When it comes to SEO, choosing the right keywords is the key to success says Chris Poole of SEO Company CT. SEO performance, increased website traffic, and growth of your business depends on it. That said, choosing the right keywords for your landing pages and website is very difficult. Especially small businesses whose domain authority is a long way away from all the big brands of the world. The reality is that there’s no way you’re going to beat the big dogs in the search engine results pages (SERP) if you’re just starting out with search engine optimization. So, what’s the best way to approach keyword research for SEO, given your website’s ability to rank?
Focus on Highly Relevant, Low Competition Keywords
Finding the best keywords for your landing pages/website is the cornerstone of a strong SEO strategy. While low competition keywords may not be as popular, they can be highly specific to your company’s brand and an excellent starting point for small to mid-sized businesses that are focused on growth. So, start by focusing on low competition, highly relevant keywords that you feel your website/landing page has the potential of ranking for. Apart from being less competitive, there are other, beneficial reasons to use low competition keywords, including the following.
They are typically more specific in general
Specific keywords will help you create personalized content that’s laser focused on the intent of the search. Relevant, well written content that answers search intention is rewarded with more referrals and organic traffic.
Similar Phrases
In the process, you should also come up with similar phrases (seed keywords) that you can integrate into your content. For example, “real estate seattle” is a seed keyword, while “real estate for sale in seattle” or “real estate for sale soho district” is a phrase (or long tail keyword). Doing this will help fortify what the content is about and generate clear signals to the search engines of the value of your message. These phrases, that don’t have a modifier, can become the building blocks of your keyword list.
Getting Started with Keyword Research
The most important requirement before you start is that you know your niche (obvious right?). If you’re not crystal clear, consider what your ideal client would search for. An easy way to start researching keywords is to enter your main options into Google’s search bar and see what shows up. The autofill feature on Google (and other search engines) will immediately let you know if you’re on the right track. Keep searching and pay attention to the type of articles that show on the first page of the search results – the content that receives the most traction. Your ultimate goal should be to compete with these articles.
The point is, when it comes to SEO best practices, the keywords you choose will have a lot to do with meeting both your searcher’s needs and your own. Without having a solid keyword strategy in place, anything you do to optimize for search will be built on unstable ground.
