid's bedroom furniture, then this is an appropriate keyword phrase to target on your kid's furniture page.

Where You Should Not Use Keywords Like This

- If you sell different kinds of furniture or products, you might not want to make "kids bedroom furniture" a main focus of your home page. Choose more general and profitable keywords for your target market. Keep the specific keyword phrases for your specific pages.

Sound Simple?

Maybe, it sounds so simple...and really it is very simple...but it's something that's easy to forget. Just because your keyword research tells you its a profitable keyword phrase for your topic, doesn't mean it's the right keyword phrase for the particular page you are optimizing.

Always keep your MWR in mind and try to get in the mind of the search engine user. Choosing keywords is not all statistics...after all, web searchers are human. Let's remember the human element as we optimize our websites.

Test Your Keywords with Pay-per-Clicks:

Overture: $10 credit for signing up
FindWhat:  $5 credit for signing up
Enhance Interactive (formerly Ah-Ha): $10 credit for signing up
7Search.com: Bidding starts at 1 cent per click

More Search Engine Information: Highly Recommended! 

Check Aaron Wall's SEO Book.  Aaron's book doesn't leave any stones unturned.  He covers everything you need to know about getting traffic to your website and legitimately ranking well with the search engines. His book covers all the nitty gritty details in an easy-to-understand way.