What are Keywords, Do They Really Matter?
January 19th, 2022
Keywords are used to help search engines (ie., Google, Yahoo, Bing) as well as users with finding information on the Internet.
The term "keyword" is a broad concept and can be thought of as the fundamental goal of SEO. Whether you're targeting a certain service region or industry; whether you're targetting specific keywords for ad campaigns; your keyword strategy is what will push your site ahead and keep it there. This article aims to explain why they're important and how to optimize them correctly so that each click brings in more profit than an expense.
Let's start with the basics: A keyword is simply a word or phrase entered into a search engine by either humans or bots which returns results related to that particular keyword. Let's say you type in "dog" into Google; it will return with millions of results related to dogs. It's important to note that there are nuances between the relationship between keywords and pages, though this is difficult for search engines (and bots) to understand.
Google has really simplified things by making its algorithm publically available; however, there are some general rules that always apply when trying to optimize your site/page for one or more particular keywords:
Relevance is key. If users notice that your page is too different from what they were looking for then they won't stay on your page long enough to get a sense of what you're about. In fact, if it appears that you've been trying too hard then they'll probably leave. It's a fine line that you have to walk carefully.
In terms of algorithms, correlation is important as well. If the search engine notices a strong correlation between one or more keywords and your page then you should rank higher in those related searches even if your relevant content isn't as good as other pages'. This system makes it easy for users to find what they want quickly and keeps them from having to navigate through thousands of results-- this ultimately means that users will find what they're looking for faster and be satisfied with their return on investment (ROI).
Well-crafted meta tags are also an important part of optimization; however, it's difficult to explain why without going into lengthy detail about parsing code, which isn't exactly a user-friendly topic. In general, just know that meta tags have a big impact on targeted keywords and how they're perceived by search engines.
In the end, you want to provide users with something that they'll find useful while drawing in enough traffic from keyword searches to keep your site profitable. How do you do that? Well, it's difficult to say because everyone has different needs and requirements for their website; however, it's important to remember what Google is all about: providing accurate results quickly. After all, if a user finds what they need on Google then they won't need to look anywhere else-- this is why there are so many SEO forums dedicated to helping people get themselves ranked higher online!
Keywords can be a helpful tool-- or a dangerous weapon-- when wielded correctly. If you're going to use them then make sure that they'll provide maximum ROI for any particular campaign.
Relevance is key in keeping users satisfied with their online experience and optimizing your content takes careful planning and implementation; however, having knowledge of how search engines operate will give you an advantage over those who don't take the time to learn these relatively simple concepts before trying to optimize their site!