How well you rank in search engines is dependent not only on your brand, but also on the keyword strategies you employ on your website. Having your brand name as a keyword is not the most effective means of ensuring that you rank well in search engines. The keywords you choose and the strategies you employ will determine how well you sell your brand even to individuals who haven’t yet heard of you.
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Below are some SEO keyword strategies you could employ for your brand:
- Using the Most Relevant Keywords
There is no use in throwing words around on your blog or website and hoping that you will reach your target audience or market. At the end of the day, words are just that, words. Effectively choosing keywords that are most relevant to your industry is a step in the right direction. If, for example, you are a dealership in New York, throwing around the word “dealership” in your content will not get you anywhere. Thousands of boat dealerships exist across the globe. Going for specific keywords like “New York boat dealership” or “Boat dealers in New York” will help you rank better in search engines.
- Understanding Searcher Intent
Why would a searcher be looking for something on the internet? It is important to ask yourself this question even as you come up with content to avail on search engines. For example, there are different niches in different industries. A searcher could be looking for something very specific in the industry you are in. Additionally, they may not know about your brand therefore they cannot search for your brand directly. Even if they do know of your brand, you could be dealing in different products or services. Being more specific could help them find the exact thing they are looking for. You want to ensure that you are as specific as they are in the keywords you choose to use. A searcher could be searching for say dealerships that sell MasterCraft boats. Using keywords such as “MasterCraft Boat Dealerships in New York” or “New York MasterCraft Dealer” will therefore work better for you.
- Using Free Keyword Tools
There are many free and paid keyword tools in the market today that will help you decide on the keywords to target and how competitive they are. Not only are some free, they are also fast. Examples of these include Keyword Tool, Bing Ad Intelligence, Google AdWords Keyword Planner, Wordtracker Free Keywords, among others. These tools will help you sift out which keywords are most relevant in your industry. They will also help you find the most competitive keywords. Just because certain keywords are the most competitive does not necessarily mean that you should opt only for them, however. Going for less competitive keywords could give you a higher chance of getting found than the more competitive words. Use these keyword tools wisely to gain the most from them.
- Gathering More Keyword Ideas
There are hundreds of ways to come up with keywords for your industry. If you have been in the game for a while and have analytics data, you could use this to come up with your keywords. You can also use emails or feedback from your clients to determine what most of your clients have been looking for. These could serve as your keywords. Analyzing your competitors’ sites can also help you come up with keywords. Generally speaking, anything people could be searching for in a particular good or service in your industry could serve as your keywords. Once you find your keywords, you can group similar keywords so that you get target related phrases such as “New York boat dealership” and “boat dealership in New York” on a single page.
- Using Competitive Research Tools
These help you know where to enter a market from and to find a baseline for what to do and how to go about it. They can help you beat your competitors by giving you granular data from across the world. They also allow you to look for related keywords and compare domains against each other directly. These tools, therefore, give you a competitive edge.
Sources: wordstream.com/keyword-strategy, mequoda.com/articles/audience-development/the-best-seo-keyword-fights-you-can-win/, yoast.com/branding-keyword-strategy/, lynda.com/Business-Online-Marketing-tutorials/SEO-Keyword-Strategy-Depth/147030-2.html, seobook.com/learn-seo/keyword-research-strategies.php