Including keywords in your content is essential if you want your website to perform well on search engines like Google and Bing.
By including relevant keywords in your website copy, you can capture targeted traffic, increase your ability to generate leads, and boost sales.
One way search engines judge the relevance of websites is by crawling the on-page text. The more useful and relevant your copy is, the better opportunities there are to rank.
While your website text should first be geared towards the reader, the careful inclusion of keywords can help search engines to better understand your content.
Including keywords in your content also means you are more likely to capture increased numbers of ‘long tail’ search queries, further boosting your visitor numbers.
To take full advantage of search engine traffic, be sure to conduct keyword research. This process will help your website attract better quality, targeted traffic.
What is keyword research?
Keyword research involves exploring the most suitable keywords to use in your website copy. This can be done organically or with specialist research tools.
You will likely already be able to come up with several keywords related to your product or service. But what a person is typing in to find websites in your niche is often very different from what you might imagine — sometimes even surprising!
This is why in-depth research can provide useful insights into what your prospects are ACTUALLY searching for when seeking your product or service.
Why are keywords important?
If you fail to include relevant keywords in your website copy (and in several other areas of your website), you will not appear for those search terms.
Failing to include the most relevant keywords is a wasted opportunity for capturing a steady stream of free and ongoing search engine traffic.
Although many factors influence search engine optimisation (SEO), the foundation of any campaign always begins with solid website copy.
What tools do you need for keyword research?
Searching for the best keywords to target begins with your product or service offering. Start by identifying words that describe what your business does.
If you are a flower shop owner operating in your city or county, you will likely already know that you should be targeting ‘flower shop in [your town]’ and ‘florist in [your town]’.
Or if you specialise in contemporary furniture, you will no doubt want to target keywords like ‘modern furniture’, ‘contemporary furniture’, and other variations.
But further in-depth research will uncover many other search terms for you to target.
Brainstorming keyword ideas is the best course of action in the first instance. After that, advanced keyword research tools can help you explore extra keyword options.
Keyword research tools are especially useful since they give you data on search volume, competitiveness, cost, and other factors. So always start with basic ideas and build upon them by using the various keyword research tools available.
Integrating keywords into your copy
Most major search engines have guidelines against keyword stuffing (the forced inclusion of too many keywords in your copy).
It is important to ensure your website copy reads natural and appeals to the reader. Website visitors will quickly detect if you have attempted to force keywords into the writing for SEO purposes.
It is certainly possible to include target keywords or phrases without detracting from the quality of the page. Less is often more in many cases. Avoid focusing too much on SEO. Write naturally and include keywords when it makes sense to do so.
Quality copywriting combined with keyword research can benefit both the reader and search engines. But it is important not to overload your writing with keywords. Remember: there is no ideal ‘keyword density’, so keep it natural!
Summary
Researching and including relevant keywords in your website copy can enhance your visibility in search engines like Google and Bing. There are many tools available that allow you to perform detailed keyword research.
When implementing keywords on your website, ensure the copy reads naturally and appeals to the reader. Avoid keyword stuffing and focus on delivering high-quality, useful content. This is the best method to ensure consistent success with search engine rankings.
