Keywords are the phrases that ignite search processes in search engines. They serve as the jump off point for search engines when result filtering starts. It’s extremely important to know how and how many keywords should be placed in the content of a webpage so that it has higher chance of getting found, listed and ranked.
Improper placement of keywords can lead to losing business because you miss the chance of being listed in the search engine results and lose potential traffic. According to studies, 95% of the people only view the first page of search results. Moreover, 90% percent of them click only the first three results of the search.
That means keyword placement is of utmost importance for SEO and if you are not doing it correctly you’ll seriously harm your business. Consult our blog post Is SEO worth it for Small businesses? To see more about what SEO is and how important it is for businesses’ success.
Before we proceed further, let us get to know what does the terms SEO and Keywords mean.
What is SEO?
SEO means optimizing your web pages so that they rank better in search engine result pages (SERPs) when people make a search query. Important aspect of this process is keywords that tell what your content is about.
What are Keywords?
Words or phrases that people type into search engines to find their desired information or solution.
Google (or other search engines) use those phrases to make search across the internet and find content that is relevant to that particular search query. SEO determines how the page will be ranked in search engine result pages for a particular term.
Type of Keywords:
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Primary keyword:
Refers to the main targeted keyword of a content. It is the single keyword/idea a page focuses on. It is the core topic of a page.
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Secondary keywords:
Keywords that are closely related to the primary keyword. They endorse the primary keyword that your page is targeting. Secondary keywords might include subtopics, long-tail keywords, synonyms or variations of the primary keyword.
Why Are Keywords Important For SEO?
Selecting and using the right keywords is crucial for search engine optimization. It is what that starts the search process and tells the search engine what your web content is about. SEO is impossible without them.
If there are no keywords, search engines will not be able to understand the purpose and context of your web pages and therefore unable to rank you for search queries. That means, losing visibility, potential traffic and missed business opportunities.
Keywords found the basis of modern search engine ranking algorithms and determine which web pages to rank and in which order.
While there are many ways as to how to use and place SEO keywords, let us learn a basic and quick way on to how frequently to use them in your content.
How Many SEO Keywords per Page?
Search engine marketers and SEO experts recommend using one main keyword per page. The focus should be on targeting one core keyword per page and secondary keywords can be added to it as per need. Two to three variations to the main keyword should also be included per individual page.
The question here arises that what should be the main keyword of the content if there are multiple variations to it? As, a single keyword can be addressed using various terms. Let’s get it clearer using an example.
Suppose you want to buy a mobile phone and search using term “ads on mobile phones”. The same search could be made using other terms like, “adverts on mobile phone”, “ads on cell phone”, “ads about Cell phones”, “advertisement on mobile phones” etc. search engines are smart enough to know that all these term are referring to similar searches. It will give almost similar responses with slight variations to all of these.
But it is up to you to determine best, main keyword for your page that will get you the highest possible ranking. For this you have to keep a keen eye on industrial and SEO trends. Keyword searching tools like ‘Google’s keyword Planner’ or ‘SEO optimer Keywords’ are also very helpful in this regard.
‘Keyword’ research tool and ‘Content Assistant’ also gives you access to thousands of primary and secondary keyword options. The point is to incorporate keywords in the content that have high reach and search volume but fall for less competition.
Number of Keywords per Page:
Remember less is more when it comes to the number of keywords that should be targeted in a page. One primary keyword per page that is supported by few more keywords on your website is good for SEO.
Make one primary keyword for a single page but infuse a variety of that targeted phrase into your content. For instance, if your blog is about best living destinations in Thailand and your primary keyword is “best hotels in Thailand” include supporting keywords like “budget-friendly hotels in Thailand” or “best places to live in Thailand” or “best accommodation in Thailand” This increases you potential to rank for various type of keywords using similar search aim.
One way of doing is to place the target keyword at homepage and incorporate secondary keywords in it. Include different primary keyword for different pages thus focusing on different keywords with the whole website.
Targeting different but related keywords on a page and targeting different keywords for different pages on your website lets you to get to a wider audience.
Why Fewer Keywords per Page are Better?
Using fewer but related keywords is important because they allow:
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More Focus:
Using one keyword per page allows you to have sharp focus on the topic under discussion making you generate more valuable and relevant content. If you focus 4 to 5 keywords per page, imagine how difficult it would be to structure the content in a way that do not confuse readers and search engines.
Moreover, how difficult it would be to write meta title, tags, subheading and meta descriptions for each topic. Targeting only one keyword per page lets SEOs better target title tags and meta descriptions for each page.
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Target Customers, not Keywords:
Keywords should not be your sole purpose. Remember that you are writing your content to fulfill customer needs and keywords are just a mean of doing that. They are not the central point.
Do your keyword research and infusion after finalizing your topic so that the focus remains on the needs of customers. Fewer Keywords mean content is more aligned with user intent.
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Avoid Trickle-Down Effect:
In SEO, the trickle-down effect means when a page gets ranked for keywords it wasn’t optimized for. That means the page’s focus shifts from the actual topic to secondary ones which is not a good thing when you want to get ranked for a particular topic.
For example, if on a page that is actually resourced for selling sun glasses, you put too much information about the hazards to eyesight- search engines might not index it for its intended topic and it will thus lose its purpose and search engine visibility. Therefore, be smart to choose few but relevant keywords per page.
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Lessen the chance of Keyword Dilution:
Using lesser keyword per page also lessen the chance of keyword dilution. When you target multiple keywords in a single page, the intensity of each individual keyword decreases.
For example, you have to advertise a bakery selling both sweet and savory baked items. It is better to classify and write about both of them on separate pages rather than on a single page.
If you target both keywords ‘sweet baked goods” and “savory baked goods” on one page, the chances of optimizing them for ranking become slimmer. Thus, they “dilute” each other’s power. Avoid this.
How to Place SEO Keywords in the Content?
Avoid keyword stuffing while using them in your content. Use them naturally in your content maintaining proper density while focusing on fulfilling visitors’ intent.
SEO experts recommend placing keywords in:
- Page title
- Meta description
- Within the start and ending 200 words
- Occasionally throughout the content
- In some of the headers
- Introduction paragraph
- Alt text for some of the images
- Closing paragraph
- Include the keyword in the title tag
- In (some of the) sub-headings
- In the URL
- Use Keywords Within the First 200 Words
- Use long-tail keywords in the copy
Fairly distribute the keywords throughout the core of your content where they do not feel overused or forced.
Final words:
We hope that now you now have a clearer understanding of what keywords are and how many SEO keywords should be there per page, after reading this blog post. Your aim should be to target one core keyword through the page’s content, supported by 2 to 3 secondary keywords.
Some of the website’s pages that do not have specific, high-traffic keywords should be provided links with other pages to keep them included. Although optimizing keywords is critical for SEO, be focused on writing user friendly website content that serves the need of visiting customers.