Incorporating commonly searched keywords into your content can help give your business website more visibility. It's one of the biggest components of search engine optimization. When you have a specific keyword in your content, it helps tell Google that your content is relevant to the people searching for that word, making it more likely to rank on the front page. Competing for certain keywords can be a challenge at times since there can be hundreds and thousands of businesses competing for the same term. Fortunately, all it takes is a little strategy to eventually get your content ranking. Here are some essential keyword tips you can use for your small business.
1. Do keyword research.
Choosing a good keyword first involves researching what people are searching for related to your service or product. Various websites have a keyword explorer where you can search for the specific word you're creating content for. You'll see how often a keyword is searched along with related keywords or phrases people are searching for. From there, you can compile a list of keywords and phrases you'll consider writing content around.
2. Don't always choose the most popular keyword.
When you see a keyword that gets many searches, it can be tempting to choose that one to write content on. You have to keep in mind that other businesses in your industry will also be going for that keyword. If you're just getting started with your website, it's best to choose more niche keywords and attract a smaller specific group of potential customers.
As an explorer, let's say you're in the plant industry. Instead of using a higher-searched keyword such as "plants for sale," you could use a more niche phrase based on your location, such as "plants for sale Charlotte." Most keyword explorers will always show you which keywords have high competition and which ones have low competition. Be sure to choose keywords that are less competitive and give you a better chance to rank on the front page.
3. Be mindful of keyword placement.
Once you have a keyword or keywords chosen, strive to put between one and four of them in your content every 100 words. When placing your keyword, some of the most important places to have it are in your article's title, at least once in a subtitle, and then naturally spread throughout the article. Following this strategy will show that your content is relevant to your keyword because it's not only the subject of the article, but it's also referenced throughout it.
4. Have the right keyword density.
Whenever your content is written, it's important to make sure that not every other word is your keyword or keyword phrase. Google frowns upon keyword stuffing. They want the content to actually be relevant and not just have a high presence of a keyword. One of the ways they evaluate websites is through keyword density. It's good to have a keyword density that's no lower than one percent and no higher than three percent. That amounts to usually about one to four keywords or phrases per 500 words.
5. Spread your keywords throughout your site.
Your articles aren't the only place you can have your keywords placed. You should also put your keywords in your URLs, navigation bars, tags, and other locations. When Google's algorithm sees your chosen word is ingrained in your website's fabric, they will look at it even more as a relevant source of information.
6. Hyperlink your keywords.
Search engines can also evaluate relevance by seeing if your specific keyword or phrase is being used to expand upon the information that your searcher desires. You can accomplish this by hyperlinking your keyword. There are two options as to which link you select for your keyword. The first option is the link can direct readers to another part of your website. As an example, if you're in the computer business, you can hyperlink to one of your other pages on computers by stating, "Click to see our range of computers." The second option you have is linking to an authoritative website that explains or on a specific concept related to your keyword. Using the computer business example again, you could state, "We have had a significant influence in the history of the computer." The hyperlink would lead to an authoritative site that discussed the history of the computer.
7. Use keywords in advertisements.
Pay-Per-Click advertising is one of the most common Internet marketing strategies used by big and small businesses. PPC ads get placed on Google and other websites to help draw a customer's attention to your business. The host of the ad gets paid whenever someone clicks on it. One of the ways you can make your PPC ad successful is by placing relevant keywords in it. You can make use of Google AdWords Keyword Planner to find a suitable keyword, and then create the ad. Then, whenever searchers type your keyword in Google, your ad will appear at the top or side of the page.
8. Use some of your competitor's keywords.
If your competitors are already at the top of Google for the keyword you're trying to rank for, it's helpful to copy the target keywords they're using. Websites with keyword explorer will allow you to search the domain of your competitor. Once you click search, the keyword explorer will show you all the key terms they're ranking for on Google. On some sites, you can look at your competitor's specific page that's ranking for the keyword you're competing for, and then see all the other related keywords they're ranking for. Then, you can input those words or phrases in your content to give it a better chance of being relevant enough to be ranked on the front page of Google.
Keywords are a significant part of SEO. You need to make sure that you carefully research to choose the right words or phrases for your content. Careful researching, along with all the other tips listed, will give your website the best chance at ranking at the top of Google's search engine. You can learn more about keywords and SEO at Raleigh Digital Marketing Agency.
