How To Build an SEO Keyword Strategy
Alterior Digital understands the vital role that keyword strategy plays in optimizing a website's performance and increasing visibility in search engine results. We will delve into the importance of keyword strategy in digital marketing and outline the steps to research, implement, and monitor an effective SEO keyword strategy.
Introduction
We live in an era where everything moves at lightning speed, and digital marketing is the most rapidly evolving. Having a solid keyword strategy is essential for business success. As mentioned in our previous post, content is King. The keywords that are part of that content are fundamental in SEO strategy to drive organic traffic to your website and help your target audience find you online.
More often than not, business owners have a beautiful website created and do nothing else after that. Then they wonder why no one is finding their website. Remember, you need to establish your online presence. Keyword strategy involves identifying the terms and phrases your target audience is searching for, strategically integrating them into your website content, and monitoring their performance to make informed decisions. This is where a competitor analysis will help, as we can uncover what your competitors are ranking for and view which keywords are getting volume instead of ranking for random keywords that might produce traffic but could potentially be the wrong traffic to your website.
Research Your Audience and Goals
Before diving into keyword research, it's crucial to understand your target audience and their search behavior. Consider what terms they might use when looking for your products or services online. Additionally, define your business goals and objectives for your keyword strategy. Are you looking to increase website traffic, boost conversions, or improve brand awareness? Before proceeding, you should ask yourself these questions.
Conduct Keyword Research
Use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner, AnswerThePublic, SEMrush, or Ahrefs. Analyze your current keyword performance, identify gaps in your strategy, and seek new opportunities to target relevant keywords that align with your goals. If you are starting out, we strongly recommend targeting relevant and easy keywords to rank for. This will help you build your online presence and gain ground in the online space. Once there is traction, you can start targeting more difficult keywords to rank for that have higher traffic. Check out the next section as we go through an example.
Define Target Keywords
Choose primary keywords based on relevance, search volume, and competition level. Additionally, consider incorporating long-tail keywords for niche topics and audience segments to attract more targeted traffic to your website. Ok, let's look at the image below as an example.
If you are an accountant who is a CPA and offers tax services when you are starting, you would want to target the second keyword and not the first. If you take a look at the KD (Keyword Difficulty), it is harder to rank for 'CPA Los Angeles' vs 'Accounting and Tax Services'. Another thing to consider is the volume for each keyword. 'Accounting and Tax Services' has 100 more search volume than 'CPA Los Angeles'. So, it only makes sense to target the second keyword.
Cluster Keywords
Group your keywords into relevant categories or themes to help streamline your content creation process. Creating keyword clusters for related terms and topics can also help improve your website's overall structure and organization.
Optimize Website Content
Incorporate your target keywords strategically throughout your website copy, meta tags, and headings. That said, do not keyword stuff, as you will be penalized by Google. Implement on-page optimization strategies, such as optimizing images and improving page load speed, to enhance keyword visibility and improve user experience. We use a free tool that converts images to WEBP to reduce the image size while keeping the quality; this helps boost website speed.
Monitor and Adjust Strategy
Continuously track your keyword performance and rankings to gauge the effectiveness of your strategy. Why? Because the keyword you might be ranking for now might not have the same volume as it previously did. In simple terms, people are searching different keywords than before, and in order for your website to maintain relevance, you need to make the necessary adjustments.
Use analytics data to make informed decisions and adjustments to your keyword strategy, ensuring that you are meeting your business objectives and driving results.
Ok, Let's Wrap This Up
So, a well-defined keyword strategy is crucial for achieving success in digital marketing. By understanding your audience, conducting thorough keyword research, and implementing optimization techniques, you can boost your website's SEO performance and reach your business goals. Remember to monitor and adjust your strategy regularly for sustained success.
If you need a company to manage this process, Alterior Digital can be your partner. We understand the power of a strong keyword strategy in driving results for our clients. Contact us today to learn how we can help elevate your digital marketing efforts through expert keyword optimization techniques.
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