How to Choose the Best SEO Keywords for your Website
SEO and keywords are key to making your business visible.
I don’t know about you, but SEO is the LAST thing I want to worry about when I’m trying to build a business, BUT keywords are so important to implement in order to make your website visible. Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the process of improving the quality and quantity of website traffic to your page from search engines. The details of website SEO can be complicated, but keywords are an easy way to boost your ranking with Google. So, if you’re not already an SEO guru, here are some tips on how to choose the BEST SEO keywords for your website:
Brainstorm
Your keywords are going to set you apart from your competitors. So, let’s say you’re a baker. Choosing “baker” as a keyword is a start, but it isn’t going to get you very far with Google. Sit down and make a list. Ask yourself, who are your ideal customers? What are they searching for when they set out to find delicious baked goods? For example, if you specialize in cupcakes, the keyword “cupcake baker” would be a good place to start. It’s okay if your keyword list is super broad at first, the more keywords and phrases you write, the more specific your list will get.
Next, get local. If you’re a baker, or someone who offers a product that can’t be shipped, odds are your customers are going to be local. What area are you based in? Where do your clients live? Now you can add, “Detroit cupcake baker” or “Southeast Michigan cupcake baker” to your list.
Last but not least, think of your FAQs. FAQs from your customers are an amazing source for SEO keywords. Which questions do your customers ask you the most? Let’s stick with our baker example and add, “most popular cupcakes for birthday parties,” or “how many cupcakes to order for your event.” Do you offer delivery? Add, “cupcake delivery options for your southeast Michigan event.” Once you have a solid list, you can build off of the words and phrases you already have. This list will be the base of your SEO keyword toolkit.
Research
Yes. I know. Finding the perfect list of SEO keywords for your business’s website is starting to get a bit time consuming, BUT I promise it will be worth it! Once you have this list in your back pocket, you’ll be able to save it, use it, or add to it whenever you need to, so hang in there.
When researching your keywords, start with Google. Try typing one of the keywords from your list into Google and see what pops up. This is a great way to see what people are searching for in connection to your particular keyword. Look and see what websites are coming up. Is there a different version of your keyword that would work better? This may also give you more ideas for keywords to add to your website.
BONUS TIP: clear your cache and cookies before using Google for research to make sure that the suggested results aren’t influenced by previous searches.
Aside from using Google, there are a ton of free keyword tools out there that you can use to make sure you’re on the right track. Ubersuggest has a free version of their plug-in that you can add to your browser. To use it, you simply type a keyword into Google and Ubersuggest automatically gives you a list of related keywords on the right side of your browser’s results page. Tools like these could give you a better idea of what potential clients are searching for.
Now, I wouldn’t be a very good copywriter if I didn’t let you in on a little SEO-boosting secret. Blogs. Blogs are a fantastic way to boost your SEO. Consistent blogging gives you the opportunity to load your website with ideal keywords. I know, blogging is also time consuming, but I promise it’s worth it!
If you’re reading this on Medium, odds are you already have the skills to blog successfully. But, if you don’t quite have the time to blog for your business, check out my website. I offer monthly blogging packages for small business owners.
