Do you know the saying, “if you build it, they will come”? Well, I hate to break it to you but, when it comes to your digital marketing strategy, it’s a big ole lie.
You may have a drool-worthy product, a beautiful website, and even a killer business philosophy. But if your keywords ain’t showing, your sales ain’t growing.
So, if you want a helping hand understanding keywords to strengthen your SEO strategy, including what they are, why they’re important, and how to get a handle on them for your eCommerce store, read on.
Understanding what keywords are + why they’re important can help you create better content
Keywords are the words that you use to describe what your content is about. If you take all of the words, images and products on each page of your website, and sum them up into a few words or phrases, these would be considered your keywords.
When someone performs a search on Google or Bing, they use specific words to find what they’re looking for, otherwise known as search terms. If your website is optimised for SEO and your content uses keywords that match these search terms, then it’s more likely to appear in their search results.
This is important because a store that ranks in search results is more likely to get visitors, and visitors mean potential sales.
Knowing how to use keywords the right way can make all the difference
Start by creating a master list of the keywords that you’re going to use across your website. While you won’t use them all at once (usually two or three per page) it’s helpful when you’re updating or creating new content to have a list to refer back to.
When you’re choosing keywords for your website, use ones that are descriptive of your business but also represent the key topics on each page. If your online store sells essential oils and you write a blog post called, “The Best Type of Oils for Diffusers,” the keywords and phrases you use in the article could include essential oils, oils for diffusers, or best essential oils for diffusers (among others).
People may also use different terms in their search, even when they’re looking for the same thing. For example, when searching for dishware, one person may type, “plates” while another may use, “dishes”. Try to select synonyms for words or phrases that can mean the same thing, so you don’t miss out on appearing for other searches.
When you’re creating your list, there are several tools that you can use to find keywords: Google Keyword Planner, Moz, and Semrush to name a few.
Plan to reuse the keywords and phrases throughout your content, and put them in the sections that search engines are more likely to refer to the page title and body of content, URL, H1 tag, meta description, and alt attributes of any images.
Need help with your SEO + keyword strategy?
Managing your SEO and keyword strategy on your own is fine (in theory). But we know first-hand that it can be a huge undertaking for busy online business owners.
When you book a brand discovery session with the experts at Good Commerce, we’ll review your website and develop a tailored SEO strategy that'll give you long-term organic growth, that includes:
- Keyword Research
- Meta Title Optimization
- Alt Tag Optimization
- Link Building
- Content Strategy
- Content Analysis
- Local SEO
- Blog Creation
- Broken Link Auditing