A keyword is a term used to describe a word or group of words used in a search engine (i.e., Google) or a website’s search bar. These keywords can be questions, such as “How to change car oil?”, or a combination of words like “TikTok pasta” – essentially, keywords are “search terms”. When the searcher hits the search button, engines compile a list of the most helpful pages. When it comes to result rankings, there are a number of unknown variables, but without a doubt, the pages near the top use the same keywords that were searched.
So, needless to say, keywords are a critical part of search engine optimization (SEO) and should be at the core of all written online content. But how do you use keywords? Read more to find out:
The Purpose of Keywords
The keywords you choose to describe your product or service will help determine where your brand appears online. In a Google search, using the right keywords could mean the difference between showing up on page 1 or page 10. The search engine will decide where your ad or website shows up based on the similarity of the terms consumers are searching for and the relevance of your content.
Keywords on Your Website
Your website should contain high-quality, relevant keywords to help people find your page. Include a variety of relevant keywords throughout your website and in blog posts published on your site. Blogs provide an opportunity to add new content and relevant keywords that drive people to your website and are a great way to help improve your SEO and search ranking.
Keywords on Social Media
Similar to being found in a Google search, keywords can also help consumers find your product or service on social media. However, on social media, keywords come in the form of hashtags. Therefore, it’s essential to use relevant hashtags on your social posts to increase engagement. Keep in mind that different platforms have different best practices for hashtags in order to be effective.
How to Choose Your Keywords
Ask yourself these questions to help come up with relevant keywords for your website and social media hashtags:
- What main words do you think people will use to find your product or service?
- What other questions, terms, words or phrases could be used to describe your product or service? Create a list of all the questions or terms that a customer might use.
- What search term do you want your brand to show up for? Highlight the words on your list that you want to use on your site or upcoming blogs for reference.
Keyword Frequency & Placement
Although it’s tempting to repeat your keyword(s) as many times as possible on your website, it won’t have the desired effect. Google will naturally filter you out because it has the reader’s best interests in mind. Instead, use your keyword naturally and in moderation. Ensure that the keyword is well-distributed throughout your text. E.g., the use of ‘keyword’ throughout this blog post. Note, we also used variations of the word, such as “terms” or “search terms” periodically.
Get bonus points with Google and potentially rank higher in searches by including your keyword in the following places:
- Page titles
- Subheadings
- The first paragraph of each page and blog post
- In the image alt-text (describes an image)
- In the meta description (the website description shown in Googles searches)
- URL slug (what comes after the ‘/’ in a web domain)
Understanding keywords is an integral part of digital marketing. Turn to the experts at Sims Advertising to help improve your SEO and search ranking today and contact us today.
