Optimizing pages for keywords

[Kelly_S]

I have a couple of websites for retailing the western chaps manufactured by my company.  I have recently tried to increase my learning for SEO since one of my main sites (started in 2006) just lost about 45% of it's organic search volume since the end of May.  It seems my search to learn just creates more and more questions.

I have been using google adwords for several years now and have used that information to find the most searched keywords.  There are some general keywords like western chaps and cowboy chaps that receive decent search volume.  If I get more specific to a certain type of chap, chinks for example, the popular high volume keywords are chinks, chinks chaps, western chinks, and cowboy chinks.  These all relate to one type of chap...the chink.  I want to be visible for these keywords, but how does one optimize for more than one without diluting?  Should I also try to optimize on the homepage of my sites for the general terms like western chaps and cowboy chaps?  Can I optimize for both?

I could really use some help.  Any experts out there up to the job of consulting for me, some with extensive knowledge and experience?  I'm not looking for the SEO giants with hundreds of clients.  I don't feel that I will get the proper value from those types.  My company is small and spending is an issue, that's why I would like someone to consult with.  I should be able to do most of the labor, I just need the knowledge.

[Kelly_S]

Hello Mike,

Thank you for taking your time to respond.  I can easily write good content using all those keywords and can do so without stuffing.

[MikeRoberts]

Choose what works best for the product and fits naturally into the content. You need to remember that the search engines will decide what they think you're most relevant for and rank you accordingly.... which means that just because you optimize for "Cowboy Chinks" doesn't mean you won't also rank in the SERPs for "chinks" and "western chinks". Google recognizes synonyms in content. Write for people, not for the bots... unique, informative content that will best serve your customers is better than attempting to force in every keyword imaginable in the hopes of ranking for everything with a single page. And once you start writing it you just might realize you could fit all or most of those naturally into your content.

[Kelly_S]

Hello Brooke,

Thanks very much for your input.  I do intend on optimizing indiviual pages but I'm a little confused on how to go about it.

I was a little bit general in my first post.   Let's say I want to optimize a page on my site for the specific type of chap called "chinks".  My google adwords campaigns have shown that consistently over a several year period, the most searched keywords are 1) chinks, 2) chinks chaps, 3) western chinks, 4) cowboy chinks.  They all have significant traffic.

I have only one product category for chinks on my website and all the pairs of chinks that we sell are shown that category.  Do I need to specifically choose only one of the four keywords to optimize that product page for?  Do I  just forget about having decent placement for the other three?  I could create four product categories for chinks and optimize each one for each of the keywords but that would look like a ridiculous site to anyone searching for chinks on my website because there would be four different categories, each with a different name but all four would show exactly the same chaps.  Logic tells me that I can't optimize my existing chink category for all four keywords.

Also, should I optimize the paragraphs describing each of the individual pairs of chinks with the same keywords or would this create keyword cannibalization?

Thank you,

Kelly

[Ryan_Henry]

Hi Kelly,

I agree with Bethany below that you should start to look at how to optimize pages of your website instead of trying to optimize the whole thing at once.

I would really start by looking at the pages on your site that receive the most traffic from organic search.  Make sure your title tags, meta description and content contain the keywords you would like to appear for in SERPs while also insuring that the optimizations add value to the user experience (I am not telling you to keyword stuff by any means!)

I would then start to build content around these keywords and topics that add value to your brand.  This will help to regain some of the lost position in SERPs and also help to ensure that you are not penalized by another Google Update.  I will let you know that this isn't a solution that is going to work over night, but will help your website to build strength for those topics.

After you have built your content I would start to focus on off-site optimization to help get links regardless of what anyone else says.

Sorry this is a really broad recommendation.  Let me know if you need anymore detail.

[columbiaseo]

Think of about optimizing PAGES not your entire site.  So optimize pages that are related to chinks for those specifically related chink keywords.  Optimize your homepage for the broad keywords like 'chaps.'