As a small business owner, your priority is running your business—not learning the ins and outs of digital marketing. But what separates thriving solopreneurs from struggling ones isn’t talent—it’s the ability to market effectively.
The key is understanding and using the right keywords. This will drive the right audience to your website and boost conversions. Here’s how to do it without losing your sanity or sense of humor.
What Are Keywords?
Keywords are the words or phrases people type into search engines to find information, products, or services. Think of them as the breadcrumbs that guide visitors to your website.
For example:
- Keyword: Piano
- Longtail Keyword: Learn to play jazz piano online
See the difference? If someone searches for the word “piano,” they might be shopping for an instrument, looking for sheet music, or researching piano repairs. But learn to play jazz piano online? That’s someone looking for exactly what you offer.
Longtail keywords may seem like wasted effort. But they are not. They’re your secret weapon for targeting users further in their buying journey.
Why Keywords Matter
Keywords do more than signal what your site is about; they connect you with the right audience. Using the right keywords means showing up for your customers when they need you most. Whether they’re ready to buy, learn, or explore.
How to Build Your Keyword List
1. Start with Common Sense
You know your business better than anyone. Start by brainstorming the words your customers might use when searching for your products or services.
For example, if you’re a dentist, words like toothache relief, teeth cleaning near me, or cosmetic dentistry make sense. But let’s be real—you won’t rank for sledgehammer. (Unless your niche is fixing sledgehammer-induced dental damage, in which case… best of luck.)
2. Do Your Research
The cornerstone of any marketing effort is understanding your audience. Dive into:
- Demographics: Who are they? Age, location, profession?
- Pain Points: What problems are they trying to solve?
- Goals: What outcomes do they want from your product or service?
3. Brainstorm Topics
Turn your audience insights into broad topic ideas related to your offerings. If you’re a nutritionist, think of topics like:
- Healthy meal prep tips
- Benefits of plant-based diets
- Foods that boost energy
4. Analyze Competitors
Check out what keywords your competitors are ranking for. Tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Ubersuggest can help. Ask:
- Are there gaps in their keyword strategy?
- Are there underserved areas you can target?
For instance, if their blog covers general health tips but skips over meal prep for busy professionals, you’ve found an opportunity to shine.
Evaluate and Refine Your Keywords
Research Search Intent
People search for different reasons [so your website should be ready to provide what they are looking for]:
- Informational: Looking for answers (What’s the best way to floss?).
- Navigational: Trying to find a specific site (YourBusinessName dentist).
- Transactional: Ready to take action (Book teeth cleaning appointment).
Match your keywords to the intent behind your audience’s searches to maximize relevance.
Use Keyword Tools
Tools like Google Keyword Planner, Moz, or Keywords Everywhere can help refine your list. When evaluating keywords, ask:
- Search Volume: How often is this term searched?
- Competition: How difficult will it be to rank for this keyword?
- Relevance: Does this keyword align with your audience’s needs?
How to Use Keywords on Your Website
You’ve done the hard part: finding the right keywords. Now, let’s put them to work:
- Sprinkle Keywords Naturally: Include them in headings, body text, and meta descriptions without forcing them. Look at this article if you need an example. The words “keywords,” “longtail keywords,” and “how to find the right keywords” are sprinkled throughout, but only where they belong and nowhere else.
- Focus on Titles and Headers: These are prime spots for visibility.
- Optimize Images: Use keywords in file names and alt text.
- Create Dedicated Pages: To cater to user intent, build pages around specific keywords. Let’s borrow from the dental example above. If you want to use the longtail keyword, ”What’s the best way to floss.” Then, you want to create an informational page about flossing. It’s not only good for your patients, but it’s also good for the health of your website!
How NOT to Use Keywords
Keyword misuse can and will hurt more than it helps. Avoid these pitfalls:
- Keyword Stuffing: Overloading pages with keywords looks spammy and gets penalized by search engines.
- Irrelevant Keywords: Targeting terms unrelated to your audience confuses users and harms rankings. In other words, if you have a legal website, don’t optimize a webpage for Donald Duck. Unless it’s about a case you won against the Disney corporation, anyone who finds it will feel cheated. That’s not a good way to build a business relationship. So, Google will demote that page. Don’t do it. It’s not worth it.
- Ignoring User Intent: Optimizing for the wrong intent leads to high bounce rates. Again, if people are looking for how to floss, they will be frustrated and leave if they land on a page trying to get them to book an appointment.
Next Steps
Now that you know how to find and use keywords, take 10 minutes to brainstorm a list of terms your audience might use. Then, dive into keyword tools to refine your list further. Stay tuned for the next article in this series, where we’ll cover advanced strategies for optimizing your website content!