By OLIVER ANDREWS
Choose the Right Keywords for SEO
7 Tips to Help You Choose the Right Keywords in SEO
Choose the right keywords
When optimising content for search engines, you need to research the right keywords to help you rank. Keyword research is challenging, not to mention the risk that you can pick keywords that do not produce results. Once you have keyword phrases that you would like to target, you need to weave them carefully into an engaging article.
Despite all the tools and resources for finding target keywords, many businesses still have a problem identifying the right phrases to rank for in search engines. The following tips should help you get the right keyword phrases for better ranking:
1. Determine your objectives
What goals do you hope to achieve with organic search? You should know the objectives of the company and work backwards to determine how search influences the goals. For instance, if you want to increase engagement, leads, and sales, you can figure out the amount of traffic you need and how search conversions can help you achieve that.
To increase the flow of traffic, customers need to find you by searching specific keyword phrases. The right keywords improve your ranking, which means many people will visit your website when they are looking for information.
2. Get input from stakeholders
Once you identify the objectives, you need to create a list of keyword phrases. You should come up with the keywords that you can think of without worrying about competition and performance. The easiest way to get tons of keyword phrases is to ask the stakeholders in your business. They could include salespeople, customers, and marketers.
With their ideas, you will have a giant list to work with before you start filtering. If you want to get the best keywords, ask them what they search for when looking for your business or products online. Using stakeholders to identify keywords gives you the best feedback on the actual words people type in the search engines.
3. Size up the competition
Every business knows its main competitors. Your competition can help you find the right keywords for your SEO optimisation. You should study their websites and identify the keywords they are targeting. You can pick out the phrases from their headlines, meta titles, and meta descriptions. Do they have specific keywords that are placing them high on search rankings? You should never ignore the performance of your competitors when you want to stay ahead.
How does sizing competition help you achieve your ranking goals? Competitors give insight into the performance of keywords and give you new ideas. However, you need to be careful to avoid super competitive keywords.
4. Use a reliable keyword research tool
A keyword research tool can help you locate the best keywords for organic and paid search. You will use the keyword list from stakeholders to find related words and expand your inventory. With numerous tools and resources, you can come up with the best keywords to use in your content. The best part about these tools is the metrics attached to each keyword. The information often includes keyword difficulty scores, PPC, and SEO competition. The data allows you to compare keywords and choose the ones likely to produce desirable results. It is challenging to determine the best research tool. Therefore, you should use multiple tools and compare the results.
5. Ensure the keywords aligns to your headline
Many people make the mistake of forcing a topic around a keyword. Irrespective of the number of keyword phrases you have identified, the headline is a crucial part of the content. However, the keyword should feature in the topic without ruining the headline. Therefore, you need to learn to translate the keyword phrases into the topics.
When aligning keywords, ensure they are relevant to your business. General keywords waste SEO efforts and produce high bounce rates. For instance, if you sell shoes, you should use specific keywords like formal shoes for women. The bottom line is the keywords should be closely related to your products, and it should target a particular audience.
6. Concentrate on long-tail keywords
A long-tail keyword phrase does wonders for your ranking and lead generation. Long-tail phrases are highly targeted, unlike short and general keyword phrases. With long-tail keywords, you can generate more leads and increase conversions. Even with their low search volumes, they are a great way to engage interested customers who are likely to make a purchase.
7. Measure performance
Once you utilise the keyword phrases identified, you can see the results from the data collected. Sometimes other keywords will let you down and produce negative results. However, you should not give up on the keywords. Instead, you should optimise the phrases and prioritise the performing keywords. When monitoring keyword performance, identify phrases that have high traffic but few conversions and those that are not ranking well.
Finding the right keywords to use is tricky, and there is no specific formula. However, you need to monitor the phrases you choose and optimise your marketing efforts to improve performance.
