What are SEO keywords?

Writing content intended to be published online isn’t the same as writing for print. That’s because online content needs to be written in a way that appeals to both humans and search engines. Including SEO keywords is one of the major differences to be aware of with any kind of digital content. 

SEO keywords will form the majority of your on-page SEO strategy. The keywords you choose need to be relevant to the page. Plus used in a way that doesn’t take away from the readability of the content. 

Get SEO keywords right, and it’s possible to turn any webpage into a highly ranking, valuable asset for your business. But for those who are new to SEO keywords or need a quick refresher, here’s what you need to know. 

H2: SEO keywords: An overview

Keywords are the magic behind how SEO works. That’s because keywords are what search engines use to crawl websites when trying to match users with relevant results. Although keywords are not the only aspect that’s important to search engines, keywords form a large part of any on-page SEO effort. 

Quite simply, a keyword is a word or short phrase that someone is likely to type into a search engine. These collections of words may describe an object, a person, or even a place.

As a website owner, your website must contain enough SEO keywords that are also relevant to the content users will find when landing on your website. They should attract those most likely to convert with you.

SEO keywords can appear in the written content, the page metadata, and even in image alt tags. For niche authority websites, the main focus keyword can also be included in the URL itself. 

H2: Short tail keywords

Short tail keywords consist of 1-3 words. They have the benefit of having much higher search volumes, which can result in more traffic to your website. 

However, a downside of short tail keywords is that they can sometimes be too broad, or even be irrelevant depending on how they are used. Also, short tail keywords tend to have higher keyword difficulties, meaning more people are trying to rank for them. 

Examples of short tail keywords:

• SEO
• SEO software
• SEO expert London
• What is SEO?

A short tail keyword may appear on its own, or as part of a heading tag. In many ways, this makes short tail keywords more flexible.

H2: Long tail keywords 

Long tail keywords contain 3-5 words on average. They are slightly longer phrases or short sentences. Usually, long tail keywords form a question.

As long tail keywords are more specific, they tend to have less search competition and fewer search volumes. However, they can help improve conversions by factoring in search intent, by matching an exact search query with what your products or services provide. 

Examples of long tail keywords:

• What are the different types of SEO?
• How do I use SEO?
• Which SEO software is best?
• How much does SEO cost? 

Long tail keywords may offer a better experience for users since you can get specific about the product, person, location, or any other aspect you’re trying to rank for. 

H2: SEO keywords: Best practices

It’s not enough to throw a bunch of random words in your content and hope for the best. In today’s world, there could be millions of other websites all competing for the same traffic as your website. So how you use SEO keywords, including as part of your wider strategy needs some thought. 

Staying away from ‘black hat SEO’ techniques, as well as anything else that’s considered to be spammy is essential. Such techniques don’t offer a good user experience, and also, search engines are privy to deceitful SEO tactics. So let’s identify how you can get your SEO keyword journey off on the right foot. 

H3: Research your SEO keywords in advance

Sure, you could add a few SEO keywords to your existing content. But, your strategy will be much more effective if you map out everything in advance. The easiest way to do so is to gather a spreadsheet of keywords using SEO software.

Aspects to look out for when choosing SEO keywords include: 

• Competitors’ use of keywords
• Keyword difficulty
• Search volume for that keyword
• Keyword density needed
• Relevance of keywords

Opt for a mix of short and long tail keywords, wherever appropriate. Also be sure to expand on any main keywords to create a helpful, informative result for your users. 

H3: Consider search intent 

Search engine queries can have different user intentions. The definitions of these intentions include informative, commercial, navigational, and transactional.

Matching up the right search intent with your content is essential. Otherwise, users will quickly leave when they realize your page doesn’t offer what they are looking for. 

H3: Avoid keyword stuffing

Keyword stuffing involves placing keywords into your content as many times as possible, regardless of how it affects readability. 

Although it’s tempting to paste a keyword hundreds of times to try and rank higher, there’s no guarantee mentioning a keyword more than your competitor will improve your rankings – especially when it’s done to such excess, that your content now looks like a piece of spam. 

So yes, you do need keywords and lots of them!  But always put quality content first. If the grammar of a keyword doesn’t make sense, or if you’re overusing words just for the sake of it – your users will notice. 

H2: Find SEO keywords with Eye10 – The affordable, easy to use SEO tool 

Now you know about SEO keywords and how to use them, are you ready to find some of your own?

Eye10 is a fantastic new SEO tool that’s affordable, easy to use, and available in 12 different languages! Our Keyword Planner and Competitor Research tools are included with every subscription. It’s never been easier to find keywords to make your content rank higher with Eye10.

Sign up for your Eye10 subscription today and get straight to work with perfecting your SEO keywords. If you’ve enjoyed this post, be sure to share it and subscribe to receive our future handy hints on all things SEO.