We all know the importance of using keywords to help give your site a boost in search engine results, but how do you even find which terms you should try to rank for? And where should you use these SEO keywords once you figure out the ones you need to use? We’ve got your back! Here are a few pointers to help you start researching and tips for how to add keywords to your content as you work toward a better-optimized site!
Conducting Research
Topics You Want to Rank For
Think about the topics you want your site to rank for. Start with more generic terms and then for each, develop more specific keywords and keyword phrases to fall under each of your more general topics.
Example: Marketing>>Inbound marketing, content marketing, social media marketing, email marketing
Related Terms & Phrases
Then, research related terms and phrases. You can use Google or any other search engine to start typing in your keywords to see what other related search terms the platform suggests as well as related topics.
Research Keywords Regularly
Search engine algorithms change often and new keywords are created daily, so it’s a good idea to research regularly to see what people are currently looking for in relation to your products or services and modifying your content to help them find you. (Sound like too much work? We can help! Email us to do it for you!)
Using Keywords in Your Content
You need to include your keywords in specific places on your site to improve its optimization. The following should include your keyword(s) for the given topic:
Titles: This includes the HTML title, which will only appear in a search, as well as the title that appears on the page (aka the headline). Titles should be no more than 65 characters to ensure they show up in the search engine results.
Content: You should include your keyword(s) or keyword phrase in the page content in a way that appears natural. Do not stuff keywords in at random, as this will make the content harder to understand and will feel robotic to the reader. Google will penalize you for keyword stuffing.
Image Alt Text & Image Text: Including the keyword(s) in the image alt text will help search engines understand what the images on your page are showing. Do the same for the image text. In addition to helping search engines “read” your images, it is also helpful for individuals with vision issues that use page readers to read your site’s content to them by giving them a description of the image.
URLs: When creating the URL for a page, be sure to include the keyword(s) that best explain your content.
Meta Descriptions: This is what you see in a search result to describe the page it is recommending. If you fail to include this brief description, many search engines will pull the first few lines of your page or post. Use this as an opportunity to provide readers with a brief statement that shows your content is relevant to what they are looking for.