Keywords are the lifeblood of search engine optimisation. So you should spend time with your SEO copywriter getting keywords right from the outset. How do you do that?

Know your website audience

Most business owners are passionate about what they do. That's great, but usually industry specific terms (or jargon) creep in to describe their products or services. The fact is, most search engine traffic won't find your website that way. Why? Because viewers search with every-day keywords and phrases. If your SEO program and website copy don't take account of that, you could miss traffic volume and potential customers.

Good keyword research

So if users aren't searching for products and services how you describe them, what keyword terms do they enter? Think like a customer to begin your SEO keyword research. Here's a few ideas:

• Keywords under your nose?
  Perhaps your business has a receptionist or sales team. If not, think about your own experiences. How do clients or potential customers describe your products and services? If it's what they say, it's what they search. That's a great SEO keyword resource.


• Keywords in your market
  Explore what's already in your market for useful SEO keyword ideas. Some handy sources can be magazine or newspaper articles, competitor advertising (especially catchy headlines) and other websites.


• Use keyword tools
  There's quite an array of online help for developing an SEO keyword list. Keyword suggestion tools, keyword cost estimators and keyword clouding are all worth trying. Just do so before refining your SEO keyword list or developing an SEO website strategy.