If you want to grow your business online, your products and services must appear on the first page of Google search results. In 2022, integrating broad keyphrases throughout your website is not enough to outrank your competitors. Before optimizing your website, you must conduct thorough keyword research. Get started with these helpful tips:
Identify what you wish to rank for
You want your customers to find you when they search for the products and services you offer. Therefore, your optimized keywords should relate to your products and services. The first step in effective keyword research is to identify what keywords you wish to rank for.
If you’re a digital marketing agency in The Woodlands, Texas that specializes in social media management, you will want to rank among the top search results for “social media management the woodlands.”
Research your competitors
For many industries, the online space is oversaturated — so there’s a good chance your competitors could be ranking higher than you for the same products and services. When clicks convert to sales, you don’t want to risk your customers finding your competitors first.
Websites like SemRush and SpyFu allow you to view the keywords your competitors rank for, so you can optimize your website and content accordingly.
Consider search inquiry patterns and get specific
When you search something on Google, how do you phrase your inquiry? If you’re hungry for barbecue, you’re probably not just going to search “barbecue” — that’s a very broad term that will provide very broad results. You’re more likely to search “barbecue near me” or “barbecue restaurants the woodlands texas” because you’re looking for something specific. It’s important to note that this is how most people use search engines!
Therefore, when creating your keywords and phrases, it’s important to consider how your customers might phrase their inquiries. You have a target audience with specific needs, so your keywords and phrases should be specific too!
Optimize for voice-to-text searches
For decades, SEO efforts have been primarily focused on written search inquiries. However, with the introduction of smartphones and Siri, more and more people are searching the internet using voice-to-text search.
“Hey, Siri? Show me bookstores in Houston.”
Sounds a little more formal, right? With AI technology, like Siri, users almost feel like they’re communicating with a person — not just a search engine. Therefore, these types of inquiries are often made using full sentences. Meanwhile, written inquiries are brief phrases that lack punctuation and sentence structure. Voice and written search inquiries should both be taken into consideration when optimizing your website.
Search Engine Optimization is an art — and can be quite intimidating for beginners! Outsourcing can save you time and the headache of learning new skills. Schedule an SEO consultation with Springwood Marketing to begin boosting your Google ranking today!
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