Word stemming can pull in search results that are not an exact match for the keyword searched on, but may be close to or the same thing. When a search engine does use stemming or word stems, it means that searches for word roots will also include the variations of that word. For instance, searches for consult would also return documents that have the words CONSULTing and CONSULTants.

Search engines that practice word stemming will return your Web site for searches on those other word variations so you should incorporate the longest form of your important keywords in your meta tags. For example, including the word consulting in the meta tag will likely get your Web site returned for searches on both “consult” and “consulting” on many search engines. This is an important consideration when you are designing your Web site and deciding which keywords to include and which to leave out. Always choose the longer form of your important keywords and use the plural form of the word by adding an “s” where possible.

We see many serious mistakes in this area by some of our customers. So many, in fact, that I felt it would be worthwhile to revisit this topic and offer some tricks to maximizing your visibility with your use of keywords.

For this discussion, “keywords” are words that someone using a search engine types into the search screen or search box in hopes of finding your Web site. You will want to create pages that target and emphasize specific keywords related to your Web site’s content so that you rank near the top of the search results.

Always target keyword “phrases” — meaning two to three keywords in a row. Studies show that 80% of Internet searches contain two to three word phrases, NOT single words. Therefore, list all the keywords and concepts that apply to your Web site and start pairing them into likely phrases that people might use to “narrow” their search. By doing this, your page will still be relevant for those single keyword searches but will also capture traffic from the more common multi-word queries. We call these multi-word phrases “Power Combinations.”

For example, let’s say you run a travel business specializing in the Caribbean. Some of your keywords might be:

travel

Caribbean

airlines

cruises

reservations

accommodations

flight

getaways

Some of your Power Combinations might be:

Caribbean travel getaways

Caribbean travel accommodations

Caribbean cruise reservations

Caribbean flight reservations

Because search engines normally return “partial” matches by default, using the plural form of your keywords such as “reservations” will often return matches with “reservation” too.

NEXT STEP: Regionalize! If your travel business is in Dallas include this city in your keyword combinations:

Dallas travel getaways

Dallas travel accommodations

Dallas cruise reservations

Dallas flight reservations

Many people would rather book reservations with a local agent. Therefore, they will preface searches with their city and potentially their State or Province.

Next, put yourself in the shoes of the “average Joe” using a search engine trying to find a product or service that you offer. Once you’ve created these keyword power combinations go down your list and say to yourself, “would I really type that into a search box if I were looking for XYZ product or service?” If the answer is no, or “probably not,” re-think your choices and try to find a more natural or logical arrangement of your keywords.

Finally, once you’ve identified your power combinations, re-optimize your pages with these phrases in the title, headings, body, and other areas of the page. After you submit these pages and allow time for them to be indexed by the different search engines, follow-up with WebPosition.