Understanding How SEO Keywords Work
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is a digital marketing strategy aimed at increasing organic traffic to your website through people searching for content relevant to your company. One of the primary techniques of SEO is integrating keywords. But what are SEO keywords, and how can businesses effectively identify and implement them? This article will answer these questions, help you develop a keyword strategy and hopefully improve your company’s online visibility.
What are SEO keywords?
SEO keywords are words and phrases that are commonly typed into search engines. If these keywords appear throughout your website’s content, your website is more likely to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). This increases the likelihood that potential clients or customers will be led to your website when they search for relevant topics.
This targeted approach means you should not only get more people coming to your site, but those people will also be looking for things directly relevant to your company, meaning they are more likely to consume your goods or services.
How to find SEO keywords
SEO tools, such as Semrush or Ahrefs, designed to help businesses find relevant and trending SEO keywords are more accessible than ever. While this accessibility seems great on face-value, it also makes it difficult to know which to use and what will benefit your business the most.
This is where the help of expert SEO professionals or SEO services can be particularly useful, as they have the knowledge and experience to integrate appropriate and effective SEO keywords into your content and digital marketing. They will conduct audits of your existing website and look at analytics to identify which words and phrases are the most effective at driving traffic to your site. SEO professionals can also analyse competitor strategies, helping you understand their keyword usage and make the most of any opportunities to differentiate your brand and stand out in your field.
How to know what SEO keywords are right for your company
Determining the right SEO keywords for your company isn’t just about identifying popular search terms; it’s about making sure those terms align with your target audience and brand values.
If you wish not to get professional help, here are some tips on finding keywords that are popular and still relevant to your company:
- Brainstorm what topics or questions relate to your business. For example, if you sell doors, you might consider interior or exterior design more broadly.
- Use keyword research tools to find words related to this broader topic. Many of these also show you the search volume (how many people search for that word or phrase) and assess the keyword competition (how hard it is to rank for a specific keyword).
- Once you have a list, prioritise the words that rank the highest in terms of volume, have little competition and – most importantly – are related to your company.
- Consider using longer phrases or questions. Even though they generally have lower search volumes, they often attract more targeted traffic because they represent specific questions consumers might have. They also include individual keywords that may rank higher.
- Choose keywords that make sense. As this is based on popular searches, some of the phrases do not make grammatical sense and can be misspelt. Make sure you choose words that you can integrate into your content without it being obvious that you have added the phrase purely for clicks. This will make your content more authentic, as the readers will not feel that they have been lured in or that they’re simply having products sold to them.
Implementing SEO keywords in your business
The key to effective SEO keyword implementation is to focus on words that flow naturally in your content without sounding forced or clunky. Search engines are increasingly good at detecting the inclusion of unnatural keyword phrases, which can harm your rankings. Prioritise creating high-quality content that answers questions related to your company and provides practical advice or reliable information for potential customers.