Last week there was widespread panic in the world of internet marketing after keyword information disappeared from Google. Rumors flew around about the possible cause – was it related to the search engine’s professed concerns with privacy? Was it an attempt to reduce the power of marketers?
Yesterday Google revealed the answer: it was just a bug all along. What the bug has done is to highlight the importance of regularly updating keywords, which is something that many businesses have never devoted enough time to.
Now that the bug has been fixed, it is possible to access updated information using Google Webmaster Tools. This makes it possible for businesses to find out how people found their sites, meaning that they can focus their marketing efforts on popular search terms. Using this information properly is not just about search engine optimization. It is also about identifying customer interests and concerns; for instance, if a lot of people searching for two products end up on a site that only sells one of them, it might be worth the site owner’s while to start stocking the other.
The importance of using keywords in marketing is generally quite well understood, and most people keep track of the need to adjust them to cope with changes in search engine filters. What is less well understood is the importance of changing and updating them on a regular basis. While it is wise to structure a site around a few key messages and use that approach to build up a brand, it is important to recognize that the dynamics of the marketplace are constantly shifting and search engine users are looking for different things in different ways. Viral marketing successes and news events can change the way a product or service is commonly described overnight, and those sites that adjust most quickly will often find themselves moving up in the rankings.
Despite this, there are many sites out there that have been set up with strong basic keywording and then just left. Over time, these risk losing their power to attract new customers. Even if other aspects of their internet marketing campaigns are strong, the businesses that own them will be wasting opportunities by failing to fully capitalize on their search engine optimization potential. Ideally, keywords should be monitored on at least a weekly basis and more frequently if the area of business is a news topic at the time. For advice on how to manage this effectively, call Xcellimark at 888-318-3950 ext 211 to speak with an internet marketing consultant today.
