Keeping Ahead Of The Curve With Keywords
If your keyword research methods haven’t kept up with search engine algorithm changes, which includes the shift in emphasis from query to user, you may be missing out on the potential ROIs for critical keywords in your niche/market. Keyword research has undergone a major overhaul since the early days of the Internet. The golden days of stuffing landing pages with keywords are long gone. Doing so is what’s known as “keyword stuffing.” Today it’s all about the quality of content, not the quantity.
With a bird’s eye look at how keyword research is evolving, we can better prepare you and your clients to make better SEO choices, optimize for algorithm updates, and stay ROI positive.
Keyword Research Is Always Evolving
Way back when, like in the late ‘90s, search engine algorithms were ridiculously simple when compared to today’s standards. They looked for the presence of keywords on a webpage and used those as the primary metric for assessing whether a potential search result was relevant to a particular user query.
But, just as in natural evolution, where the strongest survive by adapting to its environment, websites and keyword researchers were not only quick to adapt to the change introduced by Google. They evolved. In turn, the search engines themselves became more sophisticated in their evaluation and ranking methodology. And now in 2020, even minute changes to a search engine algorithm can wreak havoc on your keyword strategy if you’re not prepared.
Keep Your Keywords Topic-Oriented
In support of reaching potential customers where they are in their buyer’s journey, you also need to utilize topic-oriented keyword research when putting websites together. Marrying content and keywords can give each a little added boost as shorter-tail and long-tail keywords work in tandem in Google’s algorithm.
Ensuring that your keywords stay relevant to your topic will also provide a better experience for your website users and visitors. They won’t feel tricked or fooled when they see that the link they clicked on contains the answers they’re looking for in the first place.
Pair Keyword Research With Content Gap Analysis
When you have a strong topic-oriented framework for site development, it’s possible to strategically apply content gap analysis and pick out areas where content development is needed to maximize keyword usage. While awareness and consideration for the stages of the buyer’s journey may have lower conversion rates, overall, they may have greater benefits because of the potential for relationship building with the customer.
Keyword analysis tools help sort keywords into categories and rank them according to the three major steps in the buyer’s journey. This gives me the ability to map the content according to my keyword research, with ongoing evaluation and analysis for making changes as issues arise.
Always Be Looking Forward
The evolution of keyword research from an action-oriented to a user-oriented process has given anyone the ability to embrace the customer earlier in the buyer’s journey while still effectively navigating ever-changing search engine algorithms with confidence. If it’s been a while since you’ve brushed up on your keyword research, look to any one of our blogs to learn more. Our years of expert experience make us one of the best sources of information around. Book a call today and let’s find out what we can do to your keyword research strategy so you can maximize their use.
