How to Use Keywords in Your Blogging Strategy

Blogging is a great way to improve and also increase your organic traffic. The combination of keywords in which you use can have a profound effect on your ranking. Ensuring you also have the right key words can have a profound affect on your strategy as a whole. In this article we will look at how to use keywords in your blogging strategy, and also how you go about choosing the words you want to use. 

What are Keywords?

Keywords in their most basic form are the words in which someone from your audience types into a search engine. There are two forms of keywords: short tail and long tail. Short tail are one word and are very generic. Long tail are more like phrases and help to be more specific for those searching. 

Utilising long tail keywords more so can really help with pinning down those audience members who may be able to become customers. However, assessing which words need to be used, and are going to be best is also very crucial.

How do Keywords Affect my Strategy?

To start this section we need to address a blogging strategy. You need one. This will give you a clear plan of when you are going to dedicate time to blogging, what content you are going to produce as well as when and where you are going to post it. Keywords will have an affect on this as you will see in the coming parts to this guide on how to use keywords in your blogging strategy.

As discussed above, keywords are vitally important for how you attract your audience, and also grow your organic traffic. Blog posts are developed on the basis of keywords, and the research behind them. The keywords in which you use need to be targeted at your audience in order for them to be effective.

The keywords in which you use will tailor the way in which you write content, as well as the topics which you choose. 

How do I find my Keywords?

Now onto the bit that everyone hates, the research! This is a standard requirement as you need to find out what keywords are being used by your competitors, as well as what your audience is searching for. One of the best tools in the market at the moment is UberSuggest

This allows you to look at the highest ranking content as well as keywords within your chosen industry or sector. 

Another option is also to look at what your competitors are writing about. Their content will give you a good understanding of what your audience is looking to read. The keywords will be prominent in the article, and upon reading you will be able to see them. If you are going to utilise looking at your competitors then do not copy their content. If you copy their content then you are having to try and rank against them which is difficult. Take their content, read it, digest it and make it better. Look at how they have structured it and also the content. This will give you a guide to work with. 

How do I Choose the ones to use?

So after you have conducted your research you need to look at what keywords you have identified. This can be done through a variety of methods such as:

Choose keywords that match your audience

It does what it says on the tin, and what this article has been based around. Choose the keywords which match your audience as these are what will bring success. Look at the more specific keywords as this may unearth some of your target audience that your competitors have not.

Evaluate each keywords difficulty score 

Whittling down the keywords you have is going to be how you assess which ones are going to be best suited to your audience. This process can be done with a scoring system. Score the keywords 1-5 with 1 being low and 5 being a must. Doing this will also allow you to decide what content you are also going to be writing.

Look at each keywords search volume

The search volume gives you an estimate on how many times someone looks for that keyword. It’s great to choose keywords that lots of people are searching for, but remember that sometimes quantity does not always mean quality. Sometimes opting for a lower volume keyword can mean its much more bespoke and specific to your audience and goals.

How do I use the Keywords on my page?

Now you have done all the research, you have ranked the keywords which you found so now you need to use them. Keywords are associated with search engine rankings so in this case Google and Bing. Both run very different algorithms to assess keywords but are of a much of a muchness. 

SEO or search engine optimization is the process you now need to use. Using keywords in your heading and throughout your content is what helps to get your ranking levels up. There is no need to put them everywhere, you will know when the time is right and when it flows with your content. Pick one key word: be that long tail and short tail and focus on that.

To Conclude 

Keywords are vital for content development, and will ultimately tailor your blogging strategy. How you use keywords in your blogging strategy is very straight forward, and ensuring you have done the right research will determine your results. Make sure you are targeting your audience, what you think they may search for, and also what will answer their questions.

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