What are keywords?

Keywords are words or groups of words that a user enters into a search bar via a search engine, like Google, which are then mapped in the background with relevant content. In the world of SEO, they are the words and phrases that searchers enter into search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing, Etc.), also referred to as "search queries".

Where do you use SEO keywords?

Your keywords should appear throughout the content of your site. Use these words in your site's text in an organic way, keeping them in their correct context. Keywords must contribute value to your site visitors.

How do I select a powerful SEO keyword?

  1. First, read your content. Write down all the main words or group of words that stand out. Then ask a few people with different personality types and skill backgrounds to do the same. This is the best way to capture words from left minded and right minded audiences. Make sure your lists identify your target audience and have real value.
  2. Research your keywords.
    1. There are a lot of really good keyword builders available. Here are a few worth trying. I recommend try them for free first, and making sure you are comfortable with what's being offered vs. what you will actually use.
      1. Alexa.com (Marketing Stack) ($149/month)
      2. SEMRUSH ($99-399/mo)
      3. Google Analytics (FREE and my favorite)
      4. RankingCoach (Least expensive out of the paid options)
    2. Don't skip this step. While it's tempting to use all the most obvious keywords, many of those are going to be ranked as "highly competitive" and "vague".
  3. Use long-tail keywords vs. singular words for best results. These two to five phrases are what a searcher would type into a search box. Recognize that broad terms come with high competition for ranking. Example, "Salon, Trainer, Fitness Trainer" are all way too broad. While you can include them, you will want to include more specific keywords as well. More specific terms would be: "Injury recovery trainer, kid's salon, trainer in the Newcastle area."
  4. Select 5-15 keywords
  5. Test and monitor.

After you have installed Google Analytics and Google Tags, or the chosen paid program you feel will best suit your business needs, monitor your keyword traffic. If your keywords are not resulting in an action on your site, then change it up. Keep in mind that each time you make a change to your page, the Google Bot needs to re-crawl your page before the new keywords will appear in search results. You can speed up this task by submitting your sitemap directly to Google.

Wondering how to test? Look for the number of bounces on your page. Also study the time each reader spends on your page. This is also very valuable for assessing where to insert your "call-to-action" buttons.

6. Don't walk away and assume you guessed correctly. Monitor your keywords. Just as people change, the market changes and so does demand. Check your analysis on a weekly basis and if necessary, modify your keywords.

Google