When it comes to the effective search engine optimization of websites, selecting and utilizing the right keywords, plays a crucial role in in getting a business’ website ranked well in the SERPs of search engines, such as Google. In fact, keywords are literally the very words and/or phrases that the average person uses in his or her search engine queries to find what he or she is looking for. Therefore, it is extremely important that you understand and successfully leverage keywords in an effective manner.
What are Keywords?
Simply put, keywords are the particular words used in a search engine, search query. Keywords could be single words, phrases or longer search queries. For example, if a person is searching for a hardware or home improvement store, he or she may type in “hardware store North Phoenix AZ.” In this example, all of the words entered are the keywords in this query.
Why are Keywords Important for SEO?
Keywords are crucial component of an effective SEO implementation for several reasons. Below we will explore three of them.
Relevance
From keywords, a search engine is better able to determine what a given web page is about. When utilizing relevant keywords within the content of your web pages, you can improve the likelihood that your website pages will appear in the SERPs.
Traffic
Use of relevant keywords can attract traffic to your website. When a person searches for a product or service that you might offer, your website may have a better likelihood of appearing in the SERPs, if you have optimized it for the right keywords.
Ranking Improvement
Keywords are an essential part of what helps search engines determine organic search rankings of web pages within the SERPs. Thus, implementation of an SEO strategy focused on keyword relevant content, can boost a website’s ability to rank higher in the SERPs.
Types of Keywords
There are five kinds of keywords, but the first two in our list below, are usually the most commonly discussed.
Short-tail Keywords
Short-tail keywords are single words or short (broad) phrases that are highly competitive because they are more often searched. For example, “cars” or “LED lights”.
Long-tail keywords
Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific phrases, which are less competitive because they are less often searched. For example, “used Honda Civic for sale” or “15 Watt LED bulb Equivalent”.
Head Keywords
Also referred to as head terms, this type of keyword is broad and more general. As such, you can expect that search volume is high, while conversion rates may be low.
Body Keywords
These are more specific keywords which give context and detail to head keywords.
LSI keywords
Latent semantic indexing keywords are those which are linguistically related to your primary keywords, as well as assist search engines in better determining what generally, the web page content is about.
How to Identify and Select Keywords
To better identify and select effective keywords, we suggest you consider the following.
Keyword Research
Use online keyword research tools to help you find the most appropriate keywords to target in your SEO strategy, that are relevant and exhibit high search volume with less competition.
Target Audience Analysis
Assess and gain a better understanding of the language, search behavior and demographics of your target audience.
Competition Analysis
Use online keyword research tools to determine and study which keywords your competition is using and ranking for in the SERPs.
Best Practices for Keyword Implementation
The effective implementation of keywords within your website pages is essential in any successful SEO strategy. As such, here are our recommendations.
Use Keywords Naturally
Keywords usage must make sense and must make clear, what the content is about. Therefore, avoid overtly spammy techniques such as keyword stuffing. In other words, do not just force the excessive use of keywords within a web page, simply because you think it will help you to rank better within the SERPs.
Place Keywords Strategically
Keeping the natural usage of keywords in mind, they should also be included in your title, headings and throughout your content.
Use Keyword Variations
Enhance your keyword targeting with related words and long-tail keywords to expand your reach.
Monitor Keyword Performance
Use tracking tools such as Google Analytics, to assist in monitoring the performance of your keyword implementations and make adjustments as needed.
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