{"id":10105,"date":"2021-08-09T12:45:28","date_gmt":"2021-08-09T16:45:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ladybugz.com\/?p=10105"},"modified":"2023-10-20T02:09:39","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T06:09:39","slug":"keyword-strategy-for-your-website-in-12-easy-steps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ladybugz.com\/keyword-strategy-for-your-website-in-12-easy-steps\/","title":{"rendered":"Keyword Strategy for Your Website in 12 Easy Steps"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you have a keyword strategy for your website? Most bloggers, content creators, and web developers keep keywords and SEO in mind as they create content. But what are they trying to do, and what strategies do they use to get there?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The goal of SEO is simple:<\/strong> <\/span><\/h2>\n

Get more organic (unpaid) traffic from search engines. The Google algorithm is a massive, secretive beast. And while we can never know all its secrets, we can have a strategy to get inside its lair. One of the primary weapons is the keyword. Effectively using keywords requires more than guesswork. Research, monitoring and analyzing data, and continuous refinement should all be part of a comprehensive strategy to identify and leverage keywords that bring in more and better traffic.<\/span><\/p>\n

SEO and keyword strategies aren\u2019t one-size-fits-all, but here are some basics that every marketer and content creator<\/a> would be wise to follow. Also check out our Monster SEO Checklist<\/a> once you have created your website’s keyword strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Understand your Audience and Niche\u00a0<\/b>for your Website’s Keyword Strategy<\/b><\/h2>\n

Your audience isn\u2019t just a bunch of demographics, especially when it comes to SEO<\/a>. As keywords focus on the language of how people search online, you need to understand their level of knowledge, the words and terminology they use, and how they ask questions. With the rapid uptick in mobile and voice recognition technology, you\u2019ll want keyword phrases that use natural-sounding phrases that will mirror the search terms they ask.<\/span><\/p>\n

The most direct way to gain insight into potential search terms is by talking with your customers and asking your sales for customer insights. Other ideas looking at industry blogs, publications, online communities, and social media channels\u2014and especially the comments provided by readers.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Study search intent for the keyword strategy for your website.<\/b><\/h2>\n

Beyond knowing your audience, you have to know why they\u2019re looking online. Google\u2019s algorithm used to just match, as precisely possible, keywords and terms with user queries. Period. With sophisticated machine learning, Google is no longer just looking at the key terms themselves. Instead, their emphasis on the context of words and the searcher\u2019s intent\u2014<\/span>why<\/span><\/i> they are searching on a specific term. For example, are they looking for a particular website? Do they want to buy something? Or do they need a question answered by an expert?<\/span><\/p>\n

The better you understand your audiences\u2019 pain points and information needs, the closer you are to identifying relevant keywords that match your target audiences\u2019 intent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3. A successful keyword strategy for your website includes\u00a0relevant topics, and topic clusters.<\/h2>\n

Now that you have a better handle of your audiences\u2019 search intent, make a long, varied list of company goals, brand qualities, products, areas of expertise, and marketing goals. The goal here is to identify what your website offers and put them into perhaps three to five major buckets. These \u201ctopic clusters\u201d should and align with what\u2019s most important to your business and your ideal customers\u2019 needs. Underneath these clusters you will gather smaller, related topics to form sub-clusters. This \u201corganized brainstorming\u201d will form the basis of your keyword research.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

4. A k<\/b>eyword strategy for your website includes s<\/b>eed keywords and long-tail keywords.<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Next in the process, you\u2019ll need to brainstorm and identify \u201cseed keywords\u201d (or focus keywords), which are terms you think your target audience will search on within your topic clusters. Remember that they may be searching by typing or by voice recognition. Think of about 50-100 options and put them in a database, SEO tool, or even an Excel spreadsheet so you can track which ones you use, where you have used them (which web page), and how successful they are in attracting visitors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You can get new ideas for keywords by typing in possible keywords and seeing what else pops up on the Google SERP under \u201cPeople Also Ask\u201d and \u201cRelated Searches.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Select ideal keywords for your website.<\/b><\/h2>\n

Now you have a good idea of the direction you\u2019re heading in. It\u2019s time to narrow down your options to find the most ideal terms for each webpage\u2014one that has immediate relevance to your business. If you\u2019re in the top echelon of your niche, you can try ranking for the high-volume search terms. For the vast majority of companies, though, you\u2019ll want to stick with terms that have low to medium difficulty. This usually means focusing on long-tail keywords. In addition, continue building upon keywords that you\u2019re already ranking on to gain further momentum.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

6. Learn about your competitors.<\/b><\/h2>\n

In addition to identifying your business\u2019s potential keywords, you\u2019ll need to research your competitors. Are you missing out on high-ranking phrases that your competitors are using? Try inputting your keywords into Google and see who comes up on top. Is there a \u201chole\u201d in your niche that you can fill and easily rank on? Is there a term that brings out your uniqueness?<\/span><\/p>\n

Start by using your free Google Search Console and Keyword Planner, where you can find loads of potentially valuable keywords and build out your keyword strategy. Plus, there are great paid SEO software tools to choose from, such as <\/span>Ahrefs<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>SpyFu<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>SEM Rush<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>Moz<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

7. Find a tool for keyword tracking.<\/b><\/h2>\n

Some of the key advantages of using such SEO and keywords tools is that you save time and get a more complete understanding of what\u2019s working for you and what isn\u2019t. Instead of a spreadsheet, you\u2019ll have a visual, easy-to-understand picture of your keyword strategy progress\u2014your SERP position, page traffic, new and repeats visitors, and more. With this information in hand, you can more precisely refine your keyword strategy over time.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are many choices in this space, so you need to think about how you\u2019ll use the tool, what your goals are, and what your budget is. Some small companies find that an Excel spreadsheet serves their purposes. If not, many keyword tools have free or trial versions you can try out. Google Analytics<\/a> is a great place to start and may provide some search metrics to help identify who is coming to your website, where they are coming from, their landing pages, what they do once they are there and more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

SEO Metrics Your Digital Agency Should Track<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n