How exact do I need to be with my keyword phrases?

[blkrgmt76]

Hi all, first post, new to the program and glad to be here.

Im getting ready to start writing my articles, but have a question about keywords...

Im promoting products on DIY rocket ships (not really), and want to know if I should write a separate article for the following similar terms:

"How to build rocket ships"
"How to make rocket ships"

I typed search queries into google for one, and got results using both words. This I presume is because google knows these words are similar and interchangeable.

I considered three options, but wanted advice on which would be best...

Option #1: Write headline for one, but optimize for both within the article.

Option #2: Write separate articles for each, but word the titles in a larger sentence, such as: "how to make a rocket ship" and "build rocket ships at home"

Option #3: Simply write separate articles and use both keyword phrases exactly as they are.

Appreciate any help,

Thanks
-Steven

[wollowra]

Hi Steven,
Welcome to the site.
Option 2 is good...

When building a site think about how you would feel when landing on a site and seeing 2 or 3 pages with the exact same meaning headline but with different content, Good or bad?
Build your pages with high quality content and optimized for keywords by all means.. but it is important to have a good user experience as well.

Also, when it comes time for PPC advertising.. it will most likely get manually reviewed and if the reviewer sees two articles with the same meaning but different content, they may slightly lower your quality score.
Now having said this, you can use a play on words maybe if you feel the need to...
Ex: "How to build rocket ships fast"
"How to make rocket ships the right way"
You get the keywords in but the articles could be different...

Also, Putting the letters A or THE in the middle of a keyword lessens the relevance but I find it has a minimal negative affect... but hey what works for one person, may not work for another so.. TEST TEST TEST

My 2 cents.

Regards
Troy :)

[jmpruitt]

try marks method. write a 2 page article and split optimizing it for the 2 different phrases on different pages.
see http://www.wowblackbook.com/world-of-wa ... -guide.php
then look at page 2 of the guide. page 1 is SEO for World of Warcraft mage guide
page 2 is Seo for WoW mage guide.

2 differently optimized pages for 1 article but similar phrases

[blkrgmt76]

thanks for the replies. much appreciated.

Even tho im in a niche with a healthy gravity, im finding it hard to reach 20+ articles without them being extremely similar (Im focusing on content that will convert, not just add content).

Perhaps I misunderstood Mark's instructions on choosing a niche with 2-3 products I can promote.

help me understand if this is my error:

Choosing a product, instead of a niche.
I chose "rocket ship building" since I saw 3+ products talking about building rocket ships from home with cardboard and a black marker.

Since the kwp's for the above "product type" are all the same, Im having trouble finding enough quality kwp's to produce 20+ articles

My mistake is that I chose a product instead of a niche. Am I correct in this assessment?

Compare this to World Of Warcraft, from the AFB example, which is a niche, not a product.
WoW books on:
Gold
Leveling
Crafting (specific crafts can each be a separate product)
PVP
Playing/Speccing certain classes/professions

While there may be a product out there that combines some or all of these guides, these are in fact separate products with their own targetted traffic.

I am fairly certain this is the mistake I made, but wanted to spell it out for clarity, and invite comments and suggestions, and lastly to help others avoid this error.

-thanks again
Steven

[MarkLing]

I can see how limiting yourself to a product can feel like you've painted yourself into a corner and that is the drawback of a narrow (or exact) keyword list, however even with very narrow niches there is often a broad spectrum of keywords - you just need to dig deeper and really understand your product. Browse the forums, get to know the enthusiasts (your buying market), the words they use, the problems they face etc.

As with any endeavor don't feel like just because you've gone down a 'no exit' that it means you're back at square one - you've learnt some valuable things along the way which set you up to better prepared next time round.

[jmpruitt]

As I am doing my research in the forums, I write down specific questions I find are repeated, I usually get about 20-30 in a couple of hours. then each article I write is the answer to one of those questions. these questions are the problems people are seeking a solution to, the articles and products you promote should be the answer to their solution.I hope this tip helps :)