Semalt: Why Is It Worth Entrusting The Selection Of Keywords To Specialists?
By keywords, we mean the phrases for which a website should be displayed in organic search results. The appropriate selection allows you to properly position your website, which translates into higher traffic, and under favorable conditions, it also increases conversion. If you want to prepare comprehensive SEO for your website or store, you need the right selection of key phrases. Can you do it yourself? Or maybe use the help of specialists?
Why is the right choice of keywords so important?
The Google search engine is an innovative tool distinguished by a lot of intelligence. Still, indexing robots are not able to fully "understand" the content of a website without a little human help. Therefore, during the implementation of the SEO strategy, carefully developed keywords are used for which the domain should be positioned. If the phrases are selected incorrectly, the positioning will not bring the expected results, and in extreme cases, instead of increases, there will be drops.
Indeed, without proper/accurate keyword research, we may be promoting excessively irrelevant or competitive phrases, thus missing the whole point of promotion. Before I explain why good keyword selection is so important, I'll elaborate a bit more on what good keyword research is.
Good keyword research is one that:
- Is not too narrow or too broad
- Takes into account the competition in the field and specific terms
- Takes into account the client's budget (more on that below...)
- Adapted to each site and each business
- Is dynamic and variable according to the needs and the market
The end result of the keyword research is usually a simple list in Excel with a breakdown by phrases (keywords) and average monthly search volumes per phrase.
Many prefer to use the data that usually comes from Google's keyword tools, although there are other much better sources.
There are those who refine the list by adding various data such as the level of competition, the "intitle" number (the number of times the exact phrase appears in the top results of the Google index), and other parameters. For now, we will not dwell on these.
Now let's talk about why choosing the right keywords is really worth it!
The selection of keywords is the most important issue of positioning. Without them, it is impossible to prepare an SEO strategy that will work. That is why, for example, agencies or freelancers prepare an audit and select keywords before starting positioning. Each subpage should have several unique phrases for which it should be displayed in the search engine. Sounds complicated? Relax, we are in a hurry with a little explanation. Keyword selection is the selection of valuable phrases and their matching with specific sub-pages of the domain. Imagine you run a furniture shop, currently, you have three sub-pages - these are the main page and the categories with the range: tables and chairs. For example, the keywords for these site elements might look like this (separated by commas):
- sglep- furniture store. table store - phrases: furniture store, furniture store, table store, chair store
- sglep- furniture store-kitchen tables - phrases: tables, kitchen tables, modern tables
- sglep- furniture store-kitchen chairs - phrases: dining room chairs, kitchen chairs, comfortable chairs
Now let's assume that our sample online store is positioned in accordance with the above selection. When searching for the phrase "kitchen table" on Google, the user should see a link leading to a subpage with tables, not a tab with chairs or the home page. The right choice of keywords has a huge (or even key) impact on the position and a lot of importance in the context of conversion.
In e-commerce, online stores may consist of several thousand subpages. For comprehensive positioning, it is necessary to prepare a selection for each category and each product. Not only does this process require a lot of time and commitment, but also words should be selected in such a way that they can relatively quickly achieve a satisfactory position in the search engine. The key to success is finding the golden mean between the number of monthly searches for a specific phrase and its competitiveness. The more domains competing for a given phrase, the more attention and time should be devoted to SEO.
What are the types of key phrases?
Keywords can be divided into several categories. Some phrases are easier to position, and others are more difficult. It all depends on the industry and the situation of the promoted website. We divide keywords into:
- Fat Head - these are short phrases, usually one-membered. These expressions are general and have a high number of search queries. Their competitiveness is the greatest. An example can be the phrase: the bicycle.
- Chunky Middle - these are key phrases distinguished by their average length. They can be two or three words long. Usually, their competitiveness is still high, but the phrases are a bit more specific. An example would be the phrase: bicycle for a child.
- Long tail - complex phrases with high detail. They have less competition with a small number of searches per month. Long tail keywords are the perfect solution for websites and stores that are just starting their adventure with SEO. An example can be the phrase: bicycle for a 5-year-old girl.
- Money keywords - these are phrases that very often lead to conversion (in e-commerce, e.g. to sales). They are shorter or longer and characteristic of a given website. An example would be a phrase referring to a specific bicycle model.
- Branded keywords - key phrases that contain a brand, for example, the name of the website or the manufacturer. An example would be the expression: decathlon bike.
- Local key phrases - these are words that contain the name of a specific location. For example, the Kyiv bicycle store.
How are keywords selected?
You already know that keywords must be matched to a specific subpage. How many should there be? There is no limit! When preparing content and optimization, you can use up to several dozen different phrases. However, the best solution is to select a few phrases (from 2 to 5) for one subpage. Choose phrases that will generate traffic, and at the same time, their competition is not too big.
In the case of small online businesses, the best solution is to focus on long-tail keywords to gain a position in those places where competition is the least. Only over time, the website can change its strategy to start competing for phrases with a decidedly larger number of searches. Remember that the largest online stores have built their position for years. So it's hard to expect that after a few weeks of SEO, the new website will immediately conquer organic search results. It is possible, but it takes time and a comprehensive strategy. That is why the selection of keywords is so important and can make your SEO successful.
What tools are used to search for keywords?
When choosing keywords for subpages of a given domain, SEO specialists do not follow their intuition. Dedicated tools are used for this, determining the average number of searches for specific phrases. With a little knowledge and experience, it is possible to prepare a wide selection of keywords, which will consist of converting phrases that provide valuable traffic.
When we talk about keyword tools, we are talking about SEO tools that focus primarily on providing relevant information about the keywords you want to bet on. A logical choice for keywords is to choose the one or two words that directly describe your product or service, but do you already know more about the competition on such a keyword? To choose the best keywords, a combination of high search volume / low or medium competition is most ideal. This is where the use of a tool is really necessary.
So, what tool will be useful to accomplish such a task?
There are several SEO tools that can help you perform keyword research. However, if you need an all-in-one tool of the latest generation, I suggest you use the Dedicated SEO Dashboard.
Indeed, the Dedicated SEO Dashboard is a very comprehensive tool, which is often used by most SEO experts. The tool is easy to implement and clear to use. With this tool, you get an instant overview of the keywords. In other words, you have all the important information about the relevance of each keyword. Moreover, this tool performs an in-depth analysis of the page and also gives you tips on how to optimize it. The Dedicated SEO Dashboard is definitely one of the best SEO tools for any website.