A PR pro’s guide to choosing keywords for your Web content

You can use a free tool from Google to determine which words people are using to find your product or service. It’s easy. You just need a little guidance.

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How many of you have a set of 25 to 30 keywords that guide your online publishing?

I’m guessing most of you don’t.

Whenever I speak to groups of communicators and marketers, I’m surprised by the relatively few hands that go up when I ask this question.

It’s one thing to think we know what the most important keywords are for our organization. It’s another to really know based on what people are searching. Sure, some of you may have a set of keywords you use in news release titles and blog headlines, but do you have a strategically crafted keyword list that’s vetted against actual online searches?

No need to worry. There’s a free tool that’s just right for you: Google AdWords Keyword Tool.

Here’s how you can use it to build that keyword list:

Let’s say I own a cupcake shop in Houston. I would begin this process by entering a few keywords in the Keyword Tool to find the most appropriate words and phrases for my online initiatives. I may type in something like cupcakes, bakery, dessert, Houston.

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