Keywords, put simply, are the words your potential customers type into an online search (Google, Yahoo, Bing etc.) to find what they are looking for - seems easy to understand right? But what do they have to do with you and your business... 
 
Well, everything. If you’ve got a website, then keywords are the “key” (mind the pun) to ranking highly on any search engine. Even more, they’ll draw in new customers for your business.

Keywords can be embedded in the back end of your website through your meta title, meta description and meta tags:
 Meta Title: the name of your business that shows up in search results for your business
 Meta Description: describes your business in a sentence - also shows up in search results
 Meta Tags: the keywords that trigger your website to show up in online searches
They should also be written within the text of your website (i.e. about us pages) or highlighted in your next Google AdWords campaign.

It’s important to keep up to date with your industry’s trending keywords. That’s right, keywords change, some die out and others rise to the top - you need to be aware of these ever changing trends to make the most out of your business online. 

If you don’t have time for this because you’re too busy doing what you do best (running a business) then performance based marketing companies like Zwift do. Why is this so important? Because it’s a powerful tool to understand who your customers are and what they’re searching for.

If you don’t believe in the power of keywords, just let the statistics* speak for themselves...

Pizza Shops:
- Margherita Pizza, searched 2,400 times
- Pizza Delivery, searched 2,900 times
- Pizza near me, searched 1,600 times

Thai Cuisine:

- Thai food, searched 5,400 times
- Takeaway near me, searched 2,400 times
- Thai takeaway, searched 1,300 times

Florists
- Florist, searched 8,100 times
- Flower delivery, searched 4,400 times
- Flowers online, searched 9,900 times 

Impressive, isn't it? And that’s only in a month!

Google Trends is a fantastic tool that every business owner should know how to use effectively. You can search for keywords like ‘Pizza near me’ and see if the interest in that keyword is increasing in your state. It’s the perfect tool for keeping up to date with the latest trends.

Once you can understand what your customers are searching for online, you can tailor your customer experience to it. For example, if a popular keyword is ‘pizza delivery’ in your suburb and you don’t deliver, you might want to consider starting to!

If you want to be ranked #1 in an online search, this is a great way to get started:
 Research trending keywords for your business
 Update your website with relevant keywords
 Keep on top of your industry’s trends
 Get in touch with your marketing team to arrange a Google AdWords campaign (advertising on Google)

If you don’t have a marketing team CLICK HERE, because it’s about time you grow your business online and marketing is the perfect way to do it!

In the big world of online searches, your business needs to stand out from the crowd. There’s no time like the present to get yourself a cracking list of trending keywords, understand your customers and take your online business to the next level.

*Figures obtained from Google Keyword Planner (March 2015).