SEO Basics: How To Use Keywords To Optimize Your Website Content
In this world of digital marketing, strategies and tools change regularly. But one thing that stays the same is the importance of having a rock-solid SEO.
The last blog was all about a solid foundation and introduction to the concept of SEO and how it can help improve your website's visibility and traffic, therefore increasing the sales conversion you receive.
If you missed that one, check it out here!
After all of the technical aspects of SEO have been taken care of, an essential component to having great SEO for your site is your ability to use keywords effectively.
You want to start by conducting some keyword research.
What is Keyword Research?
Keyword research is a crucial aspect of SEO that helps identify the words and phrases people use when searching online. Simply put, your site is seen more if it uses words that people are typing into Google or another search engine.
But what exactly is keyword research? It's the process of identifying the words and phrases that people use when searching for information, products or services online. Think of it as a treasure hunt, where the "treasure" is the valuable insight into what potential customers are searching for. By uncovering the best keywords for your niche, you can tailor your website's content to meet their needs, leading to higher visibility and more traffic.
Why is this important to do to help boost your site's SEO?
Understanding which keywords your target audience is searching for is essential for effective SEO. Without keyword research, you run the risk of creating content that doesn't align with what people are searching for.
Keyword research helps you identify the specific terms and phrases your audience is using, allowing you to optimize your content effectively. This alignment makes your website more relevant to search engines, improving your chances of ranking higher and attracting more visitors.
It’s not just about finding any keywords; it’s about finding the right ones. High-value keywords that are relevant to your business and have a good search volume can significantly boost your site's visibility. They also ensure you're attracting the right customers to you. Using low-quality keywords or ones that aren't quite right could wind up with you attracting the wrong fit clients.
Moreover, keyword research helps you understand the competitive landscape. By analyzing which keywords your competitors are targeting, you can identify gaps and opportunities to help your content stand out. Unique is always better.
So, how do you begin to do keyword research?
1. Identify your niche and target audience.
And I know you may have already done this if you've taken a coaching program, as this is a popular thing to do, but they are the guides to finding the exact right keywords for your business.
2. Brainstorm Seed Keywords
Start by listing your core topics (i.e. the main topics related to your business or website). You can do some manual searching on Google or social media if you need some help with this. From there, generate a list of initial keywords. Make these broad and diverse and related to the topics you created. These are your starting point.
3. Use keyword research tools
Then you want to narrow things down more. To help with this, definitely use a keyword research tool. This way, the bulk of your work is done for you. These tools are great because they can they can do an in-depth analysis and pool from everything on the internet to narrow down and suggest the best keywords for your purposes.
4. Analyze search volume and competition
Once the tool populates a report for you, evaluate the search volume of the suggested keywords. Look for keywords that have a good search volume, but lower competition. You want to use ones you know people are searching for and are performing well without getting lost in the crowd. If there is high competition, it means it will be more difficult to rank as you're going to be competing against sites with years of high rankings. Your sweet spot is high-volume and low to medium competition.
5. Consider search intent
Raw data isn't the only thing that matters. You also need to understand what users are looking for when they type in a specific keyword. For instance, are they looking for information, looking to buy or seeking a specific site? In order to get readers, clients or customers who are the right fit for you, you need to ensure your content aligns with the search intent of the keywords you choose. You're looking to not only bring customers to your site but also keep them there and have them take action–the right action.
6. Analyze competitor keywords
Know what else is out there. Your keyword tool might share with you other sites that are using the keywords and how well they rank. Go to their sites and study their strategies. Look at the keywords they are targeting and how they're targeting them. If something is working you can take inspiration from them, but also think about how you can present your content differently to stand out.
7. Prioritize and organize keywords
It's a good idea to keep a keyword list. Compile your researched keywords into a well-organized list. I recommend grouping them by topic/theme and tracking their stats. That way you can see which keywords you should be prioritizing. You can also prioritize based on your goals. Focus on keywords that align best with your goals and have a balance of good volume and manageable competition.
8. Implement and monitor
Finally, integrate your keywords into your website content including in your titles, meta descriptions, headers and your body text. Track your keywords' performance using tools like Google Analytics and Search Console. That way, you'll know when it's time to pivot and adjust for better results. Things change quickly in the online world. Make sure you continuously update based on performance data and evolving trends. Keep running analysis on your keywords to ensure they're still relevant.
The Top 5 Keyword Research Tools:
1. Google Keyword Planner
Overview: A free tool by Google that helps you discover keywords related to your business and see estimates of the searches they receive and the cost to target them.
Best For: Beginners and small businesses looking for basic keyword research and insights directly from Google.
2. Ahrefs
Overview: A comprehensive SEO tool that offers robust keyword research capabilities, including keyword difficulty scores, search volume data, and competitive analysis.
Best For: SEO professionals and businesses needing in-depth keyword data and competitive analysis.
3. SEMrush
Overview: An all-in-one marketing toolkit that provides extensive keyword research features, such as keyword difficulty, search volume, and SERP analysis, along with competitor keyword tracking.
Best For: Marketers and agencies looking for a versatile tool with extensive keyword research and competitive intelligence capabilities.
4. Moz Keyword Explorer
Overview: A user-friendly tool that offers keyword suggestions, search volume, difficulty scores, and organic CTR data to help you find the best keywords to target.
Best For: SEO enthusiasts and small to medium-sized businesses looking for a reliable and easy-to-use keyword research tool.
5. Ubersuggest
Overview: A free keyword research tool by Neil Patel that provides keyword suggestions, search volume, keyword difficulty, and content ideas to help improve your SEO strategy.
Best For: Budget-conscious individuals and small businesses seeking a cost-effective keyword research solution with solid features.
These tools can help you uncover valuable keywords, analyze competition, and enhance your SEO strategy effectively.
How To Use Keywords Effectively:
1. Focus on Creating High-Quality Content
Write for humans first. Ensure your content is engaging, informative and valuable to your audience. Natural keyword placement will follow. Remember that it's ultimately humans who are reading your stuff, and you don't want your website to be super robotic.
Make sure your main focus is on providing value. Address your audience’s needs and answer their questions. High-quality content naturally attracts search engine attention. When your content is valuable, your audience sticks around to keep reading or find other things. The longer they stay on your site, the better you rank on search engines.
2. Use Keywords in Key Places
In your title tag, include your primary keyword to signal the topic to both search engines and readers. The clearer this is, the more likely your visitors will be certain they came to the right place
Add them to your headings and subheadings. Use keywords in H1, H2 and H3 tags to organize your content and highlight key points. This can also help your readers find what they're looking for faster. If they have to search or read a lot of your body text, they're more likely to leave before finding anything useful.
Also, add them to your meta descriptions. Craft a compelling meta description that includes your keyword and encourages clicks. This is the description your potential visitors see once they search. This can make them want to click (or not). For more tips on meta descriptions, check out this blog!
3. Incorporate Keywords in the First Paragraph
Place your primary keyword within your introduction, the first 100-150 words, to establish context early on. When search engines are analyzing your site for relevance, they use the first few sentences to understand its subject. You want to make sure, it's clear and directed so search engines will show your content in your intended keyword.
The introduction is also the first (and sometimes only) thing your visitors will read. You need to capture their attention quickly and have them know they're in the right place. If they don't see your content's relevance immediately, they'll back out and go to another site.
4. Use Synonyms and Related Terms
Incorporate Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) keywords—terms and phrases related to your main keyword. This helps avoid keyword stuffing and improves content relevance. This can ensure your website copy flows more easily and doesn't look like you're just throwing your keyword in everywhere.
Use different variations of your keyword to keep the content natural and avoid repetition. This can also help with variations to what people are searching. It can mean the same thing but allow for a little more flexibility.
5. Write Naturally For You
Ensure that the keywords fit seamlessly into your sentences. Avoid forcing them into places where they don’t make sense. As mentioned above, it can be awkward and artificial to throw the same keyword in all over the place. Make sure you keep your keywords in mind while you write, and not throw them in as an afterthought.
Remember, context matters. Use keywords in a way that maintains the natural flow of information. This makes the content more readable and engaging. It needs to feel like you're writing for someone to read and not just writing to rank.
6. Optimize for Voice Search
Write in a conversational style that mirrors how people speak. This can help you naturally incorporate long-tail keywords and phrases. Your website should feel like a conversation between you and your visitor. It takes the place of you actually being there in the beginning.
Use questions that people might ask, as this can align with how users conduct voice searches. People often search for questions and using questions throughout your body text, but also in your headers, can help direct visitors to both where they want to go and where you want to send them.
7. Use Keywords in Alt Text for Images
Include keywords in the alt text of images to improve image search ranking and provide context for search engines. Search engines cannot read images. Images are a great addition to your website as they break up the text and make your site seem warmer, friendlier and more interesting to your visitors. But they don't help your SEO unless there are words that go with them. Add Alt Text to ensure that your images are helping you rank.
Ensure the alt text accurately describes the image and includes keywords naturally. Don't just add your keyword as the alt text. Ensure it fits well into a sentence.
8. Internal and External Links
Use keyword-rich anchor text for internal and external links. This helps search engines understand the context of the linked pages. Don't just link something that says "click here." Make your links into a sentence with your keywords (if you can), so search engines can see the relevance to your links.
Ensure that the linked content is relevant and provides additional value to the reader. Don't just throw random links in for fun. Ensure they fit with the text and provide readers with extra value.
9. Avoid Stuffing Keywords
Too much of a good thing is actually not good. Use keywords where they naturally fit, but don’t overdo it. Keyword stuffing can lead to a poor reading experience and potential penalties from search engines. Throwing your keyword in everywhere ensures your text doesn't flow or sound natural. When your visitor reads your site, they'll notice that and leave because it will feel "poorly written." This means they spend less time on your site (not good for SEO).
Here's a little trick to make sure your content is smooth and flows well. Read your content aloud to check if the keywords sound natural. If you read it aloud and it's tough to read or it sounds overdone, that's a sign you should take out some of your keywords or replace them with LSI's.
10. Regularly Update Your Content
Periodically update your content to include new keywords and remove outdated information. This keeps your content relevant and SEO-friendly. It also helps keep your website "updated." Websites that are regularly updated have better SEO ranking as search engines think they're more relevant. A weekly blog can help with this (that's weekly changes to your site), but changing up your keywords on your other pages also helps.
Use tools like Google Analytics to track how your content is performing and adjust your keyword strategy accordingly. Just like anything, what people are searching for changes frequently. Ensure you're staying up to date and updating your site regularly to keep up with the changing times.
While you'll mostly want to use more general keywords to build up your initial traction and bring people to your website, understanding and using long-tail keywords is also important.
These are longer phrases that are more specific. They're typically what readers/customers are using when they're looking to buy. While they won't have as high a search volume, using these typically leads to higher conversions to sales.
Make sure you mix in long-tail keywords with your more general keywords to have a good chance of targeting the exact right people.
You can find these by using the same keyword research tools as you did for your general keywords. They're pretty good at suggesting a variety. But something that can also be a quick and helpful research strategy is using Google's autocomplete feature.
Have you ever noticed that when you start typing something into Google, you'll get a list of suggested search terms? These suggestions come from what people are searching frequently. Try typing in a few of your general keywords and see what Google suggests.
How to Use Long-Tail Keywords
Incorporate into Content: Naturally weave long-tail keywords into your blog posts, product descriptions and other website content. Ensure that they fit seamlessly into the text and provide value to the reader. You'll probably fit less in, but they're still extremely valuable to your overall SEO.
Optimize Headings and Subheadings: Use long-tail keywords in your headings (H1, H2, H3) to help search engines understand the structure and content of your page. This also improves readability for users. Since these are more specific than general keywords, these can really target people who are the exact right fit for you.
Create Targeted Content: Develop content specifically around long-tail keywords. For example, if a long-tail keyword is "how to choose women’s running shoes with arch support," consider writing a detailed guide or blog post on that topic. Blog posts or podcast shownotes can work really well for incorporating these (and they act as regular updates to your site).
Looking to improve your website's copy today? Grab my SEO copywriting guide to boost your site's visibility, get more traffic and a higher conversion rate (that's right, MORE SALES).
