Think of your keyword optimization process as the base on which you will build your search engine marketing strategy. If this stage is done incorrectly, it doesn’t matter how great the rest is—it will fail to achieve its goal.
Moreover, while it’s important to go through optimization at the beginning of a campaign, that’s not the only time you’re going to embark on this process. That’s because an ongoing perfecting of keywords is vital for keeping your efforts up-to-date.
Now that the importance of an optimized list is evident, it’s time to figure out how to achieve it. Continue reading to discover the top five tips.
Build Your Lists with the Help of a Keyword Optimization Checklist
When creating your keyword list, you should keep in mind all sections of your website, which is why things can get out of hand. A structured checklist is a great tool to simplify your workflow.
First off, start by creating categories of keywords based on your web pages. Once this is done, align your most important web pages with their key phrases. Continue by using your top keyword to come up with long-tail options (more on this later). Don’t forget to also run an analysis of the competition, as this may highlight some phrases you’ve overlooked in your initial search.
Mobile Keywords Are Different
Currently, the mobile market share worldwide is at 52.1%, compared with that of the desktop market share, of 44. 2%. Why does this matter for your keyword list? It’s simple: internet users use different search phrases depending on the platform at hand. More specifically, for mobile, this may result in shorter searches due to the smaller keyboard.
In addition, mobile phones are used when people are on-the-move. The result? Mobile queries tend to be location-specific. Keep this in mind, especially if you have a physical store, and apply keywords accordingly.
A Second Opinion Never Hurts
Even if you had the utmost care when creating your new keyword list, it’s always a good idea to have a second opinion. There are plenty of online SEO auditing tools that can have a look at your on- and off-page SEO and check how mobile-friendly your site is. Most of these solutions can also check for broken links while giving recommendations for improving your ranking. Periodically conducting audits such as these helps your old content perform better.
Keep Up with the Trends
No, we’re not talking about fashion here—it’s keyword trends we’re interested in. Indeed, if you keep up with what’s going on, you may get a big traffic boost out of it. There are plenty of keyword research tools available on the market, but if you’d like to try keeping up with the trends for free, consider signing up for Google Alerts.
If anything interesting and connected to your niche pops up, you can transform it into a keyword (if you use a tool, you’ll already have the words or phrases to focus on).
While this tip is very useful, it is something that works in the short term, meaning marketers shouldn’t rely solely on it for a healthy keyword strategy. In addition, it’s a good idea to clean your list up now and then, to ensure that you don’t store too many previously trending keywords that are no longer relevant.
Long-Tail Keywords: The (Often)Untapped Treasure
Long-tail keywords are longer and more specific than their regular equivalents, which is why they are also less searched-for. Then why should you invest in this strategy? Because it comes with a higher conversion value.
However, it’s also tricky. That’s because, in order to actually profit from it, a very clear understanding of your company, its website, and its market is needed. Still, it’s worth investing in this method, since it enables you to tap into voice assistant searches. When searching vocally, users are more likely to ask full questions, rather than pronounce a part of it, which is what they would use for regular searches.
Conclusion
To enjoy the full benefits SEO has to offer, your keyword list needs to be fiercely researched. However, even for companies that take this practice to heart, it doesn’t hurt to have a few tips to steer their overall strategy in the right direction. We hope that these five prompts gave you plenty to go on.
