The subject of keywords is often mentioned when people talk about the Internet. Keywords in terms of search and keywords in terms of content and website build. You are told not to repeat your keyword too many times, and to be sure to include it in the first paragraph and the three descriptive Meta tags (Title, Description and Keywords) of your web site.

This is how I like to visualise this term. When you are a child you are often given a book which on one page has a picture and the other a word. This book is often based upon one particular subject. From these books we learn the primary and most popular and sometimes fashionable words being used on a subject area. For example a bedtime book would include an image of a bed, an image of a blanket, a toothbrush. All of these are words that when combined all relate to the specific topic of bedtime.

The Internet is primary word based, but is also able to host images, videos and audio. After opening a browser, my experience suggests that most users will either go to an existing preferred site, or search for information on a subject using a particular keyword or phrase. It is often the latter, as the browser has been defaulted to display Google. The logic being it is easier to type into a Google search box than type a web address.

Google, Yahoo, and the other major search engines with the exception of Ask, (which has recently added a privacy option), store the search information. Some other organisations, such as WordTracker, have built businesses around technology relating to keywords. This allows statistics to be gathered on what people are searching for. Business experience suggests that if we supply goods or services that people are searching for, we are more likely to complete a sale. Everybody clambers to work to supply in these areas, and a few supply niche areas. This is similar to the local supermarket and the local village organic farm shop. We quite often go to a supermarket, but we also enjoy the fact that we can by organic fresh vegetables grown near to our home. Both sell potatoes, both have costs, both have pricing policies, both have customers, both have goals, both have customers. One is able to be more customers focused. This is discussed further in the book The Long Tail: How Endless Choice Is Creating Unlimited Demand by Chris Anderson on the subject of the Internet long and short tail.

When we write content for the Internet, it can be at a high level or very specific. If we write on a very specific subject, we are more likely to include terms and keywords that relate to that area. If we were writing for example about our experience of Gliding we may include the words, glider, tug, rudders, thermals. We may also of course use the word thermal if we had a shop selling underwear. It is unlikely that someone who is searching for information on gliding would spend long on an underwear site. That is of course assuming that our user has no experience of how cold open airfields can be at times. The words we use within our pages help us to target the customer.

Technology enables us to research the words that are popular on the Internet, and also track those being used to reach our site. By modifying and amending the content to meet what people are looking for, we are on most occasions able to provide a better service. I once for example tried to sell hand decorated gift boxes and gifts on the Internet. One of the gifts I sold was a soft monkey. I also attempted to sell wedding gift boxes. A search for a “monkey wedding cake topper” resulted on a hit on my site from Google. A monkey wedding cake topper I assumed at the time was a niche item (unlikely but perhaps, it was Chris Anderson being funny!). Perhaps it was for a Hindu wedding? I decided not to add this item to my range, but I did spend some time looking at the plastic monkeys at Whipsnade Zoo on my next visit that particular summer.

If you find yourself drawn to research your keywords the following sites may help:

• Alexa
• Google Adwords
• Google Trends
• Zeitgiest
• Yahoo Search Marketing (Overture)
• YouTube
• WordTraker
• MSN Hotlist
• Pop Urls
• All Top
• Yahoo Buzz

Answers.com defines keywords as one of the following:

1. A word that serves as a key to a code or cipher
2. A significant and descriptive word
3. A word used as a reference point for finding other words or information

It is interesting to note that some words have more than one common meaning and can also be interpreted to mean different things in different countries. I find it slightly amusing that there are individuals who are able to take advantage of this double meaning of words within the content of their websites. Perhaps they don't realise it, or perhaps to them it is all part of the influence of the Internet.
Ultimately if the content of your site is not interesting to the visitor, they won't stay, and are unlikely to return whatever words you use.

Web Page Last updated: March 2008