Keyword optimization SEO
Content marketers spend a lot of time coming up with the right keyword for an article, and we’re almost always disappointed because the keyword doesn’t perform to our expectations.
So what if you could outline a strategy to revive poorly performing webpage, improve the performance of good pages, and find hidden keywords in your own content?
Knowing how to optimize content for search engines is essential, but often easier said than done. After all, mastering the art and science of search engine optimization (SEO) is no small feat.
Frequent updates to Google’s search ranking algorithm notably Panda and Penguin only complicate matters. Although such updates go a long way toward enhancing the quality of search results by, for example, discounting the high volumes of low-quality content produced by content farms, they also mean that the best ways to optimize content are constantly evolving.
Why should you use keywords?
Keywords are the foundation of your content, and they help visitors and potential customers understand the purpose of your web page. Using long-tail keywords (multi-word search terms like "Cheap Italian Restaurants") create better SEO for your website because it is specific to your business and website content. This will lead to low search volume and competition, making it easier to convert potential customers into leads.
Think about it: how often do you scroll past the first page of Google? Exactly. Do your research to discover which words are the most popular with your target audience.
Tips:
- Use Google’s AdWords Keyword Tool: It seems like cheating to use a search engine to figure out which keyword phrases work best for your audience, but it works. Enter your most common keywords and figure out which ones are the most successful.
- Know your competition: Don't put in the work to "win" a keyword that your competition dominates. Instead, tailor your content and keyword phrases to your specialties because that’s when your website will thrive at the top of first page search engine results.
- Work with phrase match, not exact match: As you’ll read later on, using your keyword phrases over and over again can actually harm your SEO. Google will send its “spiders” (a Googlebot that crawls through the Internet to fetch billions of websites for the Google Index) to mark your website as spam. Instead, use multiple, relevant and valuable words that will cause more targeted traffic to your website.
Where do you put keywords and when?
Begin with the top three spots that will generate the most search engine optimization and targeted traffic. First, place your keywords in the title. After all, it is the first line a search engine recognizes. Next, add your keywords to the first and last paragraphs. If the phrase appears more than once, the search engine will prioritize it as an organic result. Lastly, personalize your permalink or URL to contain your chosen keywords.
Tip:
- Open your blog comments. Don’t think about the negativity because no matter the content, if it has your keyword, search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo will recognize it, which will help optimize your page.
Who can use keywords?
Everyone can (and does) use keywords. Think about the last time you searched an unfamiliar topic. You typed in a certain phrase or word that you thought would give you answers. When you got to the desired content, you may not have noticed exactly where the keywords were, but the search engine recognized it, and you found what you were looking for.
When choosing keywords for your own company, put yourself at your potential customers’ keyboards. What do they want to know? What will they search to find it? This will help you chose an A+ keyword or phrase and avoid jargon, acronyms and abbreviations along the way.
