In SEO, keywords refer to the words and phrases that users enter into search engines to get the
information that they need. These terms also describe the topics that you write about on your
website.
Ideally, you would want to write about topics that internet users are searching for. If their search
queries contain the words “coffee shop in Manhattan,” you would like to write a blog post
focusing on this subject. Doing so allows you to meet your audience halfway and provide them
with the information they require.
How Can the Right Keywords Help Your Business?
Google uses keywords to assess your web pages and decide where to rank your content in its
SERPs. When you use the right terms on your website, Google will easily understand what your
content is about. This will then allow your website to show up at the right time when a user
searches for your keyword.
Additionally, if you choose the right keywords for your business, you will have a greater chance
of increasing your brand awareness. Your website will also be more visible to users who are
actively searching for information about the products or services that you offer.
How to Choose the Right Keywords for Your Website
One of the most important things you need to do when coming up with an SEO strategy is
choosing the right keywords. Here are the steps you need to take to accomplish this task.
Conduct a Keyword Research
This process refers to the practice of looking for the terms that your target audience enters into
search engines. Once you figure out some of these words and phrases, you can use them for
your web pages, content creation, and marketing strategy.
The easiest way to conduct keyword research is to work with an SEO agency. When you do
this, you would not have to worry about too much because an SEO service provider would
already have a team of experts in the field. Their staff will have the necessary skills to find the
right keywords for your business.
Additionally, an SEO agency would have the expensive software licenses needed to get more
technical information on keywords. Some of the tools they may use are SEMRush, Ahrefs, and
Majestic.
If you do not have that much budget to work with an SEO company, you can choose to hire a
freelance SEO specialist instead. These professionals are knowledgeable in keyword research
and can provide you with their services for a fraction of the rates of an agency.
However, you should remember that working with a freelancer can mean receiving a varied
quality of work. You might also need to put more time into managing their output compared to
working with an SEO company.
Lastly, you can do keyword research on your own. To learn more about the process, you can
read helpful guides posted online on various sites, such as Exposure Ninja, Moz, and HubSpot.
Once you have come up with a list of terms you can use on your website, you should organize
your keywords. Doing so will allow you to ensure that they are used properly on the content that
you publish.
Consider the Search Intent
Thinking about the search intent behind a user’s query is an essential step in digital marketing
for eCommerce. When you do this, you will be able to get into the user’s mindset and deliver
exactly the information they want.
Search intent is divided into the following categories:
- Navigational: This is when a user enters a query into Google to navigate a webpage.For example, a person who enters the term Facebook on a search engine to reach the website has a navigational search intent.
- Informational: An individual with an informational search intent uses search engines to find a specific piece of information. Most of the time, they are searching for an answer to their question.
- Investigational: This search intent occurs when a user is thinking of buying in the near future and uses the internet to learn more about the product or services they want. Investigational search intent may eventually lead to a transaction.
- Transactional: Users have transactional search intent when they are ready to buy. Some of the keywords that may be in their search query are “buy” and “purchase.” They will also include a specific description of what they are looking for in their query.
Once you know about the different search intent users have, it is time to plan the content you
publish to meet your audience’s needs. One thing you can do is to make sure that your landing
pages are compatible with users’ search intent.
For example, if an individual is looking for information, you would want to direct them to your
blog posts instead of to your product pages. On the other hand, you would want to lead users
who want to buy your product to your shop.
To verify a user’s intent in a keyword, one thing you can do is enter it into a search engine.
Examine the results and make sure that you create content that is closely related to them.
Look at What Your Competitors are Doing
Examining your competitors’ keywords will help you see the terms you are forgetting about and
expand your list of ideas. The first step to doing this is to make a list of your main competitors.
Next, you have to go to their websites and look at the keywords they are targeting. You can do
this by reading the content they have published and by viewing their metatags.
Another way you can look at your competitors’ keywords is by entering one of your terms into
Google and seeing what comes up. Examine the organic search results and the focus of their
topics. Then, ask yourself if you can create a more useful piece of content than those available
at the moment.
If you can, then that is great! Start creating better content for your target audience. After a while,
you will be able to claim the top position on SERPs because you are able to meet the user’s
needs more than your competitors.
Map the Keywords to the Pages on Your Website
By now, you might have a pretty final list of keywords you want to use on your website. The next
step you have to do is to map each of your target keywords to a specific page on your website.
You can start organizing your ideas through a simple content schedule. Using this technique will
allow you to stay organized throughout a long campaign. It will also help you avoid using the
same keywords on different pages on your site.
Using the same keywords on more than one page on your website can negatively affect your
rankings. You might suffer from keyword cannibalization, which happens when you compete
with yourself for a keyword, thus devouring your chances of ranking in SERPs.
Analyze Your Results
After using your keywords on your website, you will start seeing outcomes after some time. You
should make sure to monitor and analyze these results to see if your keywords are working.
Monitoring your keywords allows you to track the position of your website on SERPs. Through
this, you can also measure conversions and see if you need to take some extra steps regarding
your website rankings.
Keywords are a crucial part of SEO, so it makes sense that you would want to spend extra time
to make sure you come up with the right ones. Follow the steps listed above to help make the
process easier for you.
