As a business owner, you may be thinking that digital marketing is all about creating a website and driving traffic to it. However, there's much more to it than that. There are many different factors that contribute to the overall success of a business. But one of the most important is keywords.
For your business to be successful online, you need to make sure that you are using the appropriate keywords in your marketing efforts. That's why we'll discuss in this article what are keywords, why they are essential, and how to use them properly.
What are Keywords?
These are the words or phrases that people use when they search for something online. They're often called SEO keywords because they can help improve your website's search engine optimization (SEO).
People usually do a keyword search on Google when looking for anything online. Depending on their preference, they either use them through typing or voice search. For example, one can easily say words and phrases that summarize what they're looking for through voice search instead of typing.
Say someone wants to know the nearest local restaurant, they say these exact words and phrases to their phones. The AI on the phone will then go through search queries and show high-ranking search results where they can choose a good choice.
Types of Keywords
There are different types of keywords that website owners can use in their digital marketing efforts:
- Short-tail keywords: These are one or two-word phrases that people use when they are looking for something very specific. For example, “shoes” would be a short-tail keyword.
- Long-tail keywords: These are longer phrases that are more specific than short-tail keywords. For example, “women's running shoes” would be a long-tail keyword.
- LSI keywords:These are similar to long-tail keywords but they are semantically related to your main keyword. For example, if you're selling women's running shoes, some LSI keywords would be “sneakers,” “athletic shoes,” and “jogging shoes.”
- Geotargeted keywords: These are keywords that include a location. For example, “women's running shoes in Los Angeles.”
- Negative keywords: These are words or phrases that you don't want to target with your ads. For example, if you're selling women's running shoes, you might want to add “men's” as a negative keyword so that your ad doesn't show up when someone searches for that term.
Why are Keywords Important?
Keywords are very important because they are how people find what they are looking for online. If you want to attract more visitors to your website, you need to make sure that you are using the correct keywords.
The right keywords will help you to:
- Drive more traffic to your website: Your site will appear in more search results if you're using appropriate SEO keywords. This means that more people will see your site and visit it.
- Improve your search engine rankings: Using the correct set of SEO keywords can help you to rank higher in search engine results. This will make it more likely that people will find your site when they search for those keywords, especially on Google.
- Attract the right visitors: If you're using good keywords, you'll attract visitors who are actually interested.
- Make it easier for people to find your business online: If you're using proper keywords, people will be able to find your business' website more easily online. This can help you to get more customers and grow your business.
Your keywords are what potential customers will be searching for when they are looking for the products or services you offer. If you are not using the correct keywords, you will not be found by those potential customers. As a result, your business will not be as successful as it could be.
Where to Use Keywords
There are many different places where you can use keywords to help promote your business.
In Your SEO-optimized Website
One of the most important places is on your website. Your site should be designed to include the keywords that people are likely to use when searching for the types of products or services you offer.
For example, if you sell shoes, your site should include the word “shoes” in the title of your website, in the text on your site, and in the texts that you use to promote your site.
Social Media Accounts/Pages
In addition to using them on your SEO-optimized site, you should also use them in your social media marketing efforts. When you post on social media sites, you should include keywords in your posts so that people who are searching for those terms will be able to find your business.
For example, if you have a Twitter account for your business, you should include keywords in your account name and in the bio that people see when they visit your account.
Email Marketing
Another important place to use them is in your email marketing efforts. Your email subject lines and the text of your emails should include the keywords that people are likely to use when searching for the types of products or services you offer.
For example, if you sell pet supplies, your email subject lines and text should include the word “pet” so that people who are searching for pet-related products or services will be able to find your business.
Advertising
You should also use keywords in any paid advertising that you do, like in pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns. When you create ads, you should choose words or phrases that are relevant to the products or services that you offer. That way, when people search for those terms, they will see your ad and be more likely to click on it.
For example, if you sell books, you might use the word “books” in your ad so that people searching for that term will see your ad and be more likely to click on it.
How to Make Sure You're Using the Right Keywords?
As you can see, keywords are an important part of digital marketing. If you want your business to be successful online, you need to make sure that you are using the best keywords in all of your marketing efforts.
The best way to make sure you're using the correct keywords is to conduct keyword research. There are many different tools that you can use to do this.
Once you have a list of potential keywords, you can then test them to see which ones are most effective for your business. Conducting keyword research may seem like a lot of work, but it's essential if you want your business to be successful online.
By taking the time to find the right ones, you'll be able to increase your traffic and improve your chances of making sales.
Steps in Utilizing Keywords for Marketing Your Business Online
Here's a simple procedure you can follow in utilizing SEO keywords:
1. Know Your Target Audience
The first step in using them effectively is to know your target audience. What are they searching for online? What are the terms, words and phrases that they use? When you know the answers to these questions, you'll be able to choose keywords that are relevant to your business.
2. Do Keyword Research
Once you know your target audience, you can begin doing keyword research. You can do this by using a keyword research tool. There are many different tools that you can use to find keywords that are relevant to your business. Some of these include Google AdWords Keyword Planner and Moz Keyword Explorer.
3. Test Your Keywords
Once you have a list of potential keywords, you need to test them to see the most effective ones. There are several different ways to do this. You can use pay-per-click advertising to test keywords. You can also use analytics to see how people are finding your website.
You can do this by creating blog posts and using the keywords in those pieces. Then, track the results to see which keywords are generating the most traffic and sales.
You can also perform A/B testing. With A/B testing, you create two different versions of your ad or website and then see to measure the results of using keywords in your content and see which performs better.
4. Use the Right Keywords in Your Marketing
Once you know which keywords are most effective, you need to use them in all of your marketing efforts. This includes your website, social media posts, and paid advertising.
5. Monitor Your Results
You also need to monitor your results to see how well your keywords are working. Are they bringing you more traffic? Are they helping you make more sales? If not, you may need to adjust your keyword strategy.
By following these steps, you can ensure that you are using keywords effectively to market your business online. Keywords are an important part of digital marketing, and if you want your business to be successful, you need to make sure that you are using them correctly.
If you need help with keyword research or any other aspect of digital marketing, contact a reputable marketing agency. They will be able to help you create a successful digital marketing plan that includes the use of keywords.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Using Keywords
Just as there are things you should do when using keywords, there are also things you should avoid. Here are a few of the most common mistakes that businesses make when it comes to keywords:
1. Not Targeting the Correct Keywords
One of the most common mistakes businesses make is not targeting the correct keywords. They may choose keywords that are too general or that are not relevant to their business. As a result, they may get a lot of traffic but no conversions.
2. Not Conducting Keyword Research
Another mistake businesses make is not conducting keyword research. This is a critical step in choosing the right keywords. Without keyword research, you won't be able to determine which keywords are most effective for your business.
3. Not Monitoring Your Results
You also need to monitor your results to see how well your keywords are working. Are they bringing you more traffic? Are they helping you make more sales? If not, you may need to adjust your keyword strategy.
4. Overusing Keywords
Lastly, don't make the mistake of overusing keywords. This is known as keyword stuffing and it can result in search engines penalizing your website. When using keywords, be sure to use them in a way that sounds natural.
By avoiding these common mistakes, you can ensure that you are using keywords effectively to promote your business online.
Additional Tips on How to Use Keywords
In addition to the tips above, here are a few additional tips on how to use SEO keywords in your marketing:
1. Use Long-Tail Keywords
One way to ensure that you are using keywords effectively is to focus on using long-tail keywords in any piece of your content, especially for blog content. These are keywords that are more specific and that are less likely to be used by your competition.
Long-tail keywords get less search traffic, but will usually have a higher conversion value, as they are more specific.
Any business can gradually get more traffic to a website and be found by new and motivated audiences with long SEO keywords.
2. Use Keywords in Your Title and Meta Description
Another way to use keywords effectively is to include them in your content's title and meta description. This will help your content and your site rank higher in search results and it will also help you get more clicks.
3. Use Keywords Throughout Your Content
As we've mentioned, be sure to use keywords throughout your content. This includes in your blog posts, website pages, and even in your social media posts. By using keywords throughout your content, you can help ensure that your website is ranking high for those keywords.
4. Use Keywords on Meta Tags
In addition to using keywords in your title and meta description, you should also use them in your meta tags. Meta tags are HTML tags that are used to provide information about a website. By including keywords in your meta tags, you can help ensure that your website is properly indexed by search engines.
5. Use Keywords in Your URLs
Lastly, another way to use keywords effectively is to include them in your URLs. This is especially important if you're using keywords on your title and meta description. By including keywords in the URL of a website, you can help search engines understand what your website is about and you can also help ensure that your website is properly indexed.
Conclusion
SEO keywords are very important parts of any digital marketing strategy. By knowing what are keywords and targeting the right ones, you can help ensure that your site is getting more traffic and that your content and campaigns are making more sales.
Just be sure to avoid the common mistakes that businesses make regarding these words and phrases. And, by following the tips above, you can ensure that you're using them effectively to promote your business online.
