There are many questions people ask in the constantly-evolving world of search engine optimization (SEO). One of the most commonly asked questions has to do with the importance of keywords.
Does using the right keywords have the capability to drive more views, traffic, and people to a website or landing page?
The simple answer to this is yes, keywords continue to play an essential role in SEO. In fact, choosing relevant keywords is important since they account for a significant number of searches in search engines.
Selecting relevant keywords is also vital. This is especially true since the average cost-per-click (CPC) that advertisers need to pay to place ads on Google is around $1 to $2.
That’s why identifying the best keywords is important not only for the budget involved but also because it lets you earn a spot on the first page of search engine results due to a high Google ranking.
To ensure you identify these keywords and maximize business revenue, it’s crucial to follow the best practices concerning keywords. Let’s take a look at the top four techniques to use today.
Best Practice #1: Know Your Niche
One of the first steps you should take to get your keyword research process going in the right direction is knowing your niche. You want to obtain as much information as possible to ensure the important terms you use are relevant to your brand.
Typing specific search terms related to your niche can help you identify what your competitors are doing. Things to note include their posting frequency, the type of content they publish, and how they approach their web design.
Best Practice #2: List and Collate Topic Ideas
The second-best practice to follow after identifying the right key terms is to write down topic ideas. You want to brainstorm and write down subjects that are related to your industry, products and services, and niche in general.
Put yourself in the shoes of Google searchers so you can think about what keywords they’d type when searching for solutions for what your brand has to offer. You can even revisit those competitor websites you’ve identified to see what topics they usually publish on their pages.
Best Practice #3: Identify Seed Keywords
Once you have your ideas listed down, it’s time to transform these ideas into relevant SEO keywords. You can do that using one of the many keyword research tools available today.
Identifying seed keywords is important because it gives you a general idea of what terms to look out for. From these keywords, you can then come up with variations later on that will further benefit your search engine optimization tactics.
Best Practice #4: Know the Search Intent for Your Keywords
With your seed keywords ready, the next thing you need to do is to examine the search intent of these terms. Although some keywords may seem obvious, others might require additional investigation to be clear.
One great way of examining search intent for keywords is by typing them in Google and assessing the results that show upon the first page. Since the search giant does an excellent job itself in understanding keyword intent, you can use that knowledge to your benefit to learn what people want when they search for specific terms.
Frequently Asked Questions About SEO Keywords
The following are the most asked questions that people want to know concerning SEO keywords.
What is the difference between paid and organic SEO keywords?
Paid SEO keywords are terms where you need to pay Google a specific amount to have your ads show up in the search engine. Each click has an equivalent monetary amount, which will differ from one keyword to the next.
Organic SEO keywords are those you use naturally on websites and web pages that improve your Google ranking.
How can I check the ranking of my keywords?
As mentioned above, there are many keyword research tools available today to check and see how specific terms rankin search engines. The Google Search Console platform is one of the leading systems you can use right now to identify keyword ranking.
What ranking factors does Google consider for keywords?
Google considers search intent, search volume, content quality, backlinks, page loading speed, and domain authority as the top keyword ranking factors.
What is an ideal SEO keyword difficulty score?
A good SEO keyword difficulty score is one that has the lowest value while having the most search volume. However, you should also consider mixing things by adding competitive keywords to your SEO campaign.
Conclusion
Keywords and keyword research remain crucial aspects of search engine optimization. Given that SEO takes time and money to apply, it’s important to follow the best techniques to get the highest ROI.
By following the tips above, you should have a good idea of how to approach SEO keywords moving forward.