Best Guide for Keywords Usage in SEO

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What is Keyword in SEO?

Keywords are the words, phrases, and topics that people type into search engines when looking for information. This is also known as search queries.  Keywords can be used to find a specific articles, images, videos, and documents on search engines like google, Bing, or Yandex.

 

These keywords can also be short or long keywords also known as short tail and long tail keywords.

Also read: The Significance of Mobile Optimization in SEO

 

Why Are keywords important for SEO?

Keywords are important because it helps you to get more traffic to your website if used effectively. The keywords you target would determine how much traffic you would get from search engines.

Your chance of getting massive traffic is slim if you create good and informative content without targeting relevant high-search volume keywords. To get massive traffic to your website, first, you must evaluate and understand what the audience is looking for.

It is important that you do keyword research. Keyword research helps you find the best keywords that align with the search queries your target audience is actually searching on Google. This understanding of the actual search terms utilized can help to shape the dominance of your content on search engines.

Keyword research lets you understand the topic global users are looking for and the popularity of the topic or keyword.

 

Suggested tool: Keywords Suggestion Tool

 

Why is Keyword Research Important?

There are three important factors to be considered when doing keyword research;

 

1. Relevance

Google uses artificial intelligence to place content in order of relevance. This means that your content will only rank for a keyword if it matches what the searcher is looking for. The better your content the higher the search engine will rank your content.

 

2. Volume

The searcher’s intent might match your keyword and still not get traffic if the keyword has a low search volume. Search volume is measured by monthly searches which translates to how many times a specific keyword gets searched every month globally. So, when doing keyword research, find keywords with high search volume and low SEO difficulty.

 

3. Authority

Search engines provide high authority to websites with high-quality and informative content and will also allow other websites to link back to you. Hence, well-resourceful content with high-volume keywords will drive traffic to your site, and the more backlinks your get, the higher your authority on search engines like google.

 

Also read: Ultimate SEO Guides for Ranking in 2023

 

How to Find SEO Keywords

The best way to find keywords for SEO is to use keyword research tools. There are many keyword research tools (KRT) paid or free.

 

Some of the free KRT you can use are; Google keyword planner, h-supertools keyword research tool, and spysuggust keyword research tools.

 

These tools are easy to use as it only requires you to enter the phrase you wish to search for anD it will then generate several related keywords with their search volume and SEO difficulties.

 

Suggested read: SEO and Everything in-Between

 

How to Optimize for keywords

To optimize for a keyword, you must match search intent.

You should try and analyze already ranking content for the same keywords you wish to rank for. By doing this, it will guide you in writing your own content while aiming to outrank your competitors.

Other things you should do when optimizing for keywords are;

 

• Find and use keywords with high search volume but low keyword difficulty
• Include the keywords in the title of your content
• Include the keyword in the URL
• Repeat the keyword a few times within the article/post
• Use the keyword as the title of the feature image and also include the keyword in the alt text
• Include the keyword in tags

 

Suggested read: 11 Common SEO Mistakes you Should Avoid

What is Keyword Difficulty

Keyword Difficulty (also known as “SEO difficulty” or “keyword competition”) is the means of measuring and evaluating how difficult it is to rank on search engines like Google for a specific word, phrase, or keyword.

 

A keyword's difficulty is based on a number of different factors which includes quality of content, page authority, and domain authority.

 

Keyword difficulty is rated from 0-100 where 0 is low and 100 is high. A keyword with a high value of say’ 85% is difficult. This means that many top websites are already ranking for such keywords and if you target the keyword, you will not rank well for the keyword and you may not get traffic.

 

Suggested tool: Free Keyword Position Checker

 

What is the Difference Between a Long and Short tail keyword in SEO?

 

Long-tail keywords:

 are words or search queries (from three to five words <) used by individuals to find information on search engines like google which have low search volume.

 

It has often been said that keywords with five-to-six-word account for around 75% of search traffic, however, one-two keywords have the highest search volume.

 

Long tail keywords are more topic-focused than short keywords which may be less popular.

An example of a long tail keyword is “How to Optimize for keywords” while a short tail keyword in this case would be “keyword optimization”.

 

Suggested tool: Keyword Density Checker

 

Short Tail Keywords:

are search queries which may be one to three words used by people to find information on search engines like google. These types of keywords have a higher search volume than long-tail keywords.

 

What's Next –

Start SEO Optimization. Analyze your website with Free SEO Optimizer

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Also read: The Role of Backlinks in SEO and How to Acquire Them

 

 

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