SEO Keyword Research and Usage on WordPress

Keyword research is the foundation of any successful SEO strategy. However, simply using Google Keyword Planner to find related terms is not enough. This tool is surprisingly straightforward and may only show related terms that already have the keyword in it. Therefore, it is essential to get creative with your keywords and think outside the box. You can find ideas for keywords by going to forums about the topic or a Yahoo Answers/Quora category and seeing what people are often asking for help with. Another way to get ahead of your competition is to really know what you write about. If you are knowledgeable about the subject, you can use that to your advantage by pulling in seemingly unrelated topics that you know are related and using keywords that an outsider could never think up in a million years.

When looking for keywords, the best kind are ones that have little competition and have an implied or specified intent to buy a product or service. Broad keywords are usually incredibly competitive and too general. People will often search these keywords out of curiosity and probably feel disinclined to purchase anything. Long-tail keywords are phrases, rather than a word or two, that you can target when writing content. It is essential to use the right kind of keywords to optimize your website’s search engine rankings.

Once you have found the right keywords, it is time to use them on your WordPress site. The first step is to use keywords in post/page titles. If you are targeting long-tail keywords that are often the easiest to rank for, it can often be enough to have that as the entire title. You can also optimize image file names and alt text by using relevant keywords. Writing content that is 100% related to the title is crucial, and using keywords in post/page URLs is also recommended. Google advises against using entire phrases and instead recommends using only a few (3-5) keywords for every post.

It is also essential to write an accurate meta description that describes what the content will do for the potential visitor in a compelling manner. Using sub-headings to structure your content and emphasize keywords that are directly related to what you are writing about is also recommended. Always put your sub-headings in the appropriate tag, such as

for broader topics and

for something more specific.

tags are reserved for the page title only.

Using broader keywords for categories is a way to send signals to the search engines that this is a topic you write about a lot on your site, and that they should perhaps consider giving you higher rankings for the search term, without actually having to target the broader keywords in the individual posts and pages. However, it is essential not to overuse your keywords, as this can harm your rankings and make for a terrible reading experience for any visitor.

In conclusion, keyword research is essential for any successful SEO strategy. It is crucial to get creative with your keywords and use the right kind of keywords to optimize your website’s search engine rankings. Once you have found the right keywords, it is essential to use them on your WordPress site in post/page titles, image file names and alt text, meta descriptions, sub-headings, and categories. However, it is crucial not to overuse your keywords and make for a terrible reading experience for any visitor.

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