4) What Are Your Keyword Targets?

What categories, keywords and hashtags are you targeting?

placeholder

placeholder

This is directly related to SEO, which is still one of the most proven methods of online visibility for businesses. Your keywords, categories and hashtags are important examples of starting with the end in mind. However, many people often put this on the back-burner. You hear people talking about implementing SEO to their site AFTER their site launch. Aligning your content (and goals) with natural search patterns from the start is a much more systematic strategy than trying to piece things together as they come. Remember, we are trying to build our foundation - where everything else will lay on top of!

Make sure you and your team are making this research a priority. There should be two levels of research when it comes to this planning.

FIRST LEVEL

Generate a list of keywords and search terms people use to find solutions. You’re looking to understand the big picture

  • How do people look for what you offer? (think about verbiage here as well)
  • How much variability is there in how people seek solutions?
  • How often are people searching for various keywords within your niche?
  • How competitive are each of these various searches?
  • How much will it cost to get clicks from different sources?
  • Does it make sense for you to compete for these keywords given price/budget?

SECOND LEVEL

Here, you will create your short list and make your decisions on which terms it is wise to compete for. After this, you’ll be able to develop your competitive strategy and develop your site accordingly.