Basic Search Engine Optimization: Keywords

Keywords are one of the few aspects of search engine optimization that have remained vitally important.
Since the dawn of Google and the subsequent increase in internet search, businesses worldwide have been competing to get their website to the top of search results. That prized number one spot on the search engine results page is worth millions of dollars, but it’s also not for sale.
Investing in your business website’s search engine optimization efforts is vital if you hope to succeed online; there’s no point in having an expertly designed and beautiful website if no one can actually find it, right?
So what are keywords?
Keywords are central to Google’s all-mysterious search algorithm as they help the search engines determine just how relevant your content is to the search terms you’re hoping to target. For example: if your California-based plumbing business website doesn’t contain the words “plumbing” and “California” you’re not likely to rank high on California searches such as “local plumbers”.
Your search engine optimization efforts should center around the creation of informative, helpful content that will really give searchers what they’re looking for. Google’s primary aim, after all, is to provide webizens with the content and services they’re looking for, and rank your site according to how well matched it is to search terms.
Keywords in history:
Keywords have always been a central part of search engine optimization. During periods governed by the earlier iterations of Google’s search algorithm, the benefits of keywords on site ranking were abused by site administrators who tricked the search engine crawler into giving their site a high ranking through “keyword stuffing”. Keyword stuffing is quite literally the act of stuffing your content and website with the relevant keywords; some sites did this by filling the background of their website with keywords and then hiding the text. This won’t get you a high ranking in today’s online world though; Google soon wised up to the tricks of keyword stuffers and blacklisted the sites. First lesson in search engine optimization: make sure your keywords are included as quality content!
Keywords in search engine optimization today:
Your search engine optimization strategy should revolve around the consistent creation of quality content that is relevant to your industry. Remember that Cali-based plumbing site? They would rank a lot higher if they provided helpful how-tos on day-to-day plumbing problems and accurate “about the company” information, including a map of their location. Key search terms for any California residents looking for a local plumber could be “California plumbers”, “plumbers near me” and “how can I fix my plumbing?”.
Regularly updating your content is also going to give you an SEO boost, but be sure to keep things relevant. How about a business blog? You could discuss news in your industry – trending topics make for good blog articles, or provide how-to guides related to the service or products you supply.
Unfortunately there’s such a thing as over optimizing your website content for keywords, so your site can be ranked lower even if it contains unnaturally high references to the right keywords! Try to ensure each use of a keyword is organic and doesn’t seem forced; this should help you get the balance right.
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