What are keywords for SEO? (2023)

Today's consumers depend on the Internet to find the products and services they need. This means that if you want them to become your customers, your business website must appear in search engine results for the words and phrases they are looking for.

This is not by chance. It is the result of a process calledSearch Engine Optimizationor SEO. If you're new to SEO and looking to use it to attract new customers, you've likely come across the term "keywords" during much of your research.

But what are keywords and why are they so important for SEO?

On this page, we explain what SEO keywords are, how to choose keywords for your SEO strategy, and how to use SEO keywords on your website. You can alsocontact us onlineor call888-601-5359Speak directly with one of our experts today!

What are keywords?

The main goal of SEO is to rank high in search engine results for the words and phrases your potential customers are looking for. These words and phrases are keywords.

Why are keywords important?

There are many factors that affect your site's ability to rank, howeverkey wordsHelp search engines understand what each page on your site is about.

Keywords help search engines display the right pages for specific searches and ensure they give users the information they want to find.

This means that one of the main goals of SEO is to identify the keywords your potential customers use when searching for your products or services and then create content that matches the search intent behind those keywords.with these keywordsin the correct areas of your site.

What are keywords for SEO?

Keywords for SEO are the words or phrases used in your web content that help people find your website through search engines like Google. Optimizing your site for SEO keywords (and following SEO best practices) can help you drive more users and traffic to your site.

What types of SEO keywords are there?

When it comes to SEO keywords, there are two types you need to be aware of: short tail and long tail.

1. Short-tail keywords

Short tail keywords are keywords with only one or two words.

For example, in the graphic on the right, "dog" is a short tail keyword.

These keywords tend to have extremely high search volume, which means a lot of people search for them every month. Trying to pick keywords for your site can seem like a good thing. After all, you want to get your business in front of as many people as possible, right?

Unfortunately, short-tail keywords also have very strong competition, which means they will be difficult to rank for. This is especially true if you are just starting a website that is competing with companies that have been optimizing their websites for years.

For this reason, short-tail keywords are not a preferred keyword for SEO, at least not for companies that are just starting to optimize their websites. A company that has been using SEO for years, by comparison, can target short-tail keywords without hesitation.

2. Long tail keywords

Long tail keywords, on the other hand, can be anywhere from three to 10 individual words, and sometimes even more. In the same example, "best guard dog breed for families with children" is a long-tail keyword.

These keywords tend to have a lower search volume, but also a lot less competition. This means that even if fewer people search for them each month, you'll have a much better chance of reaching those people.

Also, long-tail keywords tend to have a much clearer intent than short-tail keywords.

For example, if you were trying to rank for the term "dog", it would be next to impossible to know what your visitors are looking for and provide that information. But if you want to attract visitors looking for "the best watchdog for families with children", then you know exactly what you need to cover on this page.

How to Choose Keywords for SEO That Will Drive Traffic

Now that you know what SEO keywords are, you're probably wondering how to choose keywords for SEO. Fortunately, there are many tools you can use to find the best keywords for SEO, as well as reliable approaches you can use.keyword marketing.

1. Use keyword research tools

Choosing keywords should never involve guesswork, and there are a variety of tools online to help you find the best possible options for your business.

If you run pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns with Google Ads,Google Keyword Planneris one of the best options as it pulls data directly from Google Ads. It provides accurate information about each keyword's search volume and competition levels.

It also suggests keywords based on existing content on your site, which is a useful starting point for keyword research.

If you don't have any active Google Ads campaigns or just want to look beyond Google, there are plenty of others to choose from.Keywords-Search-Tools. While some are paid, there are free options you can use to find keywords for SEO.

Some examples of some free tools are:

• Keywords FX
• keyword tools
• respond to the public

Feel free to use a combination of these tools to find the best SEO keywords for your site.

2. Focus on long tail keywords

Once you've identified potential keywords for your site, it's important to remember them.Focus on long tail keywords.

While you might choose some shorter keywords (especially branded keywords like your company name) for your homepage and other company-specific pages, identifying long-tail keywords should be your main goal.

Using the same example above, entering “dog” and “best guard dog breed” into the Keyword Planner shows that even though “dog” is searched over 1.2 million times a month, it would be hard to find that word -key to sort.

On the other hand, “best guard dog breed” is only searched for 40 times a month, but the competition for this keyword is low. So if your business is an animal shelter, pet store, or pet care retailer, targeting this keyword would be a good choice.

After all, 40 searches per month may seem low, but that's 480 possible searches per year from people who may eventually become your customers.

For more information on how to identify these highly specific expressions, see ourContribution to long-tail keyword search.

3. Look for high volume, low competition keywords

While long-tail keywords tend to have low competition, you should still check each keyword's volume and competition when doing your research.

Certain industries are more competitive than others, and even long-tail keywords can be difficult to rank for. This is especially true if your company is part of the.

However, regardless of your industry, it's important to keep in mind how difficult it will be to rank for a given keyword. If you don't have a chance to rank for a specific phrase, then optimizing a page for it would be a waste of time.

Instead, focus your research on keywords that you have a chance to rank for and drive traffic to your site. If you are new to keyword research, hereContribution to high quality keyword selectionIt's a good starting point.

When it comes to choosing keywords for SEO, the following keyword tools will make your life easier:

1. Keywords FX
2. keyword tools
3. respond to the public
4. WordStream Keyword Research Tool
5. Ahrefs
6. SEMrush
7. Moz Keyword Explorer

Try these different tools to see which one provides the best experience for your team. In most cases, you will likely use more than one. For example, you can use Answer the Public to search for topics and content, followed by Ahrefs to search or narrow your keyword list.

How to use SEO keywords on your website

Once you've chosen your keywords, you should use them throughout your site. it's usually betterFocus on one keyword per page. This allows search engine crawlers to easily identify the focus or theme of a specific page and provide it as a result for relevant searches.

Start using SEO keywords on your website by using them in the following places:

your urls

First, you need to make sure that all of yourURLs are SEO friendly. If not, review your URL structure, include relevant keywords in your new URLs, and set up 301 redirects for old pages you want to change.

your meta tags

Then add keywords in your meta tags like B. Your title and header tags.

Each title tag should be exactly what it sounds like: a title for the page.

Title tags are subheadings on a page that separate different sections or ideas. Not only do they tell search engines what your page is about, but they also make it easier for visitors to read the information they want.

your content

From there, read each page and make sure you use the target keyword naturally multiple times; the key word here is natural. If you add your keyword in irrelevant or meaningless places, it will be honoredkeyword stuffing.

Keyword stuffing violates all major search engine guidelines and will result in a penalty preventing your site from appearing in search engine results. Furthermore, keyword stuffed pages are often meaningless and provide no value to your visitors.

Instead, use each page's keyword only where it makes sense, and if it doesn't make sense anywhere, it's not the right keyword for that page. For best results, try using your SEO keyword in the first paragraph.

your images

While search engines cannot "see" your images, they can "read" them.

That's why you want to optimize your images for your SEO keyword. You can add your keyword to your image's filename as well as the alt text. When adding your keyword to your alt text, make sure it's natural and meaningful.

For reference, your alt text should literally describe your image.

For example, an image of a puppy in a pool might have alt text like "dog in a pool". Including or forcing your keyword into your alt text can hurt your SEO efforts, resulting in lower rankings, less traffic, and less sales from site visitors.

How to Use SEO Keywords for Content Marketing

If you search for keywords related to your industry, products, and services, you'll find many that link to specific topics that your target audience wants to know more about, but aren't covered on your website's existing pages.

These keywords are extremely valuable to yourContent Marketing Strategy. If you're new to content marketing, it's all about creating and publishing original blog posts, article pages, infographics, videos, and other content that educates or entertains your potential customers.

We're often considered a separate strategy from SEO, but by using the keywords you discover during keyword research to guide your topic choices, you can be sure you're creating the content your customers are looking for. potential really want.

You can optimize your content and potentially rank for the keywords you use.

This strategy is especially valuable for long-tail keywords. If someone is looking for a specific phrase, they will likely know exactly what information they are looking for. And if you want to keep them on your website, you'll need to provide that information.

By creating original content that answers your potential customers' questions or solves a specific problem, you drive traffic to your website and increase brand awareness among those visitors. As long as the content you provide is really useful, your first impression of your business will be a good one.

Even if these visitors aren't ready to make a purchase or contact you when they first interact with your site, they will remember your brand when they are, which means the content you create has a direct impact that can take into your sales and profits. .

Need help with SEO keywords?

At WebFX, we have years of experience in developing successful SEO strategies for our clients. Researching and choosing the right SEO keywords for each is an essential part of the process.

When you work with us, we know your business and industry inside and out, and we do all the extensive research necessary to understand what your potential customers want. Our team of experts will optimize your site for the best possible keywords and create original content to advance your strategy.

contact us todayto speak with a strategist and learn more about how we can help your business use SEO to drive more traffic and attract more customers.