A Guide to Using SEO Keywords

In a world where some of the biggest search engines dictate the relevance of your company’s website to potential customers getting your SEO keywords right is vital. Without the use of keywords, your website’s exposure will ultimately decrease, so taking the time to optimise every aspect of it beforehand is completely worthwhile.
In this post we discuss the best ways to research and use SEO keywords for the best results.

1. Do Your Research

Before compiling your list of SEO keywords, you will need to find out the kinds of things that your potential clients are searching for online as well as checking out your competitors and their optimisation. Free online tools like Google’s Adwords Keywords Planner will give you plenty of ideas for which words to use and their searchability levels.
When beginning your research, beware of targeting popular terms like, ‘cloud computing’, for example, as they’ll prove way too competitive and will leave your business lacking in its ranking. It’s useful to try replacing these types of words with longer, more specific phrases. This is a great trick throughout all of your keyword research as you’ll bring in the right visitors who are actively looking for what your business offers.
Your business is not going to stand out if you use the same, generic keywords as your competitors. By providing relevant, creative, engaging content you will be providing prospective customers with information relating to their keyword searches.

2. Bundle Your Keywords

Organisation is the best practice for marketers looking to get the results they want through conversions and search-driven traffic. Although this technique is primarily useful for PPC (pay-per-click) users, dividing your keywords into manageable, related groups will make it easier to not only research but implement optimisation on each of your website’s pages.
Simple changes like using the keyword in the title of the page, URL, throughout the copy and in the Meta tags and descriptions will ensure that you’re well on your way to optimisation. Try not to use the same keywords throughout the page, try to slot them in where necessary but don’t forget to try adding variations of them within your content. Cramming the same keywords into all elements of the page will not only make it difficult to read but could also be classed as spam by Google, making all SEO efforts obsolete.
Grouping your keywords enables you to not only create high-performing ads that attract more traffic but improve your Google Adwords quality score, giving you the best possible ratings.

3. Update Your List

Don’t rely on your original list of keywords. Whether you’re applying them to your Meta descriptions, content or Adword campaigns, your keywords should always remain relevant. Keep an eye on how your rankings compare over time – has your ranking climbed since you employed your strategy? Have your conversions increased? Has your user engagement increased? Looking to see if there are any trends will help you identify any issues you may be having. Old keywords need to be re-evaluated frequently, to keep them up-to-date with the searches that your clients are making.

To Wrap Up…

Implementing SEO keywords will help your website rank above your competitors so choosing the right words are crucial. As long as you steer away from vanity keywords that offer larger amounts of competition, working with variations will help extend not only your website’s reach but your customer base.  

Do you have any ideas for using SEO keywords? Please leave your comments below…