What are Keywords and Key Phrases?

Just like a keyword is a single word used as a search query, a key phrase is two or more words typed as a search query. To attract the right visitors to your website, you need to use keyword phrases instead of just single keywords in your content. This helps search engines match users to results that are more relevant to them.

Technically, keywords and keyword phrases are terms referring to short and long tail keywords. A long tail keyword has more words, thus longer whereas a short tail keyword is by definition short and consists of only one word.

How Search Engine Works

When people search for information online they rarely type in just one word. Most people ask a question or put more than one word, a so called keyword phrase, or a long tail keyword.

Keyword phrases are so important to your search engine optimization (SEO) plan because they help your audience to find you. If you include in your content the keyword phrase that they are searching for, your website will show up for that keyword phrase. Keep in mind that search engines thrive to serve their ‘searchers’ with the best relevant content.

Use Keywords and Keyword Phrases Throughout Your Content

Keywords and key phrases should appear throughout your content in a normal conversational flow.  SEO is not only keywords...the tone in which you use these keywords in your content impacts your ranking.

I heard Neil Patel say recently that if your content is shared on a conversational tone instead of a ‘professor to student’ tone, Google having all this data, will switch upward in the SERP’S, the web page having a conversational tone, simply because it has much more chance to engage their ‘searchers’.

That being said, don’t purposely misspell words just because other people do so. The keywords that you use should fit seamlessly into the content and expand on its meaning. Take time to give it some serious thought and planning.

Write Naturally

The best thing to do is to write naturally. Write as you talk. Don’t try to sound like someone else. Be yourself. You have your own unique voice that your audience wants to hear. Keep the keyword phrases you’ve chosen in mind, but just write naturally.

Then when you edit the content, go back and add the keyword phrases that works best and make most sense without altering the meaning of the content. It’s best not to include any keywords if it makes the content look weird or lose its meaning. Your must first write for your audience not for the search engines.

Do Your Research

To determine which keywords your target market are using to search information, solutions, products and services, use online tools (free and paid) to find out what those keywords and keyphrases are. Knowing that a certain keyword phrase has no high volume search, you’ll save time and money not trying to rank for it.

Here are some very good online keyword research tools to help you compile a list of the ultimate keywords and key phrases that prospects in your niche are typing into the search engines:

• Wordtracker.com
• Semrush.com
• Ahrefs.com
• Spyfu.com
• Google Ads Keyword Planner (for Google Ads users only)

 

Over and above the fact that these tools will tell you what are the main keywords to rank for to reach your target market, they will also share information on types of content that performs best for any topics or competitors. Ain’t that cool? Absolutely! 🙂

As a guideline, you are looking for keywords with low competition, high search volume and high cost per clic.

Let’s take it a step at a time

Where to use keywords and/or keyword phrases:

• titles of pages and posts on your website
• the ALT field of your images
• headings (H1,H2)
• subheadings (H3,H4,H5)
• bullet points
• your content, without exceeding a 2% keyword density

 

Use your keyword phrases sprinkled throughout your content to enhance understanding as well as help search engines find your information.

Don’t forget to also use keywords synonyms and always check the above tools to ensure that the keyword or keyword phrase is a potential winner or not. If you don’t check, you don’t know, if you don’t measure, you don’t prosper!

Now it is time to put all this information into action!

RESOURCES

I highly recommend YOAST SEO plugin for WordPress to make it really easy to rank in search engines. 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

Have questions? Get in touch!

Be sure to share with us your keywords related tips in the comments below.

To your prosperity!

 

Janice Dugas, Online Visibility Trusted Advisor

 

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