How to choose the right keywords

Keywords are always a topic of conversation when it comes to marketing and copy. But how do you know which ones to pick? Where do you start even looking for them?

Firstly, it may help to know there’s nothing in particular you need to do to implement any keywords – simply start using them in your content. It’s more about researching which keywords will be most useful to you. The aim of using keywords is to help push you up the search engine results and create higher conversion rates. So where can you start with your research?

Research, research, research…

1. Keyword tools

You’ll find a wealth of handy keyword tools available with a simple search. Each one may vary slightly but they all essentially do the same thing. You enter a search term you think is relevant to your business and the tool tells you how often that word or phrase is searched and how often other sites use it. If you use Google Ads, they have a keyword tool that you can make use of, or alternatively there are plenty of free sites such as Wordstream that do the job just as well.

2. Think like a customer

If thinking of keywords isn’t your forte, think about what your customers might search for. Ask yourself, ‘If I wanted to find something like this, what would I type?’ It might even help to ask your friends or family. That way you can create an initial list of keywords to start you off, then go through them with one of the keyword tools to see what might be most suitable for your business.

Working with others can really help point you in the right direction.

3. The less competition the better

Although it’s tempting to go with a keyword that has high competition (I mean, it’s popular for a reason right?) actually lower sometimes means better. With less competition you’re more likely to appear higher up the search. We’d particularly recommend using a few long tail keywords as well – more descriptive phrases with three or more words. Although these often have lower search volumes, they also tend to have lower competition as well so are easier to rank on. They also attract a more relevant audience, increasing your chances of conversion.

4. Keep an eye on your competitors

See what keywords your competitors are using. You can usually work it out by reading through their content (people do tend to stuff them in as much as possible) but you can also check their metatags. It might help broaden your list of potential keywords to target and give you some inspiration.

5. Use the search bar

The search bars on Google and Amazon actually throw up a high volume of recommendations themselves. Simply type in a relevant word and see what suggestions it brings up. It’s a great tool that’s certainly worth a look when creating your keywords and finding some less competitive long tail search terms.

Already there’s a whole host of search terms that could be relevant.

6. Don’t overstuff

Once you’ve selected your first round of keywords, try and avoid the temptation of keyword stuffing – using the same keyword too many times in the text. Not only is it really obvious, especially on Amazon when people use them in the title and bullet points, but the algorithms are now set against you. Keyword stuffing was a strategy used a few years ago that triggered PPC campaigns to have priority in search results. After some algorithm changes, this strategy now gives you lower authority and you’ll only find yourself lower down the search as a result.

7. Don’t ignore them

It’s tempting to choose your keywords and be done with it, but it’s important to monitor and analyse how well they’re doing. Have you seen an increase in traffic to pages where you’ve incorporated the keywords? Are there other keywords that have started trending that you think could work for you? You are allowed to change them and add new words in. This is particularly liked by Google as you’ll be continuously updating your website and appearing active, bolstering the chances of you being pushed up the search.

Keep monitoring and analysing.

Then all you have to do is pop the keywords into your content. Try not to overstuff your pages with them and make your copy unnatural to read, but use them wherever you think it might be useful, whether that’s in blogs, listings, throughout your website, in metatags or even the descriptions and alt text on images. The more you use them the higher you’ll rank!

If you’re looking for help managing your SEO, we might be able to help. Get in touch today.