It might surprise you to learn that there are over 600,000 businesses formed in the US each year. Unfortunately, many of these businesses fail within the first two years.
As you might guess, though, one of the best ways to ensure longevity is to focus on search engine optimization. By extension, this also means that you need to use the right SEO keyword for your content. Choosing a keyword might seem complicated at first, but it’s much easier than most people believe.
Let’s get started with what you need to know about keyword selection.
1. Understand Your Audience
One of the most important things to understand before you can choose an SEO keyword is your audience.
Who are you trying to reach with your content? What kind of language do they use? What kind of information are they looking for?
Once you have a good understanding of your audience, you’ll be able to narrow down your choices for an SEO keyword.
2. Think About Your Goals
What are you hoping to achieve with your content? Are you trying to sell a product? Drive traffic to your website? Convert leads into customers?
Having a strong understanding of your goals will allow you to select an SEO keyword that will help you achieve them. Your content should also be built around the action you wish for the user to take. For instance, when performing SEO for lawyers, it’s important to remember the intent behind certain keywords. Whilst it may seem like a nice idea to rank for “Lawyer”, it is likely more lucrative, and more relevant to rank for local keywords that include an information intent such as “Family Lawyer near me”. Whilst the search volume on these types of searches is much lower, it is also far more likely to yield a conversion.
3. Do Your Research
Once you have a good understanding of your audience and your goals, it’s time to do some research.
Use keyword research tools like Google AdWords Keyword Planner and Moz Keyword Explorer to find keywords related to your topic. Make a list of potential keywords, then narrow it down to the one that you think will be most effective for your content.
The text that you choose for your links is also just as important as the keywords you use. You can check out this page to learn more about the anchor text definition.
4. Use Your Keyword Wisely
You should always use your keyword in the correct way. Use it in the title and throughout the body of your content, but don’t overdo it.
Too many keywords will not only make your content sound awkward, but it could also get you penalized by Google.
Remember to focus on writing quality content that your audience will enjoy reading. The good news is that you can often come up with a number of content ideas based solely on the keywords that you choose.
Keyword Selection Is Much Easier Than It Seems
Although it might seem complex at first, keyword selection is a straightforward process. Just be sure that you keep the above guidelines in mind when moving forward so you can make the decision that’s best for you and your business.
Looking for other useful articles like this one? Our blog has plenty of information to help you in the future.