Keyword optimization is the ongoing process of selecting keywords that are likely to be the most relevant for the search terms being keyed in by people searching for the type or category of product being marketed through the website. The aim is to properly select keywords (words or phrases) that can maximize ‘hits’ (people who click) on the website. People will likely click on the website if it is ranked high on the search engine results page (SERP) and if they find their search term (keyword) in the short description of the site in the SERP.

Keyword optimization therefore involves selecting the right (relevant) keywords; facilitating web crawlers (spiders) to easily find and index the relevant contents in the web pages by including important keywords in the anchor text of metatags; and ensuring inclusion of relevant keywords in header tags. Keyword optimization is crucial for the success of both search engine optimization (SEO) for organic searches as well as for pay-per-click (PPC) advertising.

The first practical step to get leads (keywords which can then be expanded) for keyword optimization is to try and think as customers searching for the product category would do. However, researching keywords manually is not a practical option when a large number of keywords and phrases are involved. Fortunately, online keyword research tools are available commercially on the Net, such as, for example, ‘WordTracker’ or ‘KeywordDiscovery’ etc, which can facilitate the process of keyword optimization. Continuous testing of keywords and phrases to ascertain their relevance in a dynamic market is also important for any successful keyword optimization process.