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What Is the Importance of Keyword Research and How Can You Do It Effectively?

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Getting eyes on your web pages is the first step toward a sale. Keyword research helps companies find the correct phrases to make that happen. In fact, utilizing keyword research strategies can significantly boost your website metrics. To get the most out of your efforts, it’s essential to understand how the research works and the best way to measure results.

Role of Keywords in Search Engine Ranking

Search engines aim to connect users with the best answers to their questions. To achieve this, algorithms crawl webpage content and index keywords. When a query contains those words, the search engine generates a list of applicable links with the most relevant at the top.

Businesses can influence these results by including the right keywords in their website content. Landing pages, blogs and even social media posts can increase search engine results page rankings, boosting the likelihood of users visiting your site. Most users don’t scroll beyond the first results page; if your company doesn’t appear near the top of a SERP, it’s practically invisible.

Of course, being first on a results page won’t do you any good if your site doesn’t offer what the querent needs. SEO and keyword research helps you target individuals who actually want your goods and services, ensuring you see returns for your marketing.

Importance of SEO Keyword Research

Keywords vary in impact and target audience, which is why keyword research is important for concrete results. A poorly chosen phrase may bring thousands of new website visitors while increasing the bounce rate as those users immediately leave. Keywords can’t just be popular in your industry — they must connect consumer needs to your solutions.

There’s no one-size-fits-all way to target a particular audience, especially when algorithms update frequently and under the radar. Instead, businesses must create an ongoing research, measurement and optimization process to stay adaptable in an ever-shifting online environment.

Keyword Research Tips

One of the most important things you can do is stay on top of SEO news. Marketing experts closely monitor Google announcements and SERP trends to anticipate changes; if you’re not on the ball, your rankings will drop. By the same token, responding quickly can catapult you into the top spot as competitors regroup. Understanding the landscape will shape your research approach.

Which strategies you use also depends on your goals. For example, to increase local traffic, you should research keywords that utilize the location. Brainstorm words closely associated with your area, such as the city, county or neighbourhood name, and see which generate high results.

You can also experiment with the following:

  • Utilizing social media trending topics associated with your products or services
  • Varying keyword length
  • Targeting different stages of the sales funnel
  • Trying variations of Google search bar suggestions

Another great technique is competitor analysis. What are other businesses in the space doing, and how effective is it? This approach highlights what works for your industry and the gaps you can exploit.

There are also a variety of tools available — Google’s Keyword Planner is even free. This resource uses the search engine’s knowledge to generate lists of potential keywords, giving you a great place to start.

Keyword Incorporation in Website Content

Of course, how you use keywords matters as much as the phrases you choose. Algorithms assign a lower value to “stuffed” web pages and a higher value to content that incorporates keywords naturally. In fact, Google has said that quality content is the number one criterion for SERP ranking.

To create high-quality content, limit the number of keywords and use them strategically. Headings are excellent placement, as are the first and last paragraphs. Strongly tie the keywords to your own business and, above all, keep your audience in mind.

You should also continually analyze SERP performance. Doing so lets you immediately detect when a strategy no longer works. You can find tools to measure bounce rate, click-through rate and other metrics that gauge the effectiveness of your SEO strategy.

Finally, don’t hesitate to hire professionals to manage your SEO. Keeping up with research, implementation and analysis is a full-time job and can be especially time-consuming for small businesses without a designated marketing department. Unwired Web Solutions handles everything necessary to optimize your website for search engine queries. For more information, visit our website or give us a call today.

Are Keywords Still Relevant In SEO

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If you’re wondering whether keywords are still relevant in SEO, the answer is a resounding “yes!” Though Google has made changes to how they rank websites, organic and local keywords are still one of the primary ways to show your site is relevant to a particular search. To rank well in Google today, you need to have a strong keyword strategy in place. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some of those SEO strategies and discuss how they may help with your website ranking. 

What Are Keywords?

Keywords are words or phrases targeted in an SEO strategy to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). When someone searches for a term online, Google displays the websites they believe are the most relevant to that query. The better your website ranks for relevant keywords, the more likely potential customers will see you.

Choosing Keywords

When it comes to choosing keywords, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Every business is different and will have different needs when it comes to its keyword strategy. However, some general rules of thumb can help you choose the right keywords:

  • Start with your business name and product names. Chances are, you’ll want to target your business name and product names as keywords since people are likely to search for them online.
  • Think about what people might search for when looking for your products or services. When brainstorming potential keywords, think about the phrases people might use in a Google search. For example, if you sell shoes, some possible keywords might be “women’s shoes,” “men’s shoes,” “kids’ shoes,” “shoe sale,” etc.
  • Use keyword research tools to help you find keywords that are relevant to your business. Several different keyword research tools are available online, such as Google AdWords Keyword Planner and Moz’s Keyword Explorer. These tools can help you find keywords relevant to your business and have a good amount of search traffic.

How To Use Keywords In Your SEO Strategy

Once you’ve chosen the right keywords for your website, you need to start using them in your SEO strategy. Here are some tips for using keywords effectively:

  • Use keywords throughout your website. Include them in your website copy, titles, descriptions, and alt tags. This will help Google understand what your website is about and will help you rank higher for relevant keywords.
  • Don’t stuff keywords. In the past, some businesses would stuff their website with as many keywords as possible in an attempt to rank higher in Google. However, this is no longer effective and can actually hurt your ranking. Instead of stuffing keywords, use them sparingly and focus on creating quality content.
  • Target long-tail keywords. Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific keyword phrases. They tend to have less search traffic than shorter, more general keywords, but they can be easier to rank for. For example, a long-tail keyword for a shoe store might be “women’s black leather dress shoes.”
  • Use keyword variations. In addition to targeting main keywords, you should also target variations of those keywords. This includes singular and plural forms of the keyword, as well as misspellings. For example, if you’re targeting the keyword “shoes,” you should also target “shoe,” “shoes,” and “sho.”

Achieve High Rankings

Though it is more challenging to achieve high rankings than a few years ago, following general rules along with using the right keywords will put any business on the path of better visibility through search engines. SEO analysis tools are available that can help fine-tune a website for an effective SEO strategy, but overall, there is no magic formula for a good SEO strategy. It involves grounded data and experience along with a solid strategy, including relevant content and website marketing. 

Unwired Web Solutions can help businesses make sure they are taking advantage of all aspects of ranking opportunities as well as keeping up with frequent changes made by Google. We offer SEO services, local SEO services, website design, content marketing, and social media marketing. 

At Unwired Web Solutions, we navigate the various decisions you need to make to enjoy excellent SEO on all your web pages, as well as keep up with frequent changes made by Google. Our team of SEO specialists does the leg work necessary to research your industry and relevant search engine strategies used by your competitors. Whether you are looking for local SEO services or help with organic SEO, we can help! Contact us today!