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SEO Keywords: What They Are & How to Use Them

September 7, 2021

We call them keywords, but you might know them better as “Google searches” or “queries”. The words and phrases that you type into search engines when you want to find something online are SEO keywords. Understanding how they work and how to use them effectively will drive traffic to your website. SEO keywords are an integral part of blogging and website building! Here’s what you need to know to start building your keyword strategy.

beginners guide to SEO Keywords

SEO Keywords Are Important

One of the best ways to grow your business online is with organic traffic. Organic traffic means new people are discovering your site… and you definitely want that to happen! In the past, we have shared a few ways that you can improve your SEO (search engine optimization) so that potential clients will find you when they search for information online. Strategies like image optimization and writing meta descriptions will improve your SEO, but they both hinge on having a good SEO keyword strategy. You need to know what your potential customers are looking for and what terms they are using when they search online. If you build your site with an effective keyword strategy, customers will find you.

How to Find & Choose Keywords

There are a variety of keyword search tools that you can use to find terms that will rank in search engine queries. We’ll go into these options in more depth in a future blog post, but some popular SEO keyword tools are:

  • Semrush
  • KWFinder
  • Mangools
  • Google Search Console
  • Jaaxy
  • Soovle

Why should you use a keyword search tool? They help you pare down the options so you can find the SEO keywords which best represent your brand. If you choose a broad term, your website won’t be found because the competition is too steep. An SEO keyword that is too narrow (and that no one is searching for!) won’t help you, either. You want to find a happy medium between high volume and the dead zone. A good keyword search tool will assist you so you can choose keywords that will drive traffic to your site.

Best Practices

You’ve made a list of keywords that represent your business well, now what? There are several key things that you need to do so that search engines “see” these keywords on your site and include them in their search results:

  • Use the keywords in a natural way, and distribute them throughout the copy on your website.
  • Incorporate a blog into your site so you can infuse your site with fresh content that is keyword rich.
  • Make the keywords part of your page meta descriptions.
  • Include keywords in the page URLs of your site. (This is much easier to do with a blog than it is with static pages.)
  • Be sure to properly name your image files using keywords, and include keywords in the alt text descriptions of the images on your website.
  • Add keywords to page titles and headers on your site.

A great website starts with a strong foundation, and keywords are one of the building blocks you need to start with. There is no way to create content or optimize it for search engines if you don’t know what people are searching for! This is why a well-thought-out SEO keyword strategy is so important.

Are you stumped with your SEO strategy? Unsure of which keywords to use on your site? Our SEO Audit can help! We take an in-depth look at your site to determine what can be improved. We’ll also present solutions to those issues. Contact us today to learn how we can help build your SEO keyword strategy.

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Houndstooth Media Group
Latest posts by Houndstooth Media Group (see all)
  • What Should Your Website Be Doing For Your Business? – December 20, 2022
  • Why Keyword Research is Important – August 22, 2022
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