GOOG - How to Know what keywords to use for SEO
Whenever we think about Search Engine Optimization (SEO), the first thing that springs to mind for many is keywords. This has much to do with the role they played during the formative stages of the modern Internet.
Today's search algorithms look at not just where keywords appear, but also how they are used in articles, blogs, and more. In the mid-to-late 1990s, keywords were the primary means of attracting the attention of search engines and getting your website to rank high. Just seeding with popular search terms was enough to attract traffic. Today, the stakes are higher.
Keywords have a shelf life that is determined by market trends. A keyword you use in a blog today might not be as effective even a few weeks or months from now. This is why you need two things to maintain your rankings with keywords: fresh content delivered at regular intervals, and effective, well-researched keywords.
But how does one go about determining what keywords to use and when? Here are a few ideas to incorporate into your search habits as well as your site's webdev guide.
#1 – Always use a keyword planner.
There are a number of keyword planning tools available for free, most of which are tied to major search platforms like Google. There are also platform-specific tools that help you optimize your keywords for web traffic, social media, and more.
#2 – Search general keywords that fit your industry or niche.
If your site advertises car repair, for example, simply plug the term “car repair” into your keyword tool and examine the keywords that come up on the first page. These are typically the ones that will prove most effective at the time of your search. More advanced planning tools also tell you how often a particular term is searched and how much money advertisers spend on ads that contain them.
You can also search subject-specific keywords that boost traffic to a specific page, blog post, landing page, etc. If you are writing a blog on continuously variable transmissions, search keywords on that subject. This will help you in two ways. First, it will reveal the most effective keywords associated with the subject. Second, it will give you ideas on how to narrow the scope of the article or blog. Discovering good keywords can actually help you develop a broader range of content that will appeal to your target audience or buyer persona.
#3 – Use longtail keywords to boost local SEO.
If yours is a traditional brick-and-mortar business, you want your keywords to attract local traffic. It should come as no surprise that most consumers are turning to search engines long before searching the yellow pages nowadays. That means that the burden of making sure your customers find you is more complex today than just naming your company AAAAA Auto Repair.
Longtail keywords add information like the name of a city or town to a widely-searched keyword. If the general keyword is “transmission repair,” its longtail counterparts could be things like “in Duluth” or “in Minnesota.” You can also tag words like “affordable,” “friendly,” or “discount” onto keywords to zero in on customers whose priorities in selecting a business gravitate toward any of these areas.
Also, be sure to make your keywords flow organically. It's not “transmission repair Duluth.” Use connecting words like “in” or “near” to make sure the sentence makes sense. Readability is a huge factor in how well your site or pages rank so don't seed with nonsense keywords. That's so 1995...
Final Takeaway
Selecting the right keywords is not a difficult process, but it does take time. Here are some things to remember when implementing them:
Use specific search criteria
Match keywords to the content you are creating
Research keywords for every article or blog
Use relevant keywords in all articles, page meta descriptions, and alt text for images
If you follow these guidelines, the investment that you make in finding and incorporating the right keywords into all of your written content is likely to net you some excellent returns.