Are you missing opportunities to integrate them into your site?

Looking for ways to improve your Web site’s search engine ranking? Who isn’t?

You’ve zeroed in on those niche keywords unique to your business and the searching habits of your target market, and you’ve optimized your site content, metatags and backward links accordingly. But are you overlooking some of the most popular keywords in favor of your own company’s internal jargon? Are you missing opportunities to add highly valuable content (and corresponding metatags) to your site simply because you’re not aware of how those keywords might apply to your business?

Certain words consistently show up in the Top 100 or so keywords searched for on any search engine, week after week. If you’re not in the habit of scanning a weekly keyword report like Wordtracker’s Top 500, you might not notice these perennial favorites. And no, we’re not referring to unmentionable sexual acts or "The Apprentice."

Take a read through these 10 Top Time-Tested Keywords and suggestions for how to apply them to your site, for optimization opportunities you might have missed. Then get busy… before, in the phrase of the month, "You’re fired!"

1. Jobs: Do you have jobs to offer? Then flaunt them, using one of the favorite words of the surfing public. Sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how many companies refer to open positions as "employment," "careers," "opportunities," "work for us" or other indirect descriptions. According to GoogleDuel, the keyword "jobs" is twice as popular as "employment" and four times as popular as "careers."

2. Search Engine: Why people go to a search engine to search for the phrase "search engines" is beyond me, but if you do have a search function on your site, then guess what? You have a "search engine." Perhaps you allow site visitors to search for a store or distributor near them, a product or recent news. If so, think about describing that feature as a "distributor search engine" instead of "find a distributor," for example, and take advantage of the impact of this frequent Top 20 keyword. Note: While offering a search of your own site might technically be considered a "search engine," do consider the expectations of your site visitors when positioning any keyword -- disappointment is not a good first impression.

3. Jokes: Humor always works, whether you’re in the B2B or B2C sector. Consider the dilemma of a recent client, who wanted to publish and archive a weekly email newsletter on the art and science of cigar manufacturing. They sold cigars and had a passion for cigars, so it makes sense, right? Perhaps. But a bit of strategizing about the main goals of the communication -- traffic and passalong -- helped me convince them that humor might go a lot farther than a weekly treatise on humidors and factories. The resulting "cigar joke a day" debuted with stellar results all around, from passalong to site ranking to sales.

4. Maps: If you offer a geo-targeted product or service, do you also offer a map? A recent client selling a guide to foreclosed properties in New York City was able to boost her search engine rankings by adding a map of the city's five boroughs to her site. But maps do not always have to be geographic in nature. A "map" of industry relationships or a "map" of an historical timeline, if relevant and useful, could be equally appropriate for your company.

5. News: Industry news, especially in a B2B environment, is another overlooked content feature for many companies. Services like Moreover Technologies or the increasingly-available RSS feeds from topical blogs allow you to offer real-time news, press releases and more on your site -- with a simple snip and paste of code. If you are positioning your site as an industry leader, it makes sense to present this perennially-popular keyword couched intelligently within your site offerings. Even if site visitors aren’t in the market for your services today, you’ll build up name recognition while you build your search engine standings -- and that will definitely come in handy when they are ready to act.

6. Games: Games can be a tough sell because they are not necessarily relevant to many businesses. However, they do deserve a bit of thought, as this keyword is a consistent Top 10. Certainly cellular service providers can and should offer downloadable games on their sites. At the very least, the next time you’re considering running a contest or promotion on your site, look into the possibility of using a game, simply for its keyword prominence.

7. Calculator: Generally, this keyword shows up in the context of a "mortgage calculator" or "loan calculator." If those concepts apply to your site, by all means integrate one into your site and your metatags, pronto. However, there are other types of calculators whose inclusion can be useful and relevant as well. For example, there are a growing number of companies offering ROI (return on investment) calculators on their sites, which help prospects determine just how much they can save by choosing a particular product or service. This type of tool can be a real value-add for site visitors, a newsworthy topic for industry press, a traffic driver and a site-rank influencer.

8. Dictionary: Could your site use a dictionary to explain industry terms and jargon? If you’re in the healthcare, insurance, legal, marketing, advertising or media industries (the list goes on and on), the answer might be: "Yes, that’s a great idea!" Help others understand your business while helping your business at the same time -- sounds like good business.

9. Quotes: Do you have an erudite CEO? A unique take on your industry? Or an industry that lends itself to a showcase of great witticisms from across the ages? Then you have a "quotes" section in the making. Financial (stock) quotes work as well, if appropriate for your industry.

10. Health: Health and wellness are huge consumer marketing trends, and the keyword "health" is a consistent top search. If you offer products or services that improve the health of your customers, then it’s worth your while to figure out how to reposition your site -- or integrate new site content -- and jump on the health bandwagon. A recent client whose company sells dental care devices chose to reposition her email newsletter and resulting archived content from a focus on how the company’s products were better than those of the competition (and how to use them) to a constant flow of news and articles on advanced dental techniques, and tools and tips to improve the health of every patient. The content was then repackaged on her consumer site as a "health center," resulting in less work, increased visibility and smiles all around.

Eileen Shulock is a former retail executive turned ecommerce, emerchandising and emarketing eexpert. As president of Merchant Diva, she consults with retailers on the art and science of online merchandising, marketing and conversion. She instructs fledgling e-merchants at the Fashion Institute of Technology,and she helps established brands improve their online marketing efforts as instructor of the "Effective Email Marketing" cirriculum at the American Management Association. She is also the long-time managing editor of Web Digest For Marketers and (in her spare time) a writer on subjects ranging from Internet marketing strategy to consumer trends.