Once you’ve identified relevant keywords, the next step is infusing them into your SEO and overall business strategy to drive results. In this guide, we’ll show you eight ways to achieve this.
Content optimization means improving the quality and relevance of an existing piece of content. It increases the chances of your content ranking higher in the search results.
During keyword research, you might discover that a particular search query is better suited for an already-published article on your blog. In that case, you can add a new keyword to your content to improve its performance.
However, be careful not to stuff your content with too many keywords, as this can actually hurt your rankings.
Meta tags, also known as HTML tags, are snippets of code that provide information about a web page. Examples include meta descriptions, title tags, and meta content types.
A meta description is a brief summary of the content, and it appears on the search engine results page (SERP) below the page title. Its purpose is to provide a preview of what users can expect to find on the page and to entice them to click through to the website. Meta descriptions are usually limited to 160 characters.
Meta Description Example:
Say you search for “the juiciest burgers in New York.” One of the results might have a meta description like this: Have a taste of our double bun burger made from organic beef and other wholesome ingredients.
A title tag is a short, concise HTML tag that describes the title of a web page. It appears in the tab at the top of a web browser and as the headline of a search result on the SERP. Title tags are important for SEO because they give search engines a brief overview of the content on the page.
Title Tag Example:
Suppose you search for “how to cook pasta” on Google. One of the results might have the following title tag: “How to Cook Perfect Pasta: A Step-by-Step Guide | Food Network.” This title tag clearly indicates what the page is about and includes relevant keywords that users might search for.
The meta content type is a tag that specifies the type of content that a web page contains. It tells the web browser what type of file it is accessing and how to handle it. This tag is particularly important for multimedia content such as images, videos, and audio files.
Meta Content Type Example:
Suppose you are accessing a webpage that contains an MP3 file of a podcast. The following meta content type tag would appear in the HTML: “<meta http-equiv=”Content-Type” content=”audio/mpeg”>”. This tag tells the web browser that the content is an audio file in MP3 format so that the browser can handle it appropriately.
Adding relevant keywords to your meta tags will help search engines determine what a web page is about and how to index and rank it. The more relevant the keyword is to your overall content context, the greater your chances of ranking in the search results.
While URLs are not a direct ranking factor, using relevant keywords in your blog URLs can improve your chances of ranking higher on the SERPs for relevant search queries.
Search crawlers look at your URL structure to understand the content and context of a page. Having your target keyword in there signifies that the web page is targeting a particular search query.
Use your target keywords as anchor text in your internal links to help search engines understand the context of your pages. It improves your ranking because it shows the crawlers that the linked page is relevant to a specific keyword.
Create new content targeting relevant keywords to help you rank for them in the search results. You can even create pillar and cluster pages targeting a group of related keywords across the funnel — so you can rank for (and own) the entire topic; not just individual keywords.
For example, if you sell organic skincare products, you might use the keyword “organic skincare” to generate content ideas such as:
By using your target keywords to generate content ideas, you can create content that resonates with your target audience, as well as establish your brand as an authority in your industry.
If you’re running paid advertising campaigns, keyword data can be especially valuable. To start, conduct keyword research to identify the money-making keywords for your business.
These are the keywords with commercial intent — in other words, people searching for them are most likely to make a purchase. By creating ads targeting these keywords, you can drive immediate conversions and generate revenue for your business.
For example, if you sell hiking gear, you might create ads that target people who are searching for keywords such as “hiking boots,” “backpacks for hiking,” or “camping gear.”
Keyword data can also be used to inform product development. During keyword research, look out for keywords that suggest specific needs or pain points that your target audience is experiencing.
Once you have this information, you can use it to develop new products or improve existing ones. For example, if you notice that people are searching for “waterproof hiking boots,” you might consider developing a new line of boots that are specifically designed to be waterproof.
By using keyword data to inform your product development, you can create products that are more likely to meet the needs of your target audience and drive more sales for your business.