Business owners who are dipping their toes into building a website or improving their current website’s SEO and search ranking may have a very basic understanding of what a keyword is, but often have trouble applying that knowledge–maybe they aren’t sure of where to start or only have a few (often outdated) tidbits of advice stuck in their head. Regardless, it’s important to know how to find the right keywords for your website in 2021.
So, what is a keyword?
Very basically, a keyword is any word or phrase entered into a search engine, by a search engine user, that pulls up a list of relevant search results, which are more often than not websites that include that keyword somewhere in the website (either in the copy or the metadata). This means that in the most generalized terms, keyword research means picking words or phrases to include in your website that you think potential customers will use in their Google (or other search engine) queries. But what’s the best way to determine which keywords you should focus on for your website?
Understand the different types of keywords
First, it’s important to know that there are different categories of keywords that will determine how much work (and type of work) goes into getting a website ranked effectively for that keyword. Keywords are often split into “short-tail” keywords, “medium-tail” keywords, or “long-tail” keywords and each must be approached differently:
Short-Tail Keywords, also known as “head” keywords, are simple, frequently searched keywords made of just one or two words. Because of how often users search for these terms, short-tail keywords have potentially massive audience reach. But with this popularity comes intense competition–countless companies (including many massive corporations) will often be competing for results matching these keywords, making ranking high on organic searches very difficult, and ranking high on paid searches very costly. Additionally, because these keywords are so broad, the search audience may not actually be interested in your product or service.
Medium-Tail Keywords, also known as “body” or “modifier” keywords, are slightly more detailed phrases–two or three-word phrases that are searched for less-frequently than short-tail keywords, but by an audience that has a better idea of what they’re looking for. Ranking for these keywords can still be competitive, but not as hard or costly to break into as short-tail keywords.
Long-Tail Keywords, sometimes known simply as “tail” keywords, are the most-specific and least-searched types of keywords. These are long and detailed search queries that are often made by users who know exactly what they have in mind for results. Because these keywords are much lower-volume, it’s usually significantly easier or less costly to rank highly in a search for these keywords. They may not be frequently searched, but because long-tail keywords are so specific, users who search these keywords are often some of the most reliable leads for your product or service.
To give an example, a local landscape architecture firm may build their website to include common short-tail keywords (“landscaping,” or “landscape architecture”), some modified/medium-tail keywords (“Minneapolis landscaping,” or “landscape architecture firm”), and a number of very specific long-tail keywords (“affordable Minneapolis landscape architecture firms”).
Know what your (potential) customer wants
A keyword search is fundamentally about addressing a need, whether it be a question that needs answering, a problem that needs a solution, or a desire to find a specific product. You can think back to how customers have said they found your business–even if they didn’t use search engines, it’s possible to recall what needs or interests brought people to your business and use that info to craft potential keywords. Another option would be to track common questions you get through your website, your social media, your email, etc–if you know what leads are asking, then you can make educated assumptions about what they would be searching for. If that landscape architecture firm is consistently meeting with leads and hearing “your competitors are very expensive; do you charge less than your competitors,” that firm may see value in ranking for a keyword like “affordable landscape architecture.”
Research popular keywords
Of course, it’s unwise to simply fill your website with whatever terms you’d like your potential customers to be using. It’s important to put yourself in their shoes and determine what sorts of keywords your customers are actually searching for. Maybe this landscape architecture firm hopes that their potential customers are searching for “landscape architecture,” but that may be an ineffective keyword if they’re actually searching for “business landscaping.”
Keyword research tools are commonly used when doing this sort of research. If you use Google Ads, you can use the built-in Google Keyword Planner Tool to determine what specific terms your audience is searching for. Other frequently used keyword research tools include SEMRush, KWFinder, and Long Tail Pro. These tools will usually not only give you basic keywords but include suggestions for more detailed long-tail keywords you might want to use.
Pay attention to your results–and refine!
Once you select your keywords and start working them into your website, the work isn’t over. You’ll want to pay attention to your rankings for those keywords, as well as checking Google Analytics to see if people searching for those terms are actually making their way onto your website and further into your sales funnel. If you aren’t seeing the results you want (note that it takes time to significantly change search rankings, so be patient), you’ll need to either improve how you’re integrating your keywords (blogging, paying attention to website metadata, and making sure your keywords are part of natural-reading, and useful copy are all ways to help) or refine the keywords you’re choosing to target.
Keywords are a foundational part of SEO but can be tricky to manage, so we’re here to help. Skol Marketing can handle all your digital business marketing needs, including making sure your website’s keywords are perfectly targeted towards your audience. If you’d prefer one-on-one guidance or would like to discuss how our assistance can help you improve your search rankings, please don’t hesitate to contact the local SEO experts at Skol Marketing.
