If you do not know how to use SEO keywords, you are losing business. Evidence shows that approximately 95% of people only look at the first page of research results, and half the clicks on that page will only browse the first 3 topics. If you do not use your keywords correctly, you will miss out on the benefits of organic traffic, which leads to greater leads and sales.
Understanding Keywords and SEO
SEO is optimizing your website for better ranking in search results pages. Part of the process is the use of words or phrases that should clearly describe what your content is all about.
Google uses this information to determine what content is relevant to a specific search query and how the page should rank for a specific term. That is how you get your page ranking.
Content and links are two of the most important ranking factors and both include the use of keywords.
How Do You Start Using SEO Keywords?
An important starting point when using SEO keywords is research. This is how you find the right keywords to include on your page.
SEO keyword research will also help you come up with a good content strategy. You should be writing content relevant to the terms that most audiences are searching for. The best practice is to focus every article on different keyword phrases. You should not use the same keyword on more than one article, or you will end up competing with your own write-up for search rankings.
You can do several techniques to find the most appropriate keywords for your content. Aside from brainstorming and finding related terms online, you may also use tools to know the keywords that people are already using to discover your pages. Google Analytics is a good example.
Keyword research is not only helpful for creating new content; you can also improve SEO for your existing articles. SEMrush, which is another good SEO keyword tool, can show you the phrases your site is already ranking for, along with their position in SERPs. Those that rank between 4 to 10 are good candidates for optimization.
Where Do You Add Your SEO Keywords?
Here are some key places where it makes sense to use SEO keywords.
1. Page Titles
Improving page titles is part of technical SEO. It describes the main subject of your page and shows up as the first line in the search results entry.
2. Meta Description
The next important area for using SEO keywords is the meta description. This shows up just below your title. Meta description is no longer a direct ranking factor, but it helps Google determine if your content is relevant to people’s searches. This also helps viewers decide whether to click on your page to see your full content.
3. Subheadings
Most readers would scan your subheadings to decide if your content is relevant to their search. Subheadings may also appear as part of a featured snippet.
4. Content
Of course, you have to add keywords in your content, which is one of the top SEO ranking factors. However, to avoid stuffing, do not overdo it. Keyword-stuffed articles are quite hard to read, and they rank lower.
It is advisable that you use your main keyword in the first paragraph. In the next sentences, try to include latent semantic indexing (LSI) keywords. These are the phrases that showed up in your SEMrush search. These variations will keep your content interesting and readable to viewers.
5. Images and ALT text
You may also add keywords to your images. Just make sure that the photos you use are relevant to your content. Give them a filename and a title that includes your main or LSI keywords. Do not forget the ALT text too, as this helps with accessibility.
6. Link Anchor Text
Links are important SEO ranking factors too. It is important to use different anchor texts for your inbound links to prevent being penalized by Google. Again, you may use LSI keywords to create a variation.
7. Social Media Posts
Although social media sites are not a direct ranking factor, social shares can greatly influence visibility in SERPs. You should use keywords early in any social media posts or updates to make them visible.
Also, Google indexes Twitter updates. Adding keywords on these posts can lead people to your profile and content.
They can be used as hashtags too! This is especially true on Twitter and Instagram. People now search using hashtags to filter results automatically.
You may also add keywords in your social profiles for branding.
With its power to increase the number of clicks on your page, SEO keywords are more relevant today than ever. Advanced Digital Media Services can help you use keywords the right way: to generate traffic, leads, and sales to your website. Check our SEO services and speak to our representative by completing the form below.
