What are keywords?
Keywords or key phrases are the terms that users type into search engines in order to find the information they need. They are important ranking factors as they help search engines to determine what search terms your website should rank for.
It is important to include your keyword several times in your page content, so it is clear to both search engines and users what your page is about. Keywords should appear in the page title, subheadings, meta descriptions, image alt text, and in the main body of text. However, it is equally important to avoid ‘keyword stuffing’. This is when keywords are used excessively on a page, often sacrificing correct grammar and good readability.
In the past, keyword stuffing was an effective strategy but now search engines are better able to understand what users want from a website. This means they prioritise well-written, informative content over repeated use of keywords. As a guide, keywords should make up about 1 – 2% of your page content. This is enough for search engines to know what you want to rank for without sacrificing a good user experience.
What are long-tail keywords?
It can be tempting to focus on keywords that have a high search volume, but these searches are hard to rank for. Instead it can be more beneficial to focus on keywords with a lower search volume, where it is easier to rank on the first page of results. These lower search volume keywords are known as ‘long-tail’ keywords. Long-tail keywords are often more specific and contain more words than other keywords. Because they are more specific, users that find your website from these searches are more likely to be genuinely interested in the services or products that you offer. Ranking on page one for long-tail keywords can lead to more conversions.
There is a small number of keywords which have a high volume of searches and a large number of keywords which have a small number of searches. People often focus on the high search volume keywords but this is not always the best strategy. High volume keywords are often dominated by large companies, making it harder for small businesses to rank. In order to rank highly and attract relevant visitors, it is better to focus on long-tail keywords.
In conclusion, choosing the right keywords and using them well is extremely important. It is often better to focus on ‘long-tail’ keywords, which have a low search volume but are easier to rank for. Long-tail keywords are also more likely to attract relevant visitors as they are more specific than high volume keywords.
In our next blog we will be looking at how to identify keywords to target. If you’d like to be notified every time we post a new blog then click here.
If you’d like some help with optimising your website for certain keywords, or any other SEO services, then just email us at chat@pretzelled.co.uk
