How keywords work—and how to choose the best for your business

When was the last time you tried a new product or service without Googling it first? It’s probably been a while. The same goes for how your prospective customers are researching their pending purchase. Google is such a ubiquitous service that it’s become synonymous with search—which should tell you just how important it is to show up in its listings. Choosing and using the right keywords is essential to your Google rank so in this article, we’ll teach you the basics about these critical words and phrases. 

What are keywords?

Keywords are topics or ideas related to the content of a site or web page. In terms of search engine optimization (SEO), they are words or phrases users enter into search engines to locate the information or web pages they’re looking for. Search engines rely on information including keywords—which can show up in the content, code, and metadata of a site—to determine how relevant a page is in answer to a search query. Sites with strong keywords will have better search engine rankings. 

Why are keywords important for my business?

A site with weak or incorrect (or even worse, non-existent) keywords will not show up near the top of the search results. According to HubSpot, a full 75% of users look only on the first page of Google search results so a low rank is almost as bad as not showing up at all. If you want to capture new business, you’ll need solid, effective keywords that get you as far up the rankings as possible. 

What does it mean to own a keyword?

If your page shows up in the top search results for a certain keyword or phrase, you “own” that keyword. 

How do I choose the right keywords for my website content?

Books have been written on the subject of keyword research but there are some basic concepts that all businesspeople should keep in mind. 

Keywords come in three major classifications: head, body, and long tail. These groups go from general to specific, with long tail being the most valuable. This is because folks who connect to your specific long-tail phrases are more likely to be your target audience. It’s simply a matter of quality over quantity. As an example, let’s say you sell geranium bulbs. You show up in a search for “flowers,” but so will thousands of other similar sites. A body keyword is slightly more specific, for example, “garden bulbs.” An even more specific, long-tail keyword might be “geranium bulbs shipping in Ontario.” In this case, while it is less likely for a searcher to use that exact phrase, there will be far fewer search results when they do. The search volume and competition will be low but the consumers who use it are great prospects. 

Finding the very best keywords for your business is a continuous process. It begins with brainstorming and research, followed by implementation, and completed with analysis and modification. The cycle goes something like this:

• Brainstorm
  Write down relevant topics about your industry and products or services. This will include head, body, and long-tail phrases.

• Group general topics
  When you look at your lists, you’ll see certain groups of ideas emerging. In our geranium example, you might see “gardening,” “seeds and bulbs,” “garden supply,” and so on. These are topics that can be further filled in. For example, under “garden supply” you might have “gardens in Ontario,” “where can I buy geranium bulbs,” and “geranium sellers.”

• Go to Google
  Now you need to think about all the ways your customers might search, so going to Google is super effective. If you put in your search terms and scroll to the bottom, you’ll see a linked list of alternate search terms. 

• Select the best
  Search terms are best when balanced so ideally, you’ll come up with a mix of head and long-tail terms.

• Check on your competitors
  You need to know what your competitors are doing but that doesn’t mean you have to mimic their strategy. Figure out their keywords and see how they rank. Consider where you can make inroads and strategize on new keywords. Challenging your competitors on their own keyword turf is one strategy but finding keywords you can “own” is also effective. Seek balance.

• Find your best keywords
  Now that you’ve got a balanced list of keywords, you’ll have to select which ones you want to use. Google AdWords Keyword Planner (which requires an AdWords account) and Google Trends can help you build out qualitative data for your list. 

• Implement and measure
  Put your keywords to use! Determine a baseline and measure at intervals. Discard and replace keywords that aren’t performing.

Keywords are integral to any online marketing effort. A mix of trial and error, research, and analysis will help you find the very best keywords for your business so you can find—and keep—your place at the top of the search results page.