How to Select SEO Keywords to Boost Your Businesses to the Top

posted by Farhan Mirajkar on March 21, 2018

Photo by William Iven on Unsplash

You have a great business. Your product is strong and your customer service is the best in the game. You have great content on your website and blog. It’s informative, useful, and attractive. If you build it, they will come. Right? Maybe.

Unless you’ve taken the time to research and use SEO keywords that connect your content to customers’ searches, your customers may miss you altogether. Walking through a few simple steps will increase your visibility and bump your business to the next level.

First, Brainstorm

It may seem obvious, but the best way to begin successful SEO is to make a list of words that come to mind when you think of your business. Ask yourself these questions to generate a list of potential keywords:

  • What are the general categories your business falls into?
  • Identify your niche. Which words are unique to your business?
  • If you were searching for a business like yours, what search terms would you use?
  • What type of customers or clients are you hoping to attract?
  • What content is available on your website or blog?

Use SEO Tools

Once you have created an initial list of keywords, you can expand and refine it to attract the exact clients and customers you are looking for. There are numerous free tools available for creating and narrowing SEO-friendly keywords. Here are a few user-friendly options:

Google’s keyword planner allows you to enter keywords, phrases, and URLs related to your business. It then displays metrics of average monthly searches, related keywords, and the demand for each word or phrase in Google advertising. 

LSI Graph will assist you in finding specific words and phrases that are related to your more general keywords.

Wordtracker is another great tool for turning more general and vague keywords into specific, targeted words, and phrases for optimal exposure.

Understand the Keyword Curve

All SEO keywords are not created equal. Realize that broad keywords are highly competitive ground in online searches and may even make it harder for customers to find your site. While basic descriptors are a great place to start, they will not gain you the representation you’re looking for in your desired demographic.

The “keyword curve” describes the effect that more specific keywords have on SEO. The words “life insurance” get hundreds of thousands of Google searches a month. This may sound like a great thing, but in reality, those sorts of general terms only account for about 30% of all Google searches. A more specific phrase like “affordable life insurance Pennsylvania” will gain fewer actual hits but reach a much more profitable audience.

It’s important to remember that the goal is not just to get people to your website, but to get the right people. The more precise you can be in your keywords, the more likely it is that your potential customers will find you.

Use Keywords Effectively

You’ve created and curated your list of keywords and phrases. They match all your SEO research and will bring you the clients whose needs match your product. Now all you need to do is place them effectively throughout your web presence.

Don’t be afraid to allow your keywords to drive your content creation. Use them in your titles for pages and blog posts. Include them in meta descriptions and headings. Search for them on social media and as hashtags to see what topics and questions are trending. Once your keywords are established, content becomes organic and practically generates itself.

Even the best company can be hidden from customers without the right SEO. By putting together a solid list of keywords and phrases, you will give your business a boost to the top of search results and the top of your field.

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