As a content writer myself, you would think that I’d know the ins-and-outs of Google’s constant updates. But from Penguin to Panda to Hummingbird, if I didn’t work online, I would have no idea how these cute animals even relate to Google. And to be quite honest, I still don’t understand them fully.
What I do know, though, is that these updates have caused a lot of confusion in terms of whether to use or not use relevant keywords in the content that you display on the Internet.
Do keywords really matter?
Of course they do. You need to splatter your content with relevant keywords, and most importantly, you need to do so in a natural manner.
Natural vs. Unnatural
Let’s say you’re a dentist selling cosmetic services. As of right now, your online content is dotted with the keyword phrase “cosmetic dentist Plymouth.” That doesn’t sound very natural does it? To make it sound more organic –a characteristic that Google thinks very highly of– you could remove the unnatural keyword phrases and replace them “professional senior cosmetic dentistry in Plymouth.”
Niche Phrases Work the Best
You may be tempted to use the phrase “cosmetic dentist in Plymouth” because it sounds somewhat natural, but this likely has more competition than “professional senior cosmetic dentistry in Plymouth,” thus giving you an edge against your competitors. In fact, anytime you go about integrating relevant keywords into your content, make sure to use niche phrases. These phrases even work well in headlines.
Exact Keywords Are Out the Door
As stated above, niche phrases tend to work the best. This isn’t to imply that keywords are of no importance, but they must be used within phrases that Internet users actually search for. And it’s imperative to quit focusing so much on trying to rank in the number one spot for exact keywords because no matter how relevant keywords are to your site, when an Internet surfer types them into a search bar, his or her past online history and settings will determine how the results appear. So, even if you can land the number one spot on SERPs for one person, this doesn’t mean the guy using a computer right next to him will receive the same results.
Unbranded Content is the Way to Go
It would be great if everyone in the world knew your company’s name and what it is that you sell, but most likely they don’t. It’s because of this that you need to keep a lot of the content on your site unbranded. This means instead of saying “Come on down today and buy Computer World’s new HP computer,” you would want to say “Come on down today and check out the many HP computer products in Plymouth.” By wording it this way, you have opened up your ability to reach a large audience who may be searching for HP computers in the Plymouth area, rather than only the small audience who knows your company name.
The Takeaway
Hopefully, by now you see that relevant keywords really do matter and they can prove to be of the utmost value when you incorporate them into your content in a natural and organic manner. If you’re having trouble creating content that meets these goals, you can always hire a professional freelance writer to do it for you. Also, check out these sites below to learn more about the ins-and-outs of keywords.
Do Keywords in Post Titles Really Matter?
Why Your Keyword Rank Doesn’t Matter…and what actually does
Whitney W creates content for both online and offline clients. She spends her days switching back and forth between the roles of a content writer, mother and wife. As she continues to progress in her career as a content creator, she has learned relevant keywords really do matter.
