Not that long ago i met with a company owner that sells manufactured homes (better known as mobile homes). The corporation is established and has respectable branding, but does not have a Web site (thus the reason I was there). Initial conferences with our prospective clients normally involve quite a bit of research into the business, their main target audience, and brainstorming about prospective keywords. During the meeting I gained knowledge about his industry, clients, and the challenges his business encounters. He defined very plainly that they despise the words “Mobile Home” and preferred the phrases “Manufactured Housing” or “Modular Homes.” I am a Broker and have observed this marketing change in the last several years and wasn’t shocked.

Soon after the meeting was finished and I got back to the office to begin the research, it instantly became obvious that the business owner wasn’t going to like what I would definitely tell him. The words “mobile home” was searched around 6x’s greater than “modular home.” If he wants to construct an efficient Web site for his company, he will have to optimize for the term “mobile home” – the words he despises.

This story is a excellent case of what keyword research is about. Search engine optimization is not just about having the site rank high in the major search engines, it’s about doing market research and then targeting the ideal traffic. Please don’t get me wrong, just because one keyword has a lot of traffic compared to other, that doesn’t mean it is advisable for your business to optimize for that keyword.

For example: As a Real estate broker would it be wiser to optimize for “homes for sale” (X) or “Real Estate Agent” (Y)? Despite the fact that (X) may have 15x’s the amount of traffic; a person that searches for (Y) is probably a better target market. Some individuals can view homes for decades without actually buying, while someone searching for the services of an agent is more likely to convert.

Keyword research and analysis is the primary groundwork of Search engine optimization function. It can mean the difference of success and failure for your internet marketing method. I’ve been privileged enough to be involved in campaigns that truly increased specific keyword traffic by means of integration of Offline and Online marketing techniques. Generally while, the human user is the driving aspect which decides the direction of your Search engine optimization efforts and Web page design