Selecting keywords is one of the most important aspects of search engine optimization or (SEO). Keywords aren’t just important in terms of content but are also critical in back-end optimization. Without a strategic keyword strategy web users won’t be able to find your website.
Most companies don’t spend enough time focusing on selecting the best keywords for their website. Weak keyword selection limits your traffic which slows sales and destroys the bottom line. Here are some tips to best use keywords to boost your SEO:
Create a list
All quality work needs preparation. The same goes for your website’s SEO. Creating a list of keywords before beginning web content is crucial. This preparation involves researching the keywords that are best for your company. Take time to brainstorm a list of words that web searchers might use when thinking about what your company offers. Don’t forget to check analytical data to see what keywords people are already searching to locate your website.
Strategic placement is important
Where should you focus on placing keywords? Here are some locations where your keywords will work best:
Titles
Titles are the first thing readers and search engines come across. Thus, it goes without saying that titles are a perfect place for keyword placement. But it’s not just the words that matter, titles are also critical to your website’s backend optimization.
Content writing
The content sections of your website are a great place for keyword usage. But it’s all about strategic placement. Don’t overload the keywords to the point where it’s oversaturated. Oversaturation can actually lower your SEO.
It’s all about making the flow feel natural; if things don’t feel natural, leave it out. Outside of thinking of search engines, think about your readers. They’re intelligent people and can sniff out keyword placement just for keyword sake.
External links
With web writing with SEO in mind, it’s a good idea to link out to other websites supporting your claims. These links can either be websites that support your ideas or fact-based journals utilizing scientific analytical data. Anytime linking to an outside source make sure to utilize a keyword.
Multimedia Text Tags
Reader’s eyes are drawn to photos and videos. Therefore, multimedia tags are a great place to display keywords. Tags also important since they describe the image to the search engine. Without keywords in multimedia, your website’s SEO will be lacking.
Linking In
In SEO terms, it is always a good idea to link internally to drive leads to calls to action. This linking process is a great place to utilize keyword placement. In the hyperlinked text it’s essential to use your strongest keywords.
Keyword practices to avoid
Though it’s best to focus on what best works in terms of keyword placement, here are some practices you should avoid:
Keyword oversaturation
Overemphasizing keywords in an unnatural way negatively impacts your SEO. Sentences need to read naturally. You may think stuffing as many keywords into your content as possible benefits your website, but in reality, search engines reject this sort of practice. Unfortunately, with all the attention on keywords, many companies have websites that are too bloated with keywords.
Invisible keywords
Back in the early days of the internet, it was common to come across invisible text everywhere. The idea of making invisible text (same text color matching the same text background) might seem like a good idea, but today’s search engine technology has caught on. As tempting as this seems, never do this.
In conclusion, keywords might seem like a simple and easy process, but it is an often overlooked aspect of SEO. Spending a bit more time vetting your company’s best keyword practices can go a long way. Then, using your strongest keywords in the best way possible will launch your website to the top of the search engine rankings.