Where can I use keyphrases and keywords within my copy for maximum impact?

Good question.

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Once upon a time, writers believed that it was prudent to jam pack the first paragraph of their 250-word prose with keyphrases.  Although search engine spiders may have rubbed their hairy legs with glee, readers revolted.  Just look at the keyphrase-packed drivel people had to wade through:

"Our cashmere sweaters are the best cashmere sweaters on the 'Net today.  Discover the lowest cashmere sweater prices in our exclusive online sweater store right now."

Sure, you immediately know the keyphrase is "cashmere sweaters."  But, the constant keyphrase repetition jackhammered the sales flow into smithereens.

The good news is, your copy doesn't have to read like a laundry list of keyphrases.  In fact, if it's done correctly, you can keep a shimmering tone and feel without sacrificing a thing for the search engines.  Here're three ways to make it happen.

  • Scatter your keyphrases like daisies throughout the copy.  Spidering search engines zoom through your entire Web page, indexing every word of your wondrous prose.  Rather than packing your keyphrases into the first 25 words, you have the freedom to insert phrases where they fit.  You can include a keyphrase as word one or word 250.  As long as you don't lose readability, your strategy is safe.

  • Use keyphrases to emphasize your point.  Emphasized text, like headlines, subheadlines and boldface, are considered important coding properties for search engines.  What this means to you is that keyphrases appearing as emphasized text stand out to search engine spiders.  And that's the kind of search engine attention you want for your site.

For the coding-curious, here is what the "behind the scenes" code looks like for headlines and boldface type.  The keyphrase is "cashmere sweaters."

Headline:
<h1>Hot discounts on cool cashmere sweaters </h1>
<b>Hot discounts on cool cashmere sweaters</b>
available at CashmereComforts.com.

  • Include keyphrases in and around hyperlinks (otherwise known as call-to-action links).  Over the last couple years, search engines have strongly focused on link analysis.  Google's PageRank, for example, heavily relies on links for relevancy, as do the "new" breed of search engines like Teoma.

  • Key to the link analysis algorithm is not only the number of links that point to your page, but also the contextual phraseology around the links.  In other words, if your phrase appears in or near a hyperlink, the search engines may give it a relevancy boost.
     
    <a href="cashmere.html">Cashmere sweater sale</a>

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