Choose A Keyword Strategy For Effective Search Engine Optimization.
Do you find it difficult to find your business on a search engine, like Google Search? Businesses that rank at the top of a search engine results page (SERP) generally earn 40% more traffic to their website than those at the bottom of the same page. To begin increasing traffic and earn your way to the top of Google ranking, you must optimize your website’s keyword campaign strategy.
In this blog, we discuss how to start researching and planning your own keyword strategy when publishing content on your website.
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But first let’s discuss what keywords are.
What Are Keywords?
Keywords are the words and phrases that searchers type into search engines to find answers to their query. If you could choose one or two words to describe the content on your webpage, what would those words be? The words you use are your primary keywords and inform how you begin building a content strategy.
But it doesn’t stop there. Marketers must think about what they are selling and what people are searching for when they go online to drive organic traffic to their site.
Why Are Keywords Important?
Keywords are important because they connect the dots between what people are searching for and how you can fulfill their need. Ranking high organically on SERP builds trust with the searcher because some people avoid and even block ads.
Many businesses make the mistake of optimizing for keywords that do not get searched. The key to driving more traffic to your website is by collecting the keywords that define your product or service and strategizing how to use them in the content you post online. Let’s begin by researching the keywords you have.
3 Pillars Of Good Keyword Research
Just like beginning a business plan, good keyword research involves a strategy. As you get started, consider the following:
- The person’s intent when using a search engine.
- How often your keyword is used in common language and phrasing to validate phrasing and assess user demand.
- How popular your keyword will be and how many businesses will be competing for it. The higher the popularity, the more chance your campaign will get lost.
Know your Searcher’s Goals
There are generally three types of queries made by consumers:
- Informational: How to fix a toilet seat
- Navigational: Local Hardware store
- Transactional: Toilet seats for sale
As you build your keyword strategy, include the different types of queries into your plan.
For instance, while you may be selling toilet seats at your home hardware store, your potential customer might query how to fix a toilet seat before considering where to buy them.
Successful keyword campaigns consider all stages of the customer’s purchase behaviour.
Keyword Mapping
Mapping your keywords is the process of assigning relevant keywords to the different pages on a website based on thorough keyword research. It’s an important aspect of on-page search engine optimization that allows search engines to see the page’s relevancy based on a user’s search.
- It is best to begin with high traffic head terms, the main keyword describing what you’re selling, for example: Toilet seats
- Next add long tail variations of your main keywords. In this case it could be: Broken toilet seat
- Add descriptive long tail variations: Soft close toilet seats, elongated toilet seat, wooden toilet seats
- Add product describing keywords: Toilet seat hinges, or toilet covers.
Eventually your keyword map might begin to grow to 20 or 30 keywords.
Steps To Planning Your Keyword Strategy
- Brainstorm 5-10 keyword ideas for your brand
- List out variations and related keywords to expand your list to 30
- Check search volume in keyword planner to prioritize list, narrow list back down to top five
- Search top five keywords in google to understand search intent
- Suggest content types for each keyword based on search intent
- Access keyword planner in your google ads account.
Tip: You can use Google’s Keyword Planner by creating a free account in Google Ads. You do not need to purchase anything in order to use the free tool.
Keyword Best Practices
- Use the keyword in the title tag at least once. Try to keep the keyword phrase as close to the beginning of the title tag as possible.
- Once prominently near the top of the page
- At least 2-3 times, including variations in the body copy on the page.
- At least once in the alt attribute of an image on the page
- Once in the URL
- At least once in the meta description tag
- Try not to use keywords in link anchor text pointing to other pages on your site, this is known as keyword cannibalization.
Keywords are an important step towards optimizing your website for search engines and for driving traffic organically to your pages.
Learn more about Search Engine Optimization by registering for our course on SEO Best Practices.