Keyword Research: Working with the Project Sponsor

This entry is part of an ongo­ing series on how to iden­tify the best key­words to help your target customers find your company online.

Below is an outline of a quick start guide for keyword researchers. Let’s look at each point in detail, starting with number one: working with the project sponsor.

• Work With the Project Sponsor — to understand the goals for the project and the adoption plan of action
• Compile a Comprehensive List of “Candidate” Keywords — from primary and secondary resources
• Categorize Keywords — by type, content, and source
• Generate Additional Keywords — using keyword suggestion tools
• Define a Prioritization Scheme — based on the intended use of the keywords
• Collect Prioritization Data — to determine value of keywords
• Apply the Prioritization Scheme — to shortlist and rank the keywords
• Organize/Present Keywords — and incorporate feedback from stakeholders
• Maintain — a constantly updated keyword list
  

Work With the Project Sponsor

The project sponsor is responsible for developing the project execution plan, working with you to finalize the prioritization scheme, developing and finalizing an adoption plan of action, and working with you to develop the presentation where you deliver the final outputs (keywords). Make sure you are collaborating closely along the way, so that you understand all the goals for the project.

The project sponsor is a resource for you when you need access to data sources, input and feedback from other team members, as well as resources from the company. The key to a successful collaboration is to establish a regular working rhythm with the sponsor so that you can communicate your needs and he or she can review your work and provide feedback. A project like this tends to involve a lot of detailed data; try not to get the sponsor too involved with the data collection and analysis during the review and feedback meetings, as that will prevent them from staying focused on the higher level outputs and methodology (i.e., “the big picture”).

Stay tuned for more infor­ma­tion on find­ing the best key­words for your tar­get audi­ence.  Next week I will take a closer look at the process of compiling a lists of “candidate” keywords.