What are they?
If the very thought of “keywords” makes you want to run and hide in a corner, this article will let you know what they are, where you can find them, and where to use them to maximise their effectiveness.
When I looked up “keyword” in the dictionary the definition is “a word or concept of great significance”. So in other words, in the context of your website keywords are the words and phrases people type into Google to find businesses like yours. This is why keywords are essential for SEO.
Why do I need them?
Keywords signal to Google what your content is about, so that Google can provide the most relevant information to the people searching for it.
Keywords also signal to your target audience that you see them, you feel their pain, and you have a solution. By incorporating relevant keywords into your website content, you can improve your website’s search engine rankings and attract users to your website who are searching for the products or services you offer.
How do I find them?
How do you know what people are putting into Google to find you?
The answer is keyword research.
Keyword research is the process of discovering what these words and phrases are. It’s a big subject, but here are a few tips to get you going.
Tip 1. Talk to your current clients. Ask them what they would type into Google to find you. Your current clients know like and trust you and can be an excellent source of market research.
Tip 2. Head to Google. Type in a phrase that’s relevant to your business. After the first couple of results you’ll see a section called “People also ask”, which is handy for some questions you can then answer in your content. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and you’ll see “Searches related to..” which tells you what else people are searching for.
Tip 3. Try these free tools. Ubersuggest, Keyword Generator,and Keyword Shitter (that’s not a typo). Ubersuggest, for example, rates keywords on how difficult they are to rank for, how competitive they are, and what the search volume and click through rate is.
How do I choose which ones to use?
This is a process of evaluation, looking at the amount of traffic each keyword is getting, and the level of difficulty of ranking for that keyword. Checking out who is currently ranking for that keyword and deciding if you think you have a chance of beating them?
Where do I use them?
Once you have a list of keywords, you need to decide where to put them on your site.
Ideally each page should be optimised with one particular keyword or phrase relevant to the content on that page, and should go in the title tag, meta description, image alt text, the H1 heading, and in the copy on the page.
Google doesn’t actually read the content on your site – the Google bots look for what’s in the title tag, image alt text, H1 heading etc.
The reason to put your keywords in the meta description is more for user experience. It’s the often the first piece of “you” the searcher will see, so it needs to be compelling and relevant.
Keywords are not only for your website but can also be used in your messaging on social media, in your offers and email newsletters. Keywords can create consistency through your messaging.
So now you know what keywords are, where to find them and where to use them – off you go!
For more info contact Redlands SEO experts.
If this all seems way too hard and time consuming, let’s organise a catchup call to see if I can help.
