As a writer SEO is going to be a part of what you write on the web from company blogs to webpages to news stories.
The concept of keywords is simple enough but truly using them effectively does get more complex. The biggest and more important step lies in constructing effective long tail keyword phrases that will garner web traffic.
What is a Long Tail Keyword Phrase?
When you begin to think about keywords, it's natural to start with the basics. Let's say you are writing a news style story about a new law that was passed legalizing marijuana use. The first idea you may come up with is, quite naturally, something like "marijuana legalization".
However, if you do a Google search on that term, you are likely to come up with dozens, perhaps even hundreds of stories. Google ranks not only the word but the website it comes from. Places like CNN and other major news sources, for example, have what is called "domain authority" and will automatically come up first in a related search. That means your piece isn't likely to garner much traffic, buried there on page three or four of any Google search.
A long tail keyword phrase is simply a main keyword linked with a secondary (or even a third) keyword in an exact phrase. It http://seocompanyreviewers.com/ is based, logically speaking, on the kinds of phrases people would search on to find the information. By creating a longer phrase, there will be less competition and you should get a much higher "click through" rate (self explanatory term). You will also be combining the search power of two keywords, so it pays to do a little research and find good combinations.
For the marijuana law example, you might come up with phrases such as:
marijuana legalized Canada
marijuana law passed
pot legalized
and so on
SEO Tools
There are many online tools that you can use to help manage SEO. When you're evaluating keywords, Google trends is a common choice. It can give you an idea of how the word or term is tracking over time as well as other pertinent information.
To construct a phrase, begin with a good keyword. There are other places you can look for help but this is the gold standard:
You can explore topics in depth, as you'll see at this link: https://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=arthritis&cmpt=q&tz=Etc%2FGMT%2B4
At the top you'll find a graph showing interest in the keyword over time. If it seems dismal, you can often think of alternative words or phrases that work better. For instance, "global warming" is still more popular than "climate change" - scientific accuracy notwithstading. "Planet 9" is more popular than "planet nine". You get the idea.
The second section deals with regional interest. You can see where the term is searched the most.
The third layer gives you an idea of related terms - which can point the way to a good keyword phrase.
You can keep adding multiple search terms until you come up with good numbers for both. Anything above 60 should generate a fair amount of traffic. You can build a successful long tail phrase with two keywords but you can incorporate as many as eight or ten.
Sometimes, due to your topic or the requirements of your client, you are simply stuck with a word that doesn't garner much traffic. You can still optimize the results by constructing a phrase that may incorporate more popular terms.
Building Long Tail Keyword Phrases
The main keyword should relate directly to the topic of the article or post and may involve components such as proper names or people or events. The secondary word adds detail to the first idea.
Remember: the main goal is to think like someone who is searching for information. The headline should come as close as you can get to that goal.
Guidelines for use in the headline:
Use the exact phrase with no dividing words between to begin the headline.
Put the less popular secondary (exact) phrase later in the title.
Understanding search behaviour helps. People tend to put the ideas in a certain order, whether that's a conscious or unconscious decision.
Location
Person/Event/Organization/Object
Action or description
Time (month - year - day)
Type if applicable (i.e. video, photo, Twitter...)
Tips:
To incorporate an exact phrase into your title, try using it as a phrase or question.
You can then reinforce it by using it as a subtitle in the exact phrase, without having to worry about grammar or sentence construction.
It's a Changing World
SEO strategies will always change over time as Google retools their algorithms and what worked once upon a time works no more. Natural
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