Focus Keywords: For SEO promotion, keywords play an important role. But you need to know how to choose them and how to use them to be in the top of the search engine results – that is, on the first page of search results. Let’s consider how to work with them.
A search robot (a special program that scans all pages on all sites on the Internet and enters them into the database) determines the subject of the text by words and phrases. They are called focus keywords. The pages in which the words (semantics) match the query as closely as possible are shown in the search results. When someone searches, for example, “web development”, the search engine tries to figure out what the user is looking for and then returns a list of links to pages that are dedicated to that topic.
Usually, if the site uses the exact phrase that the user typed in the search engine, the likelihood of it being issued to the user is greatly increased. This is especially true for focus keywords and long-tail phrases. For example – “Buy white women’s Nike sneakers i”. True, in recent years, popular search engines are trying to weaken the influence of the exact occurrence of keywords, since SEOs have begun to abuse it, but the essence remains.
Why focus keywords are important for SEO and business
In general, everything can be focused on one factor – profitability. The easiest and most profitable way to attract more interested visitors to your website and convert them into buyers is to choose the right keywords and then use them correctly.
The only factor that can be rated higher than the correct selection of focus keywords and topics is the creation of relevant content that visitors are likely to appreciate positively. However, even the highest quality content should still rely on keyword research.
Keywords are not just a piece of text that appears in the text on a page. They can largely determine the promotion strategy. Keywords reveal real tasks, goals and problems of people, help to understand exactly how potential customers find the site, which queries are more effective, and which ones will be a waste of time.
Also, keyword analysis (in the same Google Analytics) helps to understand the market size associated with specific focus keywords. That is, you can find out the number of people who are requesting certain keywords and phrases each month. See and analyse seasonal fluctuations as well as trends.
Special focus keywords
In addition to the main thematic keywords, there are also special ones that serve as a refinement for the search engine and which should also be used on the pages of your site. These are search query “modifiers” such as:
- Location and geo-location
- Seasonal nature of the request
- Budget constraints
- Professional or subcultural request
- Materials for the manufacture of goods
- Brand inquiries
The correct choice of keywords, in this case, will depend on the audience for which a particular product is designed and on the product itself. And also on how promising it is to use keywords in each situation.
Focus Keyword Research
Focus Keyword and phrase research is where search engine optimization starts. After conducting such research, you can develop a clear plan for website promotion, an effective content strategy, specific steps to build a link mass, competitor research, and much more.
Another important advantage of research will be the ability to find a range of keywords and phrases that are most effective in terms of popularity and low competition. That is, such requests that are popular and are capable of bringing a lot of traffic, but on the other hand, are relatively “free” and do not involve a lot of competition.
Of course, search engines get smarter over time. Today they can better understand the content, and the role of keywords is not as great as it used to be. Therefore, work with keywords cannot be considered a notorious magic button. Nevertheless, this topic remains incredibly relevant, and for online marketing – a must.
KEYWORD ONLINE TOOLS
Google AdWords
Helps, in collecting semantics and analysing statistics. With its help, you can easily collect the main key queries and evaluate their effectiveness. To use the software, you first need to create an account on Google AdWords (it’s free).
The program itself:
- collects keywords;
- groups them by topic and frequency;
- gives a rough estimate of the effectiveness of each request;
- predicts traffic;
- Collects statistics on queries and trends.
Keyword strategies: rankings and traffic
1. Sniper strategy (positions)
The essence of the approach is precise focusing. You choose a small number of high-frequency, but low-competitive keywords (for your niche) and bring the site to the TOP for them. It takes a lot of effort and time, but in the long term, it gives a good result: by taking advantageous positions on popular queries, you will certainly get a good influx of visitors.
2. Shotgun strategy (traffic)
In this case, a wide pool of requests is selected, but they are not worked through as carefully. That is, the site is promoted by groups of keywords based on the subject of your site, and the user receives not only highly targeted information but also articles around the subject. This is convenient for a business with a large assortment of goods and services when it is difficult to manage with a couple of dozen requests.
As a result, you are faced with a choice: to advance by positions or by traffic.
Now, to achieve maximum effect, the best option is to combine the two methods. First, we work through the entire site for a large pool of requests, and then we deal with priority requests individually.
