We all want to appear on the first page of the SERP! Not just that, the extent of our love for occupying the top position in the SERP is that we don’t get satisfied with the fifth or sixth position even. Well, it is superb. Your urge to appear on the top can only take you to new heights. And with a better place on the search engine result page, you can ensure organic growth.
Okay!
Is thinking or aiming enough?
Certainly, not.
The need is to act. And what you can do? For this, there are numerous ways under Off-Page SEO and On-Page SEO techniques. Of those, one is publishing keyword-optimized content. The use of keywords in the content enables you to rank better by indicating to Google that it is relevant to the search query. Let’s explore this segment for enhanced understanding.
Keywords are the phrases or queries that searchers enter in the search engine, seeking an answer or information regarding the concerned topic.
Keywords play a crucial role in the search scenario. It helps both parties. Keywords act as a bridge between content creators and people, turning to search engines for information. For searchers, it is the way to find the desired result, which answers the search query in the best way, quickly and easily.
Now, it is time to see the importance of keywords from the content creator’s angle.
Keywords help content creators and curators to know what people are searching on the internet. They can come up with valuable content considering the same. Also, keywords make the content searchable. Thus, the brand can rank higher on the search engine result page (SERP) and become discoverable, using the keywords properly.
Proper Use of Keywords – What it means?
Here, by ‘properly’, we mean two things. Firstly, the keyword selection should be appropriate. Because there are different kinds of keywords and you can’t move ahead with whatever you like. Also, you can’t use all of them. There should be a robust strategy for content and SEO. It would be better if these two go parallelly; you can save resources this way. And secondly, the use (placement) of the keywords in the content should be wise. It means the content should have a flow and must make sense. Creating content with the intent to insert keywords and get benefited in terms of discoverability and ranking is of no use. This way, even if you manage to rank, people will understand the reality and won’t come back. It will increase your bounce rate, impacting your SEO efforts negatively. Because Google is smart enough to catch the fishy acts.
Here comes an important point.
How to use keywords? Is keyword research all about finding the top-ranking keywords? Should you always focus on the top-ranking keywords while SEO and content creation?
Or there are other areas worth considering?
Well, top-ranking keywords should not be the core of your strategy. They alone can’t take you to the top.
Then?
Dive into the content to find out.
It holds the highest value, no matter what. Before finalizing the keywords, decide what you want to achieve. Using keywords that are ranking must not be your goal. Instead, your goal should be finding easy-to-rank keywords within your business niche. They should help you attain your business goals. Because business growth is our ultimate aim.
Look at the search queries and analyse the same to find out what people want. That’s their intent. Are they looking for information on some topic or want to buy some product, etc. It lets you identify their position in the marketing funnel. Select the keywords accordingly and align your content to that. Then only you can top the search engine result page (SERP).
Let’s understand the concept with the help of an example.
We have three types of search intent.
Now, these are three different stages. And content for all of these will differ. Using the ToFu keyword while creating content for last intent, just because it is ranking, makes no sense.
Here, we want to clear a point. By now, we have talked about the relevance of the keywords twice. Not because we have nothing else to say. We intend to highlight something.
Have you got that already?
Anyway, let us make our point clear. In the first place, check the appropriateness of your keyword in line with your brand’s objective and content strategy. Then, check the suitability according to the intent.
Just because a particular keyword is ranking doesn’t mean that you should use that. Check its difficulty level. If its difficulty level is high, then check your DA (domain authority) and compare it with those of top-ranking websites. If your DA is much lower than them, better would be to look for low or medium-difficulty keywords, depending upon your DA.
If a keyword is ranking doesn’t mean it has the potential to boost your website traffic. A medium or low-ranking keyword with high volume is much better than a high-ranking keyword with having very-low volume.
Yes, that can happen.
Keyword research, now, is not what it was a few years back. It is because things are changing faster, and Google’s algorithms are becoming more precise. Now, Google can understand your intent behind publishing content more accurately than before. It can sense whether you are doing any value addition or not. And in the absence of the value, even the best keyword won’t help you in the long run. So, start paying attention to other factors too. Remember, you are making content for humans and not bots. Keep things genuine.
Before signing off, don’t miss to let us know your views on this.
Do you have something to add? Tell us in the comments.
