The following is part two in our posts on “Breakout SEO“ that cover how to optimize content for search engines. Today’s post will guide you on how to achieve high ranking SEO results using keyword research and selecting the best domain name for your business.

Keyword Research for High Ranking SEO

As an Internet Marketer, you already know how important keyword research is to your business and high ranking SEO. You know the difference between a broad, single keyword like “lemons” and a long-tailed key phrase like “making lemonade with lemons”.

You’ve learned to use Google’s Keyword Tool to see if there is low but vital Adwords competition but decent search numbers on a keyphrase – and you’re using Wordtracker’s freekeywords tool to get ideas on exactly what people are searching for.

In fact, you most likely even use paid SEO tools like MicroNicheFinder, at this stage of the game. (There is also another tool similar to these powerful SEO aids that you can use entirely for free – Traffic Travis.)

This is all well and great if you know what to do with these KeyTools, and how to analyze the data and results. But step back a second and really think about it – are there gaps leading to missed opportunities? After talking with some Internet Marketers earlier this month, I suspect many newer marketers “know” what to do far more they than actually do it.

There are many places to naturally place great key phrases you’ve found, but do remember this one important fact:

They should be highly relevant to your target customer. There is no point getting excited over a keyword that has a fabulous Google competition and Adwords ratio if it’s going to bring you dozens of people looking for sites about cars with problems – not ways to make gourmet lemonade. In fact, they’re just going to be annoyed with you for “misleading” them – and leave.

Pick at least 10 key phrases highly specific to your ideal customer, and use them as the backbone of your website for high ranking SEO. If you are going to market locally or offline, don’t forget to include key phrases with geographic cues in: E.G. “Lake Placid fishing resort”, if you live near Lake Placid and want to attract that tourist market.

And if brands are a big part of your marketing – say you are selling Kubota lawn tractors – then do remember to include that brand name in some of your key phrases (but not in domain names! You can get into legal trouble, that way.)

I know including the brand name in your key phrase sounds really obvious – but it’s amazing how many people forget this small but crucial step.

Choosing A Domain Name for High Ranking SEO

Speaking of Domain Names, there are 3 powerful methods of choosing the right one for your website and achieve high ranking SEO. It’s a good idea to really think about which sort would suit your marketing purposes best, before you jump to use a great key phrase you’ve found.

Here are the 3 methods, laid out

Pick only one – the one that works best for your goals.

1) Take your strongest key phrase, and register it as your domain name, using only .COM, .NET, .ORG or your Country code as your extension.

2) Register your own name as a .COM. Even if you’re not planning to use it for a while, you should do this instantly anyway, before another Quinton Tartarus comes along to claim it – you will find a use for your personal domain, quickly enough. Unless you are Angelina Jolie, or really planning to become a celebrity who is more important than the service you’re providing, you may be better to start out with your strong key phrase as a domain name.

3) If you have a product you are going to promote, you are going to want to go for branding. Register your site by the product name. For example, Wordtracker’s web address is `www.wordtracker.com’.

Remember – “www.[NameOfProduct].com” is what 95% of all searchers will “test-input” into their browser, before searching. So wouldn’t that be a great way to have them always remember your web site address, once they’re aware of your product? Particularly since people will usually check out a product several times – before they buy!

When you’ve decided on a possible domain name, check to see if the .COM extension is taken. Don’t run it through Google’s search engines, however – there are companies that check search results and snap up good suggestions, so they can resell them at a premium rate. Instead, use a scripted tool like Clefty’s Domain Name Finder. This tool guarantees that no one will see your “taken or free domain name” search attempts.

If the .COM is taken, by all means use .NET or .ORG (especially if you’re running a blog site – .ORG is a common blog extension nowadays, though it used to be only for non-profits.) Try not to use vanity extensions like .INFO or .BIZ – Google isn’t partial to them (though if you optimize everything else to the teeth, you may actually achieve good rankings.)

If your name is Mary Smith’, and ‘www.marysmith.com’ went long ago, get creative. Combine your name with a key phrase (make sure it’s easy to read and say – and make sure it’s memorable!) You could try something like MarySmith_SpecialtyCoffee.com’. (The capital letters won’t count, but on business cards and in article Resource Boxes, they make the web address much easier to read than marysmith_specialtycoffee.com’ – the actual name.)

Hyphens in your domain name

Should you use hyphens, underscores or run-on words, in domain names to optimize content for search engines?

Experts are pretty much unanimous that underscores are not the way to go – but opinions are divided almost equally between run-on words and hyphenation. (Underscores work best when you’re deliberately trying to separate 2 phrases – though it’s always best to avoid them, whenever possible.)

The bottom line on this decision? It’s up to you.

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