In any digital marketing strategy, keywords are an essential part of success. Keywords help connect customers with content relevant to their search terms and interests, allowing for more efficient and targeted marketing.
By understanding a keyword and how to use it effectively, marketers can make the most of their digital marketing strategies and reach their target audience. In this article, we will look at the basics of keywords and how to use them to increase visibility and reach more customers.
What Is a Keyword?
A keyword is a word or phrase you enter in the search bar to find what you want online.
In return, search engines will give you a SERP related to your search query. You can further search for web pages, images, videos, featured snippets, and more.
Other Internet platforms, like Facebook and YouTube, have search engines within the forum. The same applies to online stores and most websites, and anything that has a search bar somewhere operates on a keyword basis.
Takeaways
A piece of text that you enter into the search bar is a keyword;
An SEO keyword is the primary device SEO experts use for their website to rank high in search results;
It is often better to use a particular keyword with 4+ words;
Rather than focusing on one keyword, optimize your content with groups of keywords that fall within the same topic.
How to Define a Keyword?
A keyword is a word users can use to scour the web for information about a specific topic. While they are necessary for users to search the web, keywords are also the major tool search engine optimization experts use to optimize websites for web search.
Search engine optimization experts implement them in their content so that their website ranks high for one or more keywords. For this reason, we call this type of keyword an “SEO keyword”.
Why Are Keywords Important?
A keyword is the fuel that starts the engine – the search engine!
Internet users would not be able to find anything without them.
Apart from facilitating the life of people across the globe, they are an essential aspect of your SEO. Ranking high in search results is one of the best ways to help people discover your business online! Here are some of the reasons behind the importance of keywords.
1. Driving targeted traffic
When you optimize your website with strategic keywords, you align your content with the specific queries and interests of your target audience. This increases the likelihood of attracting qualified visitors who are more likely to engage with your content. And that means leads who are ready to convert and make purchases!
2. Key in PPC advertisements
Keywords are fundamental in Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising campaigns. By selecting the right keywords for your ads, you can ensure that your advertisements appear when users search for relevant terms. This enables you to target specific audiences and maximize the effectiveness of your marketing budget.
3. Enhancing search engine optimization
Keywords are the foundation of effective SEO strategies. Through comprehensive keyword research and analysis, you can uncover valuable insights about search volume, keyword difficulty, and related keywords. This data helps you optimize your website’s content, meta tags, and other elements to improve your organic search rankings and visibility.
What Are The Best Keyword Strategies?
Implementing keyword strategies is a fairly complex task. Nonetheless, we will divide it into four simple steps that you can follow along.
1. Keyword research
First, you must find the exact words or a combination of words that users enter into the search bar for a particular thing. These initial keywords (a.k.a. seed keywords) are the starting point of your keyword research.
You want to find and analyze the prominent ones in your niche related to your content. The best way to do it is to learn how your audience searches for what you have to offer. If you already have customers on your website, consider sending them a survey as part of your remarketing strategy.
If not, put yourself in their shoes. Imagine what words or phrases you would use to find your product or service, and try to use long-tail keywords (4+ words).
2. Keyword tools
After you have created a list of seed keywords, you will want to use a keyword tool. This is essential because these tools give you insights into different SEO ranking factors.
To get a general idea of how these tools work, use Google Keyword Planner. You will need to create a Google Ads account to use it if you already do not have one.
If you think Google Keyword Planner is insufficient, use one of the SEO tools like Semrush or Ahrefs. Remember that you cannot get everything these tools offer for free. You will have to pay if you want to use their full potential.
3. Know your competition
Once you finally find the proper set of keywords that match your content, see which ones your competitors are ranking for.
There are two strategies you can implement. The logical approach would focus on keywords your competitors do not use but are still relevant to your content. In this way, you are using the keywords they missed out on and ensuring you get traffic from them.
On the other hand, you can rank for keywords that your competitors are already using. At first glance, this may be unreasonable. However, you will be greatly rewarded if you rank higher for a keyword they already rank high for. Most of the traffic they would get will now flow to your website.
4. Content optimization
You’ve done it! You have managed to find the perfect keywords and bring people to your website. But how do you implement them in your content? Do you bombard your articles with keywords and risk being penalized? Maybe they are embedded in stale content, and it is high time you did a content audit for your website.
Even if you are confident that your content is of high quality and relevance, you should still make sure that you include the most relevant keyword in the following:
- The title of the webpage;
- Meta description;
- URL;
- Body;
- Image alt text.
Now, you may wonder how to maximize each keyword you found for your content. Should you make a single web page for each one of them? No. Instead, create groups of keywords related to each topic of your website.
Let’s say your website is about gaming consoles. Divide keywords about Sony PlayStation from the ones tied to Xbox. Do the same for Nintendo Switch and SEGA.
Apply this principle, and your content will seem more natural to users. Keep the flow organic, and never sacrifice the value of your content for the prospect of a better SEO ranking.
Related Terms
Looking to enhance your understanding of keyword strategies? Explore these related terms to gain deeper insights and improve your SEO tactics.
Additional Tips & Tricks
- Google Kewords Planner is one of the best and free tools for your own keyword research;
- When conducting SEO keyword research, keep in mind factors such as search volume, keyword difficulty, and user intent;
- With every new local or global trend comes a set of words to describe it and a new keyword to look up. Take advantage of them and get ahead of your competition immediately!
The Bottom Line
Keywords are used to help readers find information in search engines and help writers effectively organize their documents and materials. Keywords can be single, multiple, phrases, or even entire sentences. Additionally, keywords can target specific audiences, as certain keywords are more popular with certain demographics or industries.
You’ve learned how marketing and SEO specialists define a keyword and why it is essential. We have also described a few great strategies for keyword application in your content. With all this knowledge, you can focus on keywords and the SEO approach you need for your website or business.
Keyword FAQs
Search volume refers to the number of searches conducted in a specific period for a particular word or phrase. Search volume helps to identify popular keywords and good markets.
Keyword difficulty is a well-known metric in search engine optimization. It refers to the ease or difficulty of attempting to rank on the first page of Google for a certain keyword.
Keyword mapping is a plan of the SEO planning process. It entails assigning different keywords that will be used on the final version of a website.
To find the most profitable keywords:
- Use tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ahrefs.
- Analyze competitor keywords.
- Focus on keywords with high search volume and low competition.
- Target long-tail keywords for better conversion rates.
