What are Keywords and how to use them for SEO

What are keywords in the realm of digital marketing? We hear the question frequently. So, today, let’s talk about the who, what, when, and where of keywords. Why are they important? Should every business owner invest in them?

Keywords: The Crux of SEO

Keywords are to search engine optimization — aka SEO — as ink is to a pen: the latter won’t work without the former. Building a digital marketing campaign around the wrong keywords can prove disastrous. But getting it right could double your sales or bookings.

Algorithms and Keywords

Search engines, like Google, Yahoo!, and Bing, run on keywords — which are the words people type into query boxes.

Think about it for a second. How do you use a search engine? If you’re like 99.9 percent of people, you type a phrase or question into the box and click. At that point, the system offers up thousands of links that it thinks match your inquiry.

For example, let’s say there’s a person named Pat. Pat gets into a fender bender and experiences aches and pains weeks after the crash. Her friend once used a chiropractor and raved about the experience. Pat wonders if seeing one could help her. So she heads to Google and types in “chiropractor after a car accident.”

Which websites will show up toward the top of her search result list? The ones maintained by chiropractors who’ve invested in keyword marketing and have a well-linked article on their blog about the benefits of chiropractic care after a car accident.

How does the search engine system know which pages to present to Pat? The quick answer is algorithms, the automated digital bots that retrieve the information they believe you want. Think of them as automated librarians.

Where Does One Use Keywords?

Keywords are used in all content, including landing pages and blog posts. The number of times a given keyword or keyword phrase should be used depends on the length of the piece. Other factors that contribute to keyword marketing success include:

• Backlinks from high-quality websites
• Social media signals
• Keyword-rich anchor text backlinks
• Location
• Age of website

In case you’re wondering, no, repeating a bunch of keywords over and over on a page will not shoot you to the top of search results. Instead, it may get you banned and de-indexed.

The Art of Keyword Marketing

Choosing the right keywords is an art. The ultimate goal is to anticipate what potential customers will pump into search engines and then create webpages to match. Search platforms provide guidance and tools for webmasters, but their algorithms are confidential, patent-protected trade secrets. As such, SEO isn’t an exact science.

Hundreds of tools exist to help marketers hone in on the best keywords, but it takes experience and knowledge to choose correctly. Not only must you pick words, phrases, and questions that many people use, but you must also sprinkle in related language to make the page more attractive to algorithms. Plus, the whole piece must be grammatically sound, not a trough of robot-written mumbo-jumbo.

Don’t skimp on keyword marketing. It’s a vital spoke of the online marketing wheel. Doing it right — or getting it done right by an SEO specialist — will pay dividends.

Rounded Digital provides best in class keyword research and SEO content writing services. Contact us for more information or to get started! Call 720-507-7360.