Keywords

SEO - newbie be patient please

[Playful Melissa]

I know there is supposedly no such thing as a stupid question but I feel stupid asking my SEO genius friend about keywords.

So I'm going for some anaonmity here - How do I go about getting my keywords together? Its very overwhelming- misspellings, targeting, etc.

Is there a guide or some guide line that might help me choose the right ones and point me in the direction of words I might not have thought of? Or is that the magic?

[arrowman]

1. Start with a concept map for your topic. Be creative and use your common sense.
2. Use Overture's and Google's keyword tools.
3. Watch your server logs. The actual keywords used are in the se referer url.

[caveman]

arrowman gives good advice, especially about Ov and G tools if you're just starting out. Plus the wtracker tool. Universal starting points.

After that, it's common sense, tons of hard work (e.g., searching/surfing/scanning similar sites and topics to see what is already being used successfully), and those log files (once the site is up).

You should also probably read the early G papers and those on Hilltop and LSI for background. Those will help as you begin to refine your kw selection and deployment skills (because they will help you understand a bit more about how the SE's "look" at things). Not that all aspects of these papers are in use in all engines, but they help explain how some SE's might be approaching the complex world of the Web.

And knowing what keywords to use, and in what arrays, are particularly helpful if you care about ranking well in G.