How many times per day do you use Google to search for something new?
Statistics show that Google processes over 40,000 search queries every second of the day. That’s over 3.5 billion searches per day!
With all of that searching going on, surely you can get some of the organic traffic for the keywords surrounding your business, right? You can. But it all depends on how you think about the keyword process.
What keywords do you focus on? When was the last time you updated them?
Because what worked even a few short years ago could now leave you out of ranking.
What Your Keywords Should Be
Keywords have changed a lot over the years. Let’s use a simple keyword as an example: coffee. When Google first started, if your goal was to sell coffee, you might have focused on coffee as your keyword. But a lot has changed since then.
Keywords aren’t limited to one word. So as a searcher, we quickly learned to combine simple words and create phrases to get better results.
Google makes this easy today. Simply start typing in your keyword, and you’ll have a variety of options to choose from. This can give you plenty of ideas.
But it’s not just about desktop searches anymore. You also have to consider how people search using mobile devices, or using virtual personal assistants such as Alexa. A person may pull their phone out of their pocket and ask Siri: Where’s the nearest coffee shop?
If you want to come up high in search results, you better match what people are asking for. That means to gain more organic traffic to your website, you’ll have to capture rankings under many, many different search terms.
Don’t think one or two.
Think ten, fifty, or one hundred. Depending on your industry and niche, your keywords and key phrases can be vast.
Why Long Tail Keywords Matter
We’ve already hinted at it above, but if you’re not thinking in long-tail keyword format, you’re missing out on a lot of organic traffic.
People don’t search one word at a time. They search in phrases or even sentences, thanks to virtual assistants. And “coffee shop near me” is a different keyword than “Where is the closest coffee house?”
Very few people search based on one keyword anymore. The vast majority of us use five words or more. And that gives you a world of opportunity. Because using long tail keywords gives you a better chance of matching exactly what people are asking. If you look for long tail keywords with low competition, you’re almost guaranteed high placement right away.
How do you find long tail keywords? The Google Keyword Planner in your Google Adwords account is a great place to start. Type in shorter keywords and it will quickly combine them with longer results to give you specific ideas for content. Look for keywords with lower competition, and start creating blog posts. The results will start flowing in quickly.
Dig Deeper
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How Your Page Content Flow Impacts SEO
Think Local
It’s also important to keep up with the times. We search differently on a desktop at work than when we pull out our mobile devices when we’re on the run.
Typing takes time, no matter how fast you are. When we pull up Google on our desktops, we have a broader desire in mind.
What if you’re planning a business trip for next month? Think you might search out a few coffee shops to stop at before your meetings?
If you’re there in a new city, minutes away from the convention center, searching for a coffee shop takes on an entirely different context. That’s when your search results become more present. When you search, you’re more likely to want something local – very local, within walking distance or a short drive away.
That’s why your keywords now should also include local terms. Coffee shop is still your core keyword. But by thinking local, you might also include your city, your community, your neighborhood, even streets nearby. How about “conveniently located next to the convention center?” Yep, even that can add into your organic results.
Google wants to give searchers the best experience. And if you have all of your bases covered, it will reward you with results.
Let’s Talk Competition
Think you have all the keywords you need? There are still more possibilities. Why not take a peek at what your competition is doing.
Moz has a nifty little tool called Link Explorer that allows you to peek into what your competition is doing. Simply type in their URL and you’ll find out what keywords they rank well for. You’ll need a Moz account, or an online marketing firm to help you out.
Once you have a keyword list from your competition, you can use it to further your own results.
Are you starting to see that the possibilities are endless when it comes to focusing in on keywords? It’s always changing, ever-growing. If you’re not paying attention and your competition is, guess which company will win?
Don’t Forget About SEO
Google is constantly upgrading and changing its algorithms to make search a cleaner, better experience. Its entire purpose is to give a user exactly what they are looking for. And if they do that and you’re there, you’ll gain a lot of organic traffic.
It’s always changing, ever-growing. And that means it’s a difficult process for many businesses to keep up. You have other things to think about, like making a profit with your products and services. Do you really have time to research changes in SEO strategy on a continual basis?
That’s why you should perform regular SEO audits to determine your position on Google. If you keep up with your placement and where your competition is, you’ll have a better chance of maintaining your ranking.
If your organic traffic is important to your business, it’s vital to ensure you’re doing everything you can to maintain your status within your ranking. We can help.
