Keywords, Marketing, and Your Brain

The brilliant team at Sharp Hue got my website up and styled my blog to match it. You can see it if you push the "homepage" button on the right. Naturally, I wanted to thank them.

Last week, I had a client tell me I was "a delight to work with," and another said she was "grateful to have you in my life." This sort of thing is heartfelt and wonderful to hear. It makes a person feel as though her work is worthwhile. I sent something of the sort to the Sharp Hue CEO, along with some flowers.

But in the back of my mind, I was thinking of the testimonial letter I would send him for his files. Naturally, it would have to include his keywords*, so that he could post a line or two somewhere where it would do him some good with the search engines.

I realize that this kind of thing can sound a little crazy. When I send my clients the list of keywords I've prepared for them, I suggest that they print them out and tape them to the computer, or simply memorize them. I don't get to see all their desks, of course, but I'm guessing that most of the clients to whom I say this think it is a bit of gentle humor. Or outright looniness.

I'm serious.

Here's what happens when you use your keywords all the time:

• It becomes natural. In SEO, we are always striving for That Natural Look. If, instead of trying to stuff a certain percentage of keyword phrases into your text, you just get into the habit of using them, they'll come to your mind very naturally, and your website will include them in completely natural ways. If you need evidence of this, think about all the people you know who have the habit of saying "like," or "you know" or the latest movie catchphrase. It's easy to get into the habit of using particular words when you speak or write -- it's just a little service your brain performs for you. Just take advantage of the fact.
• You train your customers. You can't entirely foresee what people will type in at the search engines when they need your products or services. I can give you the most probable choices, but there will be surprises. I wasn't expecting that person who came here after searching for "rotten haden." (I'm trying not to take it personally.) But you want your clients to find you very easily. By using your keywords not just on your website but on your print documents and in your presentations, you encourage the people you contact in the real world to use the words when they search online that are most likely to find you.
• You test those keywords. Things change. Maybe your initial keywords are no longer the best choices for your business. Maybe they never were. If you find that you can't use your keywords easily and naturally in most of your writing and much of your speech, then they probably aren't really the right ones for you. It's time to do some new keyword development. When you make the effort to use your keywords in your daily work, you'll have warning signs when they become outdated or inaccurate.

Using the preferred keywords of the people you work with? That may be a little bit extra. But the fact is, once you begin getting the habit of using your keywords, it'll be second nature to think this way. Just another of those little services your brain performs for you.

* If you're wondering what keywords are and why you need to think about them, leave me a comment and I'll get you up to speed.