I often hear from new business owners struggling to learn SEO for their websites. Sometimes, choosing the right keywords seems like a complicated process. How do you decide where and how often to integrate them into your content? How do you know if your efforts really make a positive impact on your conversions and revenue?
As a digital marketing specialist in Hawaii, I work with Maui businesses and entrepreneurs in Oahu, Kauai, and on the Big Island to optimize their websites on a daily basis. I can help you figure out the basics of SEO so you can improve your website traffic.
We’ve talked about basic SEO strategies. Inevitably, the topic of keywords always comes up because they build the rock-solid foundation of SEO. You need to get a feel for choosing the right keywords, but it’s really not a hard process when you get the gist.
How should you think about adding keywords to your website? I’ve got some tips that will help you out—so keep reading!
Also Read: The Three SEO Moves Hawaii Businesses Should Make Right Now
What’s the Big Deal About Keywords?
When your website’s SEO consistently attracts traffic from searches, you have the potential to create leads, improve conversion rates, and ultimately increase your revenue. Keywords ensure that your site pops up in search results related to your business and the products or services you offer.
Think of inserting keywords through your content as building blocks you regularly add to reinforce your web presence. This will continually improve your ranking and show your business’s information more frequently in various search results.
A local entrepreneur couldn’t get his new business website to show up in search results, so he wasn’t gaining any traction online or drawing in customers. By adding a few strategic keywords throughout his content, he eventually got his site to pop up as the first Google search result.
I’ve done this with my website, too. When someone searches “Maui SEO,” my website shows up at the top of the list. Potential customers can’t miss seeing my name and business!
When you use the right keywords, you know your business won’t disappear into the unsearchable corners of the internet. You won’t have misleading phrases that make your website show up in the wrong results. And you won’t lose business because customers can easily find you with a quick search.
While SEO may take some attention on a regular basis, it doesn’t need to consume all of your time. Learning basic principles will help you improve your leads, and you should start to see improvements in your stats pretty quickly.
Below, read about three ways to make sure you get the most effective results from your keywords.
Also Read: Developing Your Online Profile through Organic SEO
3 Tips for Choosing the Best Keywords for SEO
Here’s how to make sure your SEO draws in traffic from search results:
- Identify Search Traffic Leads
If someone needs your product or service, what words will they type into the Google search bar? If nobody searches for the keywords you’ve added to your site, it does no good for your leads. Find keywords with high traffic potential.
I’ve talked about some of the free tools Google Ads offers to business owners. One of them, Keyword Planner, helps you to research effective keywords. When you look up a topic, it suggests keywords and search volumes you can use for SEO. It also shows a range of average monthly searches for each suggestion.
You can find other similar tools online, so find one that makes this process easy for you.
- Craft Keywords According to Customers’ Intent to Buy
Customers type in a search bar with an intent to do something with the information they find. Whether that’s to find more info, make a purchase, or look for a brand they’ve heard about, you need to make effective use of your ideal customer’s search intent. As a business owner, you want to make sure your content places your website in results lists of people who want to buy your products.
If you’ve got a smoothie shop, center keywords around purchasing your delicious smoothies. Someone looking for smoothie recipes may skim over your listing if it shows up, so cater to the crowd who wants their smoothies freshly made for them. When exploring keywords to improve your rankings, think about your menu, ordering online, and how customers can find you.
Consider the business potential of the terms you choose. You don’t have to come across as a sales-person, but you want to be clear about how your product will satisfy a customer’s problem. I’m talking about the art of persuasion, not pushiness.
If you don’t have a blog, don’t worry about ranking in “how to”-types of searchers. However, I do recommend starting a blog. Consistent posts give you the opportunity to sprinkle keywords throughout your website and continue to improve SEO over time.
- Consider the Ranking Potential of Your Keywords
Use a keyword tool to assess the ranking score of potential keywords before you throw them all over your site. Some keywords may be so commonly used that dozens of sites show up within the search results. You want to make your keywords unique enough to stand out from competition. But you don’t want to try to insert keywords so obscure that no one finds you because no one searches for them.
In the end, choosing strategic keywords takes a little time, effort, and thought, but the benefits will greatly increase your traffic and ultimately boost conversions. Your potential to gain new customers through web searches provides the opportunity for limitless growth!
If you want to learn more about how to choose optimal keywords or want help with SEO, reach out to us today!
Further Reading: Budgeting for Local SEO
Photos Courtesy of Brenda Godinez & Raimond Klavins