Almost all searches are text-based. Keywords are the words, phrases, or topics that describe your site content. Keywords often appear in various places on your site, from metadata to page copy. Another useful related term is search queries, which are the words or phrases users type into a search engine. Your website will show up in searches where the keywords on your site match the search query that the user has entered into the search engine.
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Using Keywords and Keyphrases
There are different types of keywords and strategies for using each. This section explains the differences between types of keywords, the importance of related keywords, and how to use search volumes to determine your target keywords and phrases.
Types of Keywords
There are two main types of keywords: head keywords and long and short tail keywords
where to find related keywords
search volumes for keywords-tail keywords.
Head keywords are typically only a few words and quite general. An example of a head keyword might be “engagement ring” or “silver jewelry.” Typically, these types of searches are overwhelmingly broad and your website is unlikely to show up as a search result given the thousands of other sites that also mention these words.
Long-tail keywords (sometimes called keyprases) are longer search queries and more specific than head keywords. A long-tail keyword could be as simple as “engagement ring Charlotte NC.” Or, it could be highly complex and specific, such as “where can I buy a restored antique silver locket 1800s.”
Related Keywords
Not everyone who’s looking for the same thing will use the same keywords. Related keywords are terms and phrases that are used interchangeably, have similar meanings, or are used by people looking for closely related things. For example, “diamond ring” and “engagement ring” don’t mean the same things, but diamond rings are often given as engagement rings. You can use related keywords to target searches that are adjacent to your main keywords.
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Beware of keyword stuffing. Copy-pasting a list of keywords onto your page or repeatedly using the same phrase too much on the same page can actually harm your website’s ranking. Try to use your target keyword or keyphrase 1-2 times per paragraph, and then fill in the gaps with related keywords or synonyms. Remember that humans as well as computers might be reading this text, so it should be clear and well-written. Hire a copywriter or proofreader if you need assistance. |
Search Volumes
Unfortunately, your site is unlikely to ever appear on a SERP (search engine results page) for single-word or head keywords. Head keywords have very high search volumes, which means many people enter these keywords as search queries. Unless you suddenly become as well-known of a brand as Kay Jewelers or Tiffany, putting all your effort into ranking for “engagement ring” isn’t a smart move.
Long-tail keywords will typically have lower search volumes. However, because they are more specific, the quality of the traffic and number of clicks generally increases. The lower competition for long-tail keywords and phrases makes smaller sites more visible. You want to avoid being too specific with your keyphrases, because the search volume for very specific things can result in little to no traffic if the search volume is too small.
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Location-specific searches are great ways for local businesses to get discovered online. Be clear on your site where you are located. “Near me” searches have increased exponentially over the past few years as geolocation services on cellular devices has improved. |