If you’re new to SEO, the concept of keywords can be confusing. What are they? How do you use them? Why are they important? In this blog post, we’ll answer all those questions and more. By the end of this post, you’ll have a firm understanding of what keywords are and how to use them to improve your website’s ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs).
What Are Keywords?
Keywords are the foundation of SEO. They’re the terms or phrases that users enter in to search engines when they’re looking for information. For example, if you were to search for “SEO tips,” the word “SEO” would be a keyword.
How Do I Use Keywords?
There are two main ways to use keywords on your website: in your content and in your website’s metadata.
When it comes to your website’s content, you should use keywords throughout your text; including in your headlines, subheadings, and body copy. However, it’s important not to overuse keywords, or engage in something called “keyword stuffing.” This is when a website stuffs its content with so many keywords that it becomes difficult to read. Not only will this irritate your website’s visitors, but it will also hurt your ranking because Google will view it as low-quality content. A good rule of thumb is to use keywords sparingly—aim for a 1-2% keyword density.
In addition to using keywords in your content, you should also use them in your website’s metadata. This includes your title tags, meta descriptions, and alt text. Title tags are the brief descriptions that appear in SERPs when your website comes up as a result. Meta descriptions are the longer descriptions that give visitors a snapshot of what they can expect to find on your page.
Alt text is the text that appears in place of an image if the image doesn’t load properly. All three of these elements give you an opportunity to include relevant keywords that will help improve your ranking and click-through rate (CTR).
Finally, you can also use keywords in the tags and categories of your blog posts. Tags and categories help organize your content and make it easier for people to find what they are looking for. By including relevant keywords in these areas, you can help ensure that your blog posts show up in search results when people are looking for information on those topics.
Why Are Keywords Important?
Keywords play an important role in SEO because they help search engines understand what your website is about so they can match it with relevant searches. The better you target relevant keywords, the higher your chances of appearing in SERPs and driving traffic to your site.
How to Use Keywords in Your Blog Posts
- Do your research. Before you start writing your blog post, take some time to do some keyword research. There are several different tools you can use for this, including Google AdWords Keyword Planner and SEMrush. Just enter a few seed keywords related to your topic and see what comes up.
- Use long-tail keywords. Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific phrases that people are more likely to use when they’re close to making a purchase. For example, if you sell women’s clothing, someone might search for “black dresses” or “cocktail dresses.” On the other hand, someone who is just starting their search might search for “party dresses.” As you can see, the latter keyword is much more specific and is more likely to convert into a sale.
- Use keyword-rich titles. The title of your blog post is one of the most important places to use keywords because it’s one of the first things people will see when they find your post via a search engine. A good rule of thumb is to include your main keyword at the beginning of the title and keep it under 60 characters, so it doesn’t get cut off in the search results.
- Use keywords throughout the post. In addition to using keywords in your title, make sure to sprinkle them throughout your blog post as well. However, don’t go overboard or stuff your post full of keywords. This will not only turn off readers but also get you penalized by Google. A good rule of thumb is to use each keyword 1-2% of the time.
- Optimise your images. Whenever you upload an image to your blog post, be sure to include keywords in the file name. And fill out the alternate text field (Alt text) with a brief description of the image including some additional keywords
- Link to other posts on your site. When you link to other articles on your site from within your blog post, be sure to use keyword-rich anchor text (i.e., the text that appears when you hover over a link). This will not only help people navigate around your site more easily; but also tell Google what this page is about and help improve its ranking in the search results pages.
- Use social media. Once you hit publish on your latest blog post, be sure to share it on social media with a catchy headline and hashtags. This will help promote it even further and drive even more traffic back to your site.
- Promote evergreen content. Evergreen content is articles that remain relevant and useful over time. This can help attract organic traffic long after they’re published. If you have any relevant articles on your site, be sure promote them alongside new blog posts to maximise traffic.
Conclusion
Keywords are an essential part of good SEO blogging. They help users find your content in search engines and understand what your blog post is about.
There are a few different ways to use these effectively, including them in the content of your post, using them in the title, and using them in tags and categories. Using them correctly can help increase traffic to your website by making sure your blog posts show up in relevant search results.
When using keywords, aim for a 1-2% keyword density and be sure to use them throughout your website’s content and metadata (title tags, meta descriptions, alt text). By following these tips, you can improve your website’s ranking and CTR.
By taking the time to do keyword research, using long – tail keywords, optimising your images, and promoting your content on social media, you can give your blog posts the best chance possible to succeed.
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