Keyword variations on a single page

[Smart_Start]

I have done the research and have compiled a list of a little over 100 keywords that are highly connected to our industry. I have used the metrics to rank those keywords and have given the top 50 of them a ranking. My intention is to use them on my site and make sure that all of my pages have a keyword focus. In doing this, I am running into some challenges. Any insight would be helpful.

1. There are numerous keywords that have simple variations in them. I am trying to figure out if each variation needs it's own page. I have read articles (here on moz) that say that one page can rank for several keywords, and other articles that say that a simple variation can need it's own page. Not sure what to do here. Below is an example of what I mean.

(examples: "my long tail keyword" , "my long tail" , "my long" , "long tail" , "long tail keyword" , "keyword long tail")

2. Will it help to create a page for each one of the 50 or even the full 100? I have the opportunity to use blogs and FAQ's to assist with content creation.

3. Since my brand ranks well and is obviously tied highly into my site, do I worry about including brand terms in my keyword focus or should I just focus on those search terms?

[Smart_Start]

Deacyde,

Your response about the user was good. You spend days and days researching keywords and sometimes you get lost in the weeds and forget what the whole thing is all about.

[LoganRay]

I usually go with the one that has the biggest opportunity for impressions - the one/two with the highest search volume. Usually means more competition for it, but you'll never outrank them if you don't try.

[Deacyde]

Hello,

Got to remember that if you create a page for each keyword variation, that those pages are going to have horrible metrics and could even hurt ranking for that keyword because of such.

I have really seen great results when you focus all intent on the user, is making a bunch of pages that barely have content but target that keyword going to really help users?

It would be better off to try and target one page for many variations, especially if that page is going to answer the user's search query. That's really how you should be setting your pages up, the keyword they rank for should be keywords that contain info being searched for otherwise you're going to have bad traffic that could send bad signals.

You'd be better off writing blogs for those keyword variations and tying content and other pages ( like the parent keyword page ) into them with links to help add authority.

Brand terms are mainly for homepage, about us page and possibly landing page of a category parent. Otherwise using your brand ( unless in a blog post ) is kinda stuffing things and wasting space that could be used by other keywords.

[Smart_Start]

Logan,

On your concept of grouping the keywords based on topic, how do you determine which one in the group is the focus keyword for the page?

[LoganRay]

Hi John,

I recommend grouping your keywords into similar topics and associating them with either an existing URL on your site, or if the topic isn't currently discussed on your site, proposing a new URL. This process is called keyword mapping, where you take each keyword your tracking and pair it with a preferred URL. I start all of my SEO projects off with one, here's why:

1. Provides a road map of what _existing _content needs to be updated
2. Lays out what new content I need to create
3. Prevents me from diluting the emphasis of one keyword by addressing a very similar one on another page
4. Helps me set priorities on which content should be updated/generated first (I aggregate search volume for all associated URLs and work in a descending order)