By Allan Maurer

Ron Jones

Many marketers see key word research as a preliminary to search engine optimization, but it is actually fundamental to all marketing channels, says Ron Jones, president and CEO of Symetri Internet Marketing and author of Keyword Research for Search, Social and Beyond from Wiley Publishing.

Jones has been an avid proponent of the Search Engine Marketing industry by hosting and speaking at seminars and conferences. Additionally Ron has served on the Board  for The Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPRO) and is also one of the authors for the SEMPO Institute Insiders Guide and Advanced courses.

Jones, one of the legion of Internet thought-leaders and digital media gurus participating in next week’s Internet Summit at the Raleigh, NC Convention Center Nov. 15-16, will discuss how to expand thinking about keyword research and how to use it for competitive traditional marketing, branding and other channels.

“Part of it involves the buying cycle – when people will use certain key words. Part of it is about user intent as it applies to key word research,” he says.

That means if a consumer types “camera” into a search engine, he is likely at the beginning of the buying cycle and using broad search terms. If he types in Canon EOS Rebel, he pretty much knows what he’s looking for, has done research, and the chances are high he’s ready to convert and buy.

“He’s probably looking for price and availability,” says Jones. “So understanding which key words people use gives you insight into their intent,” he notes.

Using Google Analytics and looking at the bounce rate for key words bringing people to your site can reveal the relevance what they found has to what they were looking for, Jones says. “If they bounce quickly, it suggests the relevance of the key word to the page they landed on is a mismatch.”

That means, he adds, “You should make sure your upfront messaging matches the content you have on your landing pages.

Then, you should further analyze to determine not only the key words driving people to your site, but also which ones drive conversions for you.

For an idea of what Jones will discuss in more detail at the Internet Summit, take a look at his blog post, “3 Tips for Identifying Top Peforming Keywords” at ClickZ.

You might also find 5 Ways to Measure Social Media helpful.

Other posts by Ron Jones on ClickZ