Harold Kippington, Negosentro | We’ve all read poor content online. This type of content jars for a variety of reasons. It is often riddled with errors and the keywords stick out like a sore thumb. Not surprisingly, poorly written content is penalized by search engines like Google.
The Panda update several years ago wiped out millions of poor quality websites peppered with illiterate, keyword stuffed articles. Today’s website owners are more aware of the damage caused by bad content stuffed with keywords. But, keywords are essential, as they tell a search engine what type of website you have. If you are having problems inserting keywords into your content, here’s how to do it the right way.
Select the Right Keywords
Before you do anything, carry out some keyword research. There are lots of keyword planner tools out there, including Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and Moz’s Keyword Explorer. Try out a few for size and see what keywords are relevant for your niche. Once you have a list of keywords, it’s time to create some content.
Break up your keywords into categories. This makes it easier for content writing purposes. Long-tail key phrases work best in blog content, but it can be hard to incorporate them in the text without it looking awkward. Short key phrases are easier, but you still need to be careful.
Write Around Keywords and Long-tail Key Phrases
Write your content around your keywords, not the other way around. Trying to shoehorn a key phrase in after you have written a blog is never a good idea. It will look false and stand out. The aim is for your content to look seamless. If you get it right, the reader won’t even notice your keywords.
Write Naturally
Try to write naturally. Keywords should appear as often as needed. Text should look 100% natural, so if a keyword needs to appear several times, use keyword variations to mix it up.
Keyword Density
Do not get too hung up on keyword density. There is conflicting information online about the optimum keyword density. Too many keywords in an article and you run the risk of triggering a keyword sensor tool, but too few and Google won’t have a clue what your page is about.
Once again, writing naturally is the key to your woes. Write around your keywords. Select a topic that fits the keywords and allows you to add them seamlessly into the content. You should always write for the reader, not the search engine. Keywords matter, but first and foremost, content must be engaging and interesting. Good content keeps readers coming back for more.
Write around one keyword or key phrase and don’t throw in too many secondary key words. Your subject matter should be detailed and on point. Once you get too far off topic and throw in other keywords, there is a risk that the search engines will downgrade your content.
Don’t forget to add keywords to meta descriptions and visual content too. Use keywords in alt-tags for images.
