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words like “baby shower gifts” and “baby clothes,” but he should also include trade-

marked names like “Babyfuzzkin” and a list of the brand names he’s selling. Likewise,

if it’s equally accurate to describe the products for sale on your website with the terms

“spray bottles” or “X7 MistMaker Series,” add both to your list.

Name the need you fill.

It’s not just what you offer, it’s the itch that your product or

service scratches. So Jason might write down “baby shower gift ideas” or “baby clothes

free shipping.” If you sold home alarm systems on your site, you might want to list terms

that describe your customers’ needs, such as “protect my home” and “prevent burglary.”

Think seasonal.

Does your product or service vary from season to season? Do you

offer special services for special events? Think through your whole calendar year. Jason

at Babyfuzzkin may want to list words like “baby swimsuits” and “Size 2T Santa

Sweaters.” A spa resort may want to list things like “Mother’s Day Getaway Ideas”

and “Tax Time Stress Relief.”

Embrace misspellings and slang.

Here’s something you probably know better than any

SEO expert: alternate spellings and regional variations on your keywords. Jason bristles

when he gets mail addressed to “Baby Fuzzkin” or “Babyfussing,” but he knows his

company name is easy to get wrong, so he’ll add those to his list. On a regional note,

a company selling soft drink vending machines had better remember to add both “soda”

and “pop.” You do

not

need to consider variations in capitalization because search engines

are not sensitive to caps (besides, the vast majority of searches are lowercase). However,

you should include singular and plural forms on your list for further evaluation.

Locate yourself.

In Chapter 2, “Customize Your Approach,” we suggested that brick-

and-mortar organizations include variations on their company name and location in the

keywords list. If your company does business only in Michigan, you really don’t want to

waste your SEO efforts on a searcher in Nevada. And, did we mention that search

engines sometimes aren’t all that smart? They do not necessarily know that “NY” and

“New York” are the same thing. So be sure to include every variation you can think of.

Self-packaged

yellow tropical

fruit snack

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