Where to use which keywords...
-
After doing keyword research and coming up with a list of keywords/phrases that I'd like to optimise a specific page for (an additional page to an existing website), I get confused about WHERE to use which keywords.
For example, choosing between two keywords like home insurance and specialist home insurance.
Let's say home insurance is more searched than the other, and but is more difficult to rank for, and specialist home insurance is less searched but easier to rank for. Firstly, which one should I use as my "main keyword" and secondly, what benefit does the other keyword(s) then have on the rest of the page, and were do I use them?
I hope this makes sense. Any help will be greatly appreciated!
-
Thank you for your answers! Much appreciated.
-
I'd point out that "home insurance" is actually a distinct keyphrase existing intact within "specialist home insurance"... so if it was me, all else being equal and contextually appropriate, I'd probably lean just a little heavier on the latter knowing that I'm actually capturing both at once.
-
Bryan's advice is good, but make sure to balance your focus on search traffic and competition with a consideration of what would make the most sense for your visitors. I'm not very familiar with the industry, but are "specialist home insurance" and "home insurance" synonymous? If they're not, make sure to use language that fits the content on the page.
Also, keep in mind that the search engines are quite good at figuring out intent and associated terms. Cyrus Shepard's "Keywords to Concepts" covers the idea of topical search quite well.
-
I don't think this is something you should take any speculation about. I suggest doing concurrent A/B testing for these terms; meaning, you should optimize the page for Keyword A for a month or so and record the data, and the next month, optimize it for Keyword B to compare your KPIs. That way, you have hard data backing whatever decision you make.
If, however, you don't want to do any A/B testing, or have time constraints, (and I can't stress enough that this advice should only be taken under those conditions) choose the higher-volume keyword as your primary and the lower as your secondary keyword. Optimize, and leave it for a bit. After a while, tweak things more toward the lower and, if your KPIs improve, tweak again. If your key data points get worse, however, then it's fair to assume that the higher-volume keyword is better for your traffic and such.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Is it worth creating a page for misspelled keywords?
I had thought the answer to this was no with the way Google search corrects mispellings. But in Google webmaster tools queries for a page I see the page ranking for a misspelled keyword. And looking at Key Word Finder it tells me the search volume for that keyword is high. But, when I search for the keyword myself it Google it auto corrects the results to the correct spelling. Is it worth creating a page for misspelled keywords?
Keyword Research | | Azam_Khan0 -
About Keywords
Hi everybody! I was reading a huge pdf about keywords, long tails and too many things and my brain is now like a blender. What is the diference between long tails and keywords? Thanks to everybody! Have a nice day!
Keyword Research | | Harmario0 -
Domestic keyword searches
Hello I've spent some much information about how to get the best keywords for my SEO niche page. However, since the recent google changes, different opinions I fond it hard to use something accurate. Also the fact hat may keywords has so many variables, it makes it even tougher and more complex for a new beginner like me. Could anyone please guide me in the right way please? Lets say I would like rankings for Electronic Cigarettes in Norway. It can be written in so many different way, ecig. e-cig. elcig, e cigarette etc etc. (norwegian version ofc) I have for the most part used google keyword planner, but I am really unsure of what boxes to tick and not. I have deleted my wordpress installation and starting from scratch. But I want to make sure I get it 100% right this time before I start.
Keyword Research | | Kroeriks0 -
What keywords does the competition have?
I know this might be a long shot. I've been working on my google rankings and am first for a few keywords but still seeing quite low traffic. Is there a tool that allows me to see what keywords my competition is receiving high levels of traffic from? Thanks Dan
Keyword Research | | DanFromUK0 -
How reliable is GWT's keyword data & what is the most accurate way of determining keywords you currently rank for?
I have been monitoring the query data (keywords, average position, CTR, etc.) in GWT, but sometimes the ranking data seems off. I filter the dates for the past week, so it is the most recent. I manually check some of the rankings and they are way off. Does anyone have feedback on this? If you have access to multiple domain data, that would be great. What is the most accurate way of determining keywords you currently rank for? I have also used keywordspy, and that is off too!
Keyword Research | | inhouseseo0 -
Reasonable price for Keyword Research
If I knew what to look for I would do it myself. But I want it done now. The words would relate to one broad category with possible gold that can be mined from 12 sub-categories categories. In my preliminary seat of the pants research I didn't find much in the sub-categories but there were around 10 key words in the broad categories. I am getting a lot of long tail words ranked but I don't believe there is hardly any traffic. Does anyone know what a reasonable estimate is for this degree of keyword research? Also if anyone would like to submit a bid for this work please personal email me. Utah Tiger.
Keyword Research | | Boodreaux0 -
Do you avoid the use of stop words in your keyword optimization?
For example, for the keyword phrase 'the history of the united states,' how would you determine whether or not to include 'the' or 'of' in the title, description, and URL? Do you tend to use stop words or not in your keyword optimization? Why or why not?
Keyword Research | | nicole.healthline0 -
How to choose keywords for a small, local business
I have a client who is a small, local business that isn't interested in competing outside of their market. Let's use a Toyota dealership in Anytown USA as an example. Which method makes more sense? A: Optimize for keywords like "toyota", "used cars", etc. and hope the search engines show the site to local users? Or B: Optimize for keywords like "toyota anytown" and "used cars anytown" and take localization out of the equation? Kind of a newbie trying to figure out how best to approach SEO for sites that are highly geographic.
Keyword Research | | jimlast0