What Is Keyword Optimization and Why Is It Important?

If you're running a small business, you've no doubt heard a thing or two about search engine optimization. It's a pesky little process that gets you results in the Google rankings, but it takes some time and effort to get there.

There are a few things you have to know to do well throughout the process. One of the fundamental principles to understand is something called “keyword optimization.”

We're going to talk about keyword optimization in this article, giving you some insight into the process and what it can do for your business. Let's take a look!

Why is SEO Important?

To start, I will give you a small refresher on what search engine optimization (SEO) is.

Google has been a hub for users to find information throughout the history of the internet. It's where people go shopping, research, and find each other.

It makes sense, then, that ranking at the top of Google searches would benefit your business. People tend not to scroll through the results pages for too long. Instead, they click on one of the top-positioned websites in the rankings.

Google uses an algorithm to reference all of the sites in its index against the keyword phrase in question.

So, the user puts a keyword phrase into the search bar. Google runs it against all of the sites it knows about. Then it finds the pages that best fit the keyword phrase.

It does this with the help of an algorithm. That algorithm uses roughly 200 factors to gauge the relevance of sites in comparison to the keyword. SEO is the process of creating content and adjusting web pages to look good to the algorithm.

In particular, the goal is to look better than the sites you're competing with.

Importance of Keywords in Website

The entire process circles around the initial keyword search. Content should be created in response to the keywords that you identify through keyword research.

You can use a keyword optimization tool that allows you to see which terms are popular, how much competition they pose, and whether or not it would be worthwhile to use that keyword in your optimization campaign.

Once you find a keyword relevant to your company, has little competition, and a lot of users, you can start to incorporate it into your site.

It's crucial to vet keywords before using them because random keywords won't get you closer to more sales. Instead, you should find out the keywords that are popular among your target demographic and only create content that's relevant to those terms:

Creating Content

In most cases, the content you create for your site will come in the form of a blog. Blogs are an easy way to incorporate keywords and other forms of optimization regularly.

You can create blog posts whenever you find a keyword that could suit your business needs. The idea is to find the target keyword, understand the implied question or need in that keyword search, then create content that addresses that need.

For example, you might find that “how to keep cats away from plants” is a keyword that works well for you. Within that keyword phrase, you know that the user wants to know how to keep their cat away from plants.

You can then create a piece of content that explains how to do just that while using the specific phrase “how to keep cats away from plants” at various key points throughout the content.

Sometimes the implied question is a little harder to snuff out, but a close approximation tends to be pretty close to what the user wants.

Other Applications of the Keyword

It's important to be tactical with how you place keywords in your content and on your website.

The optimal keywords for you to rank for should be used on your main pages. Those are your home, contact, and product pages in most cases. They're the ones that you want to do the best in the search results.

In some ways, all of the other content you produce is just a ploy to get your site enough attention so that those sites do well. You can also use keywords in what's called “PPC Advertising.”

PPC or pay-per-click advertising is the way that businesses market themselves on search engines or social media platforms. We usually see those efforts displayed in our feeds from a user point of view.

They come up as “sponsored posts” or simple advertisements. PPC ads also require the business to incorporate a particular keyword and choose a target demographic.

These are the same keywords and demographics that you use in your content optimization efforts. Choosing the correct keyword in a PPC advertisement can make the entire process far more effective.

There are a lot of other areas where keyword placement is necessary as well. The tricky thing is that there are so many small details to deal with in optimization.

There's a way to improve your results, though.

SEO Professionals and Keyword Optimization Tools Can Help

One of the best ways to streamline the process and remove the learning curve is to work with a professional.

A digital marketing company can help find the right keywords, create content for you, market through advertisements, and keep an eye on all of the metrics that you need for success.

There's an art to effective digital marketing, and a company can turn your SEO into something that changes your business forever. Reaching out to tens of thousands of people online in an effective way could boost your bottom line into a new bracket.

Want to Learn More About SEO Keywords?

So, keyword optimization is one of the fundamental pieces of SEO. The larger picture of search engine optimization involves many factors that play crucial roles in the process.

We're here to help you learn more about getting your keywords in the right places and watching your results grow. Explore our site for more insight into subjects in SEO.

Do you know how to improve SEO?