Keywords are the heart of any search engine optimization strategy. Proper selection and placement of keywords on your Web site will determine how your site is ranked. And if your site is ranked high, it will generate a lot of free traffic.

The keywords on your site need to match the keywords your visitors are searching. For example, if a visitor is looking for “search engine optimization” and they type in the same keyphrase ,” then your website has a better  chance of showing up in the search engine’s results pages – of course, the same keyword must be on your web page and you should properly optimize your page for this keyphrase.

Keywords vs. Keyphrases

Searchers generally use 3-4 keywords rather than just one keyword. Therefore, you should focus on finding keyphrases rather than an individual keyword. Some keywords are also more competitive than others. For example, if you choose the keyword “website”, it’s a very competitive and general term. However, if you choose something specific like “Toronto website design“, then it is easier to get ranked for this keyword phrase rather than the keyword “website” only.

The Magic of Keywords

The word keyword is used so often nowadays – it’s like a magic pill to get you high rankings. But, there’s more to it than just stuffing your site with random words. And of course, besides keywords, there are other factors in determining search engine rankings.

As a general rule, don’t use more than 3 keyphrases per page. As an example, for a real estate site, you could use:
– realtors + location
– sell homes
– buy homes
You would use these 3 keyphrases on one page. Each page on your website would then have 3 different keyphrases targeted for each web page.

How do you choose the right keywords?

If you ask a business owner this question “If you were looking for a business like yours on the web, what keywords would you look for? they generally answer with the name of their product which usually only a few people know about. But, how would someone who doesn’t know about your product search for you (unless it’s a well-known brand)? Think about what words, users would want to search to find your product or service and then make a list of these keywords.

Keyword research reports are one of the best ways to get this type of information as they are detailed. A typical report will list:
– keywords specific to your product or services
– number of searches for each keyword according to search engines
– the number of times each keyword has been searched by visitors
– what your keyword will cost if you use pay-per-click ads.

There are several excellent keyword tools, one of the most popular being Google Keyword Planner. This tool is handy to find out what keywords people are searching for. Use this tool to brainstorm a list of keywords for your site and then use the most relevant ones with a decent number of searches. You might discover keyword combinations that you never thought of before.

Where should you use keywords on your page?

The most important places you should use your keywords are:

1. Title Tag

Title tag is the text that is displayed at the top of the Web browser. Every page on your site should contain a unique title tag with your primary keyphrase for your web page. Your title tag should ideally contain no more than 60 characters.

2. Meta Description Tag

Meta description tags are html tags that describe the page. These are used in the html code of the page. They are important in deciding the relevancy of the page for keywords.

Search engines look for the the meta description tag. The meta description tag is a description of the page contents. The text you use in the description tag will appear on your listing in the search results. It should entice people to click on your link to go to your site.

3. Content

Your targeted keywords should be used in the page content at least once. LSI keywords (related to your keyword) should be used in the headings, image alt tags (text displayed when you mouse over a picture) and anchor text.

Summary:
1. Pick the right keywords
2. Use no more than 3 keywords per page
3. Use these in the title tag. Use keyword variations in the meta description tag, headings, image alt tags and anchor text on your web page

– Nina Menezes

Search engine optimization has evolved with Google algorithms and digital marketing needs. When SEO was young, keywords were simple to conjure: simply add keywords anywhere, and your website seemed to get ranked. Today, keyword stuffing is only helpful if you want to get black flagged by Google and potentially kicked out of search engine rankings altogether. Now, digital marketing is driven by content, and Google has developed new algorithms accordingly.

LSI Keywords

Something called LSI, or latent semantic indexing, has emerged in recent years. Using a complex mathematical process, LSI looks for patterns and relationships in text content. How does this relate to the delicate, imperative task of search engine optimization? Instead of looking for exact match keywords, search engines are now scrutinizing content in a more intuitive way. Looking past a block of text, search engines want to see that content is real and relevant. Today’s algorithms aren’t just looking for text, they are looking for meaningful text. To achieve meaningful text in content, SEO newbies and experts alike need to use LSI keywords. Instead of just using keywords, try using synonyms of keywords to attain ranking for long tail keywords. Instead of using ‘SEO tips’ as your keyword several times on your web page, try using ‘SEO tips and tricks’, ‘SEO tips for WordPress’, or ‘SEO tips for your website’. By using these LSI keywords, you’ll boost your chances of getting ranked because you are using in-depth, meaningful content.

SEO Silo Structure

Another important facet of successful search engine optimization is the use of silos. Silos, or interlinking pages, demonstrate that your site has a connected structure of related information. Silos give your web page credibility, reputation, and search engine ranking by giving your site structure. To use siloing in your website, you first need to have a clear idea of what your website is about. Ahead of time, you should know what many of the recurring themes of your site will be and how users will search for them. With this information in mind, build your website using silos. Structure links throughout your website that connect to other pertinent information on your website. For siloing to be effective, you must be publishing relevant, informative content.

SILO STRUCTURE WEBSITE EXAMPLE

Other SEO Factors

Title tags are still important in SEO! Title tags and H1 tags should include your main keyword, while related keywords should be included in your H2, H3, and alt tags. Use schema markup, available at www.schema.org, to markup your HTML in a way that search engines will love. SEO is a rapidly changing area, but these aspects are all current. Since digital marketing and search engine algorithms are expected to continue the trend towards high-quality content, these three areas aren’t expected to go anywhere. As a matter of fact, these areas are the foundation for the future of search engine optimization. Content is expected to drive digital marketing for a long time to come, and search engines will continuously aspire to match those demands.

You may have heard of Google Authorship and wondering exactly what it is. Basically, the program works by attaching an actual author’s name to each post that’s published on a website, lending credibility and verifiability to the work.

Google Authorship works because Google uses a picture of the author of the article or blog post by using the rel=”author attribute. That picture comes from the author’s profile, and when a reader clicks on the image, their browser will link them back to the author’s profile.

Why Is Google Authorship So Important?

Occasionally when you complete a Google search, you’ll notice faces appearing next to certain results. This is especially true when the result is a blog post or article. Google achieves this by using Google Authorship with the link, and this is the search engine’s way of relaying to users whether or not the snippet is attached to quality content. The image of the author lends credibility to the article, and along with other features employed by Google, signals to searchers that a given link may be better to click on than say, one without an image beside it. 

How to Implement Google Authorship

To implement Google Authorship, all you have to do is follow these steps:

1.       Make sure you have a Google+ profile and that you use a photo with a   “recognizable headshot” (Google’s words, not ours)

2.      You need to be sure to add the URL or the blog that you author in the “Contributor to” part of your profile. You accomplish this by clicking the profile button under the homepage button and then going over and  clicking on the navigation column on the homepage for Google +.

3.      Make sure a byline with your name appears on each page of the content (byline = “By Suzanne Watson”)

4.      Make sure the name on your byline is the same as the name on your Google+ profile

5.      Verify that you have an email address that the content was published on

6.      Go back to this page and enter your email address…and you’re done!

You can test this feature by clicking here. You may connect with me on Google plus by clicking here.