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March 16, 2008

Create a Target Market Snapshot View

A very common question we get asked is...

How do I know which keywords to target?

It is easy to find the keywords to use through your target market. The first step for this is to create a snapshot view of your target market.

  1. Write down the description of the product / service including the customer problem the product attempts to address and solve.
  2. Define the market, including the demographics
  3. List the direct and indirect competition.
  4. The basic sales plan - How are you going to reach the customers
  5. List the top sales implementation plans you will be executing.

Start using Keyword Strategy Studio while you keep a print-out of the above market snapshot in front of you.

As you scroll through the keyword lists, you will be able to easily decide which keyword phrases are important. Move them to one of the My Keyword Lists. Check the competing sites. Explore the competition (right click on the URL and select Open in browser).

Create a list of 10-20 keyword phrases that relate to your product or service.  Make other lists containing the top competing URLs and web page titles for these keywords. 

Check if your own web pages contain the keyword phrases in your list. These should be in page titles and the main headings. Modify your web pages accordingly or create new pages. You can use the IMTP Website Explorer in IM Toolpad product suite to analyze your web pages,  check the titles, descriptions and headings. Make sure that you answer the questions your customers may have about the problem your product / service will solve.