Are Keywords Important For SEO? A Brief Overview
The Importance of SEO for Law Firms
Digital marketing can undoubtedly be a complex arena to compete in.
With its many tools, apps and methods, it can be hard to decipher which ones will be the most effective for your business.
Additionally, the industry is known for its fast-paced, constantly changing nature – making it all the more tricky to figure out!
Luckily, there are some tried and true strategies used within the sector that’ll likely never go out of style.
One of these crucial strategies is the use of keywords, an often integral part of any top-notch SEO (Search Engine Optimization) toolkit.
This is when you find “key” words your target audience is using online, implementing said words into the content you create (e.g. web pages, blogs, etc.).
Sounds easy enough, right? Not so fast!
While keywords can bring a business to the digital forefront, this only has a chance at happening if proper care and consideration is involved in their execution.
Given the above, let’s take a closer look at what keywords are and lay down some “key” do’s and don’ts when integrating them into your company’s marketing strategy.
What Are SEO Keywords
In the digital marketing world, the term “keywords” (also known as “SEO keywords” or “keyphrases”) are words and/or phrases that individuals use on search engines when trying to find information on a certain topic.
For example, if you were looking to buy a pair of running shoes on the internet, you might type “pink running shoes” into your search engine.
While more than one word, the above is considered a keyword.
As mentioned, keywords your intended audience is searching for can (and should!) be implemented into your business’s online content
Though able to be used for multiple reasons, they’re frequently applied to gain a solid Google ranking (i.e. in order to be on the [highly coveted!] first page of your audience’s search engine results).
However, it’s incredibly paramount to ensure you’re using keywords properly
If this doesn’t happen, your use of this essential SEO element could turn out to be a waste of precious time and resources.
As such, now that we have an idea of what keywords are, let’s go through some fundamental do’s and don’t when it comes to their application.
How To Add SEO Keywords: Do’s and Don’ts
- Do your research.
- Don’t commit keyword stuffing.
- Do place your keywords strategically.
- Don’t apply the same keyword research logic to every digital domain.
Simply put, if you’re not using keywords users are “driving” with online, your business probably won’t get much traffic.
Using keyword research software will mean having a solid foundation to refer to when generating your content’s strategic keyword selections.
Though there are free versions available, a higher quality keyword research system is typically best.
This way, you get access to valuable features that’ll help guide you in your keyword development, honing in on important details, such as your content’s categorization (e.g. commercial or informational).
Such devices also tend to give you the opportunity to know what keywords your competitors are using, which, if taken into consideration, can be an excellent way to remain relevant – and prevalent.
Perhaps at this point you may be asking “How many keywords should I use for SEO, though”? Short answer? Be conservative!
Keyword stuffing, the act of loading your content up with as many keywords as possible, is a negative Google ranking factor and can even get you into trouble with the platform.
In order to avoid counterproductiveness, focus on aligning quality content with sensible keywords (in both amount and relevance to said content).
Some even argue keywords don’t need to (and perhaps shouldn’t) be exact, either.
Instead, the focus should be on intertwining them into your copy as organically as possible.
In a nutshell, don’t overdo it, don’t use them when it doesn’t make sense to and always try to seamlessly thread your keywords into your informative, well-written content.
Always try and get your keywords into your content as early as possible – this is a popular SEO practice which can be referred to as keyword prominence.
Applying this optimal strategy helps Google determine what your content should rank for.
Given this, it’s ideal to get your keywords in the beginning of your titles and copy in general.
In other words, don’t hide these precious gems at the bottom of your copy – make sure they’re front and center whenever possible!
As stated earlier, it’s important to be methodical when it comes to your keywords.
This means understanding which ones match best with the content you’re using, but it can also mean many other things, such as the context of which online platform they’ll be placed on.
For example, using keywords for social media may need a different approach in comparison to them using them in a blog article.
This is an important factor to take into account when researching and applying your keyword strategy in order to maximize its success.
Keywords: Final Thoughts
With the above information only scratching the surface for keywords, it may be overwhelming to take your first step with them
However, because of the amount of positive influence they can have on your business’s digital marketing efforts, it would be a (massive!) missed opportunity not to take advantage of their possibilities.
And, thankfully, there’s piles of other reliable resources on the subject
Take your time in informing yourself and, as with anything new and worthwhile, know that trial and error may be involved in the initial stages of implementation.
Though their usage may vary, one thing remains the same across the board: a key component in your digital marketing victories?
You guessed it – keywords!
Qode Media Editorial Team