Pretty much all business owners now know how key SEO is to their overall success. Getting your SEO efforts right will not only help you rank higher in search engine results but also drive more traffic to your website. This can then lead to more leads, more sales and a more visible online presence. Search engine optimisation is a deep topic though which takes in a number of key areas. Keywords certainly fall into this category. Choosing the right ones is crucial to effective SEO and appealing to your target audience.

But just how do you go about picking the right keywords to use on your website?

Use the right tools

A great tip that should be a part of all keyword research is using relevant online tools to help. You may think you know what terms or words your customers are looking for – but the reality can often be different. Using online keyword research tools takes the guesswork out of it and ensures the ones you choose are worthwhile. Of course, Google has a famous free online keyword research tool but there are also others like SEMRUSH. Tools like this show key metrics like volume, competition and trends on the keywords you enter. This allows you to then select ones which are right for your site.

Remember to use long-tail keywords

When people think of keywords, they naturally bring individual words to mind. While this is fine, it is also useful to use long-tail keywords as well. These consist of multiple words which make up a commonly searched for phrase or term. Something like ‘SEO keyword tips and techniques’ is a good example of what we mean. The beauty with long-tail keywords is that they usually involve less competition, so are easier to rank well for. They can also more closely mimic what real people actually search for on the web and so grab more traffic.

Check out what other businesses are doing

Of course, we are not talking about copying a competitor’s SEO plan for keywords in its entirety. That would be unethical and actually prevent you from standing out to people. There is however nothing wrong with looking at what successful competitors are targeting. Once you have done this, you will then have a better idea of the type of keywords which work or which may be too competitive for you to target. Having a look at your competitor’s keywords can also give you fresh inspiration. Once you have this information, it is key to formulate your own plan and research the keywords you will use.

Let Healy Web Design help

While the above are some good starting points for choosing decent keywords, you might not have the time or inclination to carry them out. If this is the case, why not let the experts at Healy Web Design help? Our simple and affordable SEO services will help you find the perfect keywords to use. Get in touch via the contact form on our website for more details.