Keywords are words that define what the content on a website page is all about. They are what a searcher will enter into search engines, such as Google, to find a result that matches their query and the search term that you want to rank for.
Why are Keywords Important for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)?
Keywords allow search engines to understand what your page is about, so it is important to use them frequently throughout your content. Using keywords in the main body text and in headings will help to increase search visibility as search engines have a good understanding of what your page is about.
Keywords will be different depending on your audience. It is important to think about how your audience is going to be searching for different terms and tailor your content to them.
By doing so you are more likely to get visitors that match your target audience as your content matches what they are searching for.
Don’t Over Optimise
There is a very fine line between under and over optimising your text and both are just as detrimental for your page of content. Be aware that if you include your keyword too much in your content it will also have a negative impact so no keyword-stuffing!
If you are writing your content around your keyword, with your target audience in mind, you should naturally include the keyword throughout the content without thinking about it! So write your content around your keyword then double-check there are a good amount of mentions and this is when we can add a few more if they are needed.
It’s good to use a variety of similar keywords, which can help boost the page’s overall SEO value for the topic rather than just using the same keyword repeatedly. These semantic keywords help provide search engines with greater insight into the topic you are covering and can help rank your page more accurately.
To give an example, if your keyword is Commercial Law Firm you can include sub-areas like Fashion law and agency law in your content to help give your main keyword more credibility.
Where should you include keywords?
There are various places that you can add your keywords to make your page appealing to search engines and the reader.
Good places to use keywords in your content are:
Page titles / SEO title
You should always have your keyword in your page title as it defines the main subject of your page. It is the first thing that will show up on your page, letting the reader and search engines know exactly what the page is about straight away.
Headings
Using keywords in headings is important as it helps search engines and your user know what it is that they’re looking at.
Introduction paragraph
The introduction is a great place to use your keyphrase as it will tell users what the page is about.
Meta description
Users and search engines will read meta descriptions to get a better understanding of what the page is about. Including your keyword is crucial as it will enable search results to rank the page higher and will help increase the page’s click-through-rate (CTR).
Images
Give the image a file name and alt text that uses the keyword and reflects the relevance.
URL slug
Using your keyword in your URL provides high SEO value and clearly shows to search engines what the page is about, giving you a higher ranking factor.
Final thoughts
Keywords are an essential part of your SEO strategy. They should be relevant, applicable and naturally placed throughout your content to help rank pages and give your site a higher CTR.
Contact us to find out how you can use keyword to maximise your SEO strategy
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