You could have the most amazing business website design with content that will hook your customers in for life, but if no-one can find it, it’s completely useless. That’s where keywords come in.
Although keywords are not the be-all and end-all of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), they are a vital part of raising online visibility. In their most basic form, keywords will enable new and existing customers to find you by increasing the chances of your website ranking highly when someone uses a search engine to look for your type of business.
Here are some key things you need to understand about choosing and using keywords.
Changing terms – typed to spoken
Keyword searches are evolving fast. Google reports that 27% of the global online population is using voice search on mobile. So be aware that how you search – whether you type your search or use your voice, changes the way we search for things. Keep this change in trend in mind and regularly review your keyword choices.
How has search changed?
Many people are still sceptical about keyword research. It’s an area that has moving goalposts as Google changes its algorithms fairly regularly which, in turn, changes how keywords are used and how effective they are. As with the point above, regularly check your SEO status to ensure that Google hasn’t carried out an update that knocks your SEO effectiveness down.
In the past, the way to rank for SEO was to ‘stuff’ keywords into your online text, the more the better. However, if you take that same approach today, you will actually be penalised as search engine intelligence has become so much more sophisticated in rating content. No longer do search engines merely count numbers of keywords being used, they are now much more interested in the overall weight of the article – that it is relevant, attracts and holds interest and has both inbound and outbound links.
Types of keywords
Before you begin doing keyword research, it’s important that you understand the three different types of keyword.
Head keywords – these are usually just one or two words with a high search volume. They are usually ultra-competitive and only big business with a secure reputation and amazing SEO can rank top of Google for them. Think ‘best credit card’, for example.
Body keywords – are two to three word phrases with a medium search volume. These are within reach of established business websites with good reputations and strong SEO.
Long tail keywords – consist of phrases that have a low search volume. They are less competitive and usually easier to rank for. This is what newer or weaker websites should target initially.
Long tail keywords have a lower search volume than other types because they are more specific. Take ‘Marketing Services’ (head or short tail keywords) for example, if you search Google for this term it returns ‘About 2,750,000,000’ results. Compare this to ‘Freelance copywriters in Buckminster, Leicestershire’ (long tail) which returns just 9 results.
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What is the right type of keyword for your business?
So it’s important to be clear about your search terms and how realistic they are; too long and obscure will mean that no-one is likely to use the term, too short and generic and you’ll be in competition with thousands of other results, so unlikely to rank anywhere useful.
If you can imagine searching for something yourself using Google, it’s likely that you’ll type in a few words rather than just one, isn’t it? That means that long-tail keywords are more likely to match up to what someone is typing in a search engine. They will generate more traffic and therefore, more revenue. Long tail keywords are also less competitive if you decide to implement Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising (more about online advertising on).
Ranking
Ranking is the place you achieve in the organic listings. The ideal spot is to rank on page 1 of the listings. If you make it to the top position in the SERP (Search Engine Results Page) your organic click through rate will rise dramatically. Research shows that the average click rate for first position in Google is 28.5%, and this roughly halves for each position below that. The result in position ten at the bottom of page one will be lucky to achieve 2% click through rates.
How to choose the right keywords
The golden rule is to only publish content that people are looking for. Nobody is typing into Google ‘awards won by lawn mowing companies’ or ‘new staff members in soundproofing companies’, which is why posts like that bring zero traffic to your site.
Alternatives that could bring traffic might be ‘how to mow lines into a lawn’ or ‘can I soundproof a door’ because people are looking for answers to these questions and they are relevant to your business.
Choosing keywords
The first step to take is to create a list of relevant words that you think your business will be searched on. In order to do this, it’s worth downloading the free Google Keyword Planner to create your list. To use the software, you first need to create a Google Ads account and then click the ‘Google Keyword Planner’ button.
Enter a keyword related to your business in the search box and Google will instantly create a list of related terms – each with stats on monthly search numbers, competition rates, authority and so on. There are, of course, other free tools such as Wordtracker, SEMrush and Ubersuggest that will also generate popular words and phrases for your industry.
If you have an existing website, sign up for Google Search Console (it’s free) and they will tell you exactly which terms you already rank for and in what position.
Check in with your competitors
Next use an online keyword research tool to check what your competitors are ranking for. Alternatively, if you want some help with your SEO research, get in contact with Ketchup Marketing today and book a free SEO audit which will equip you with invaluable industry insights about your competitors.
If you choose to continue with your own SEO research, you’ll see that you can access rankings for your keywords, so you get to know what search terms are being used and what’s not.
Finding search terms
Another free piece of software is SeedKeywords.com – it’s free and will help you find terms that people use to find what your site sells. This software is clever in the way that it asks you to create a search scenario and will then pull out the relevant keywords. Here’s an example scenario: ‘You want to search for an events organiser with specialist construction knowledge. How do I search for this?’ You then send this ‘scenario’ to a group of people and the results will give you your keyword search terms.
Now it’s time to check out the competition. Your mission is to identify keywords on your list that aren’t super competitive. By using another free tool, MozBar for Chrome, you can view keyword competition set out in the format of search engine listings.
Identify search volume
It’s really important to see what search volumes your keywords are attracting. You can get this information from Google Keyword Planner – although, be warned, the numbers are only estimates, and can vary significantly.
So what kind of numbers, in terms of monthly search volume, are you looking for? Well, there’s no set answer, every industry will differ. In a niche market, a keyword with a search volume of 25k/month is considered high. However, in a B2C space like leisure, 25k/month is nothing.
At Ketchup, we would recommend a keyword that has a relatively strong search volume for your industry. However, we must sound a note of caution. If yours is a new website, or an existing one with low domain authority (see below) you need to stick to low competition keywords.
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Domain authority
One metric which adds weight to a website is domain authority (DA). Google measures the level of authority, expertise and relevance a site has and weights it accordingly. DA is a measure on a scale of 0-100 of how authoritative your website is. It’s a logarithmic scale, so it’s much easier to climb from 10 to 20 than it is to move from 50 to 60.
Domain authority measures how many other sites link to your site, and gives more weight to links that are from other authoritative sites. For example, a link to your site from the BBC is much more valuable than one from Trotters Tellys.
The way to increase your domain authority is to publish relevant content and earn backlinks from other respected sites related to your industry. As your authority builds, you’ll be more successful in ranking for higher competition terms.
Google Adwords advertising
Another way of using keywords is to deploy them as part of an online advertising campaign. PPC advertising from Google is a great way of targeting your desired audience, especially for a new or low-authority site that’s going to need time for SEO to kick in.
When someone uses Google to search for the products or services that you offer, your PPC ad will appear at the top and down the right hand side of the presented search results. The great thing about PPC is that you only pay if people click on your advert. If you’ve got your keywords and your targeting right then your target audience will be clicking through to your site.
Cost of keyword advertising
Depending on the keyword or phrase you choose, you can pay less than a pound or well over £30 for a click through to your advert. So it’s really important to make sure that you choose the right words and phrases.
Trending keywords
We change how we use words all the time – and keywords are no different. To avoid being left behind or spending £s on out-of-date phrases, use Google Trends to pick keywords that are growing in popularity. This way you get more traffic from these terms over time.
Shifting sands of SEO
The world of SEO is constantly changing so it’s important to stay updated on what’s new and what you can be doing to stay ahead of the game. If you’re not informed on how to better your business through the use of keywords, you can bet that your competitors are. With this in mind, it’s always a good idea to get valuable and professional advice from an SEO expert who can share the latest developments with you, so you never have to fall behind and find yourself wondering why your competitors are taking all of your business.
Research and prepare
Choosing the keywords for your website has a big impact on success. The right keywords will always relate to your business, what it offers, and the things you want your customers to know about your products. Do your research thoroughly to make sure you make the right organic keyword selections and it’s a good idea to work with an SEO agency, like Ketchup Marketing, that can provide you with full guidance and support services.
If you’d like to find out more about outsourced marketing services, give us a call on 0115 671 3868
