Why keywords don't work for profitable online SEO campaigns
I will say this... sure, keywords are a starting point.
But there as many as 80% or more of searches that are "keyword-oriented" that are not buying searches.
By the time a searcher gets to a buying place... where they are going to take action, they have progressed past simple keywords that show up in a keyword tool.
Here's the thing... article marketing doesn't usually work really well with keywords, instead it works really well if you are targeting what folks are looking for... and most, contrary to common knowledge, folks don't use canned keywords for meaningful searches. Instead they use phrases that matter to them and are deep inside of their thought process... usually posed as questions.
For example, when you search online for SEO information, you might start with SEO information as a keyword... but after looking at a number of results... you end up typing in something like "how does article marketing work with seo keywords"
Now that phrase does NOT show up as a keyword in any of the keyword tools... but THAT is what YOU are looking for.
Does that make sense?
So what I teach is how to use article marketing to drive SEO traffic... but not via SEO keywords.
Instead through SEO topics and thoughts.
The difference here is that with articles, if you are writing them to a specific keyword... you are in effect targeting the 80% or so of searches that people are using just to find out what the possible keyword phrases or thoughts are where the information is really stored that they need.
But where they really take action, whether it is to go to your site, opt in to a subscriber list, or make a purchase, happens with the thought or question phrase, NOT with the initial keywords.
Here's another example.
Let's imagine someone is looking for information about learning about... let's say, martial arts.
Let's imagine they are trying to decide which martial arts is best for them.
So they type in:
martial arts - and don't find what they are looking for
then:
martial arts types - they find lists of different kinds of martial arts, they start searching each of these:
karate
aikido
kung fu
kendo
judo
Still the searcher hasn't found what they are looking for... which is best for them.
So now they type in the phrase: benefits of karate
then:
benefits of aikido
benefits of kung fu
benefits of kendo
benefits of judo
Now we are getting closer to what they are really looking for.
But not quite there yet.
Next maybe the type in:
Is Aikido right for me?
Is Kung Fu right for me?
And so on.
Now we are really getting hot.
And this is probably the buying keyword phrase.
And it might go even deeper, to something like "What is the best way to learn kung fu?"
NOW we have a buying keyword phrase.
Note how many keywords we have chewed through to get to the buying keyword phrase.
And the buying keyword phrase is NOT going to show up in a keyword tool!
This is my complete, although condensed for article length, view of keywords and keyword research for article marketing.
You must go deeper than keywords to have an effective article marketing campaign.
I also believe you need to go deeper than keywords for an effective SEO campaign. Yes, I really meant to write that. Sure, you can rank highly for keywords in the search engines... but if people are only buying from the buying keyword phrases, what is the point of ranking highly for all those basic keywords in your niche?
I know this is complete contrary to accepted keyword wisdom.
But I have used this concept for several years in my business, and with my clients, and have found time and time again that this model works very well for creating profitable article marketing and organic SEO traffic profits, and it works much better than focusing on keywords instead of buying keyword phrases and questions that buyers ask.