What are SEO Keywords?
If you’ve been learning a lot about the importance of fresh web content or blogging, you’ve probably stumbled upon the concept of SEO keywords. What are SEO keywords and why are they so important?
In short, SEO keywords are the words on your website that search engines like Google and Bing pick up on when they direct their users to your page. SEO stands for search engine optimization, and these keywords are how you ensure search engines make you a priority.
What are Keywords?
You as the business owner don’t necessarily decide which words are the best ones to use in your online content. Well, let’s put that a different way — you could dictate which words to use in your online content, but in addition to the text that’s a priority for you, you should also make a priority of using the words that people are typing into search engines.
When people go to Google or Bing and search for something, there’s the potential for the search engine to place your website high up on the search engine results page (known as the SERP). That means more traffic on your website, and ultimately more customers for you.
“All right,” you think. “So how do I know what people are searching for on Google these days?” We’ll cover that, but first, bear in mind that just because somebody is searching for something on a search engine doesn’t mean that it’s the right keyword for you to use. This is because so many other businesses are competing for that web traffic — and using the ultra-popular keywords means you could get buried on the SERP.
Finding the Keywords You Want to Use
SEO keyword research should be a continual process for you and your marketing team. Like any other trend, keywords tend to rise and fall in popularity. There are words that your competitors might be using that you want to avoid in favor of other words that you think will be more successful. Because in the case of SEO keywords, being different can be good – if you’re using the same keywords as your competitors, you’ll be competing for web traffic. But if you use keywords that are slightly different but still completely relevant, you stand a better chance.
Common Sense: Some of your keywords are going to obvious. And most of the words that you would be using on your website anyway are likely keywords that people are searching for. But don’t forget — with broad terms, though they have a high search volume (that is, a lot of people are searching for them), they also have a lot of competition.
Search Engine Autofill: You know how when you type something into Google, it will predict what you’re trying to find and offer up a few suggested searches? This is a simple way to get more ideas for keywords. Let’s say you’re a flooring company trying to come up with keywords for your blog. When you go to Google and type in “new carpeting,” you get suggestions like “new carpeting cost,” “new carpeting smell,” “new carpeting trends” and “new carpeting allergies.” If you type in “hardwood floor,” you get predictions like “hardwood floor cleaner,” “hardwood floor stain colors,” “hardwood floor vacuum” and “hardwood floor cost.” Any of these keywords could make great prompts for your new blog post!
Communicate with Customers: Check out some of the testimonials or reviews that you’ve gotten from loyal customers or look at what they say about you on social media. Pay attention to their language. Assuming that other customers will have something in common with the customers who already do patronize you, you can incorporate words and phrases they use into your web content so that people who are looking for what you have to offer are more likely to stumble upon you. Let’s say you’re a retailer specializing in liquor and spirits. If you’ve noticed three or four customers have praised your great selection of IPAs in their reviews, you can bet that someone out there is searching “liquor store IPAs” — and that could be the topic of your next blog post.
Use Software: Don’t be afraid to use keyword research tools like www.moz.com or similar sites to generate keywords, common questions and topics for content.
Keywords Don’t Have to Be Single Words
Remember when we said that broad terms tend to have a high volume of people searching for them? This is one of the reasons you’re better off using more specific terms. And keywords can actually be phrases of two, three or even more words. The longer these phrases are, the less competition there tends to be for traffic. Longer phrases also tend to be more specific instead of vague.
For example, let’s say you’re a pet lodging station. If you use the word “pet” on you site, it’s definitely relevant. And lots of people will be searching for it online. But not everybody typing “pet” into Google is looking for boarding. Some people might be looking for pet supplies, pet food, pet adoption, a new veterinarian or even pet grooming. Using longer keywords will ensure you are getting traffic that is more specific to your needs.
Creating Optimized Content
If you’ve heard people talk about optimizing content, and that term has left you scratching your head, don’t worry. Although it sounds like complex computer lingo, what optimized content refers to is having the best content on your website that will make you prime for search engine results.
But don’t think that good content is all about keyword use. You should never sacrifice quality in order to use specific words and phrases — after all, good content is what’s going to keep people engaged, set you apart from the competition, and keep readers coming back to your site again and again.
Finally, remember that you should be using keywords in your titles, subheads and photo captions. Yes, creative titles to your blog posts might feel stylish and remind you of a headline on a magazine article, but vagueness won’t capture a blog reader’s attention the same way. Use your keywords and be specific about your post’s topic.