A solid SEO and PPC Keyword Strategy is like walking a tightrope. We find ourselves in the delicate balance between demonstrating EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness) to build credibility, targeting search intent to improve rankings, and using storytelling to capture attention and keep readers engaged.
Finding that balance is key to an effective SEO and PPC Keyword Strategy that not only optimizes your content for search engines, but also connects with your audience. Here’s how to build a keyword strategy that allows you to do just that.
Step 1: Align your strategy with clear goals
Every marketing strategy should align with your business goals. Your goals will determine who you write to, what you write about, and why.
Examples of aligned goals and strategies:
Goal: Improve first page rankings.
Strategy: Focus on low-competition keywords to fill gaps and climb the rankings faster.
Goal: Increase conversions (downloads, demo requests, sales meetings, product purchases).
Strategy: Target transactional keywords with search intent that indicate the user is in the consideration stage (or further along) in the sales funnel.
Objective: Increase web traffic.
Strategy: Use broad keywords to attract more traffic, but monitor ad spend and lead quality as this audience may be irrelevant.
Objective: Reduce customer acquisition costs.
Strategy: Use long-tail keywords to attract a more relevant audience with less competition.
Make sure your landing page is aligned with your keyword strategy to reduce friction and improve conversions.
Step 2: Analyze your current performance
It’s impossible to improve your strategy without knowing where you’re starting from. Conduct an audit of your current content to assess your performance.
Key actions to establish your baseline:
- Review your existing content: Categorize topics and formats, and analyze key metrics like organic traffic and conversion rates.
- Analyze your keyword performance: Which keywords are driving traffic? Are you ranking in the top 3 or top 10 for relevant terms?
- Audit your technical SEO: Identify technical issues such as slow page speed or 404 redirects.
Use tools like Google Analytics to capture these metrics and set goals for incremental improvement.
Step 3: Find out what your audience is searching for
Research the keyword combinations your audience uses to search for content like yours.
Steps to research keywords:
- Review current search results: Enter your keywords into Google and review both organic and sponsored results.
- Look at the top-ranking sites: Analyze what they are doing well and how you can improve their content.
- Use Google Autocomplete: Type in keywords and let Google suggest related queries.
Build a list of relevant keywords and exclude those that don’t align with the intent of your content.
Step 4: Make decisions based on data, not hunches
Keyword research tools will help you find search terms with potential. Evaluate the following metrics:
- Volume: How many people are searching for this keyword?
- Difficulty: How difficult will it be to rank in the top 10 results on Google?
- Relevance: How relevant is this keyword to your business?
- Related Keywords: What other similar keywords are being searched for?
- Variations: What other phrases lead to your content?
Consider these metrics as a whole. Don’t get hung up on just one metric, as it’s the combination of factors that will make your strategy effective.
Step 5: Improve the user experience as much as the content
Once you have your list of keywords, optimize your landing page so that it not only informs your audience, but also search algorithms.
Key actions to optimize your landing page:
- Site speed and usability: Google uses metrics like Core Web Vitals to measure user experience.
- Mobile Optimization: Make sure your site is well adapted to mobile devices.
- Interactivity: Facilitates navigation and interaction to improve the time spent on the site.
Don’t forget that at the end of the day, you’re writing for people. Prioritize their experience while optimizing for search engines.
Step 6: Measure performance and adjust your strategy
Even the best keyword strategies need adjustments. Customer needs and behaviors change over time, and so do search algorithms.
Steps to adjust your strategy:
- Constantly monitor: Review the performance of your keywords to identify opportunities for improvement.
- Adjust based on search intent: If your content isn’t aligned with intended intent, reevaluate your approach.
- Optimize existing content: Update it regularly to ensure it remains relevant and useful.
Use performance data to continually refine your strategy and improve your results.
Developing a solid keyword strategy for SEO and PPC is an ongoing process that requires planning, data analysis, and adaptability. As user behaviors and search algorithms change, it’s crucial that you adjust your approach to stay relevant and competitive.
By following these six steps, you will not only improve your search engine rankings, but you will also attract a more qualified audience, optimizing your digital marketing efforts and achieving sustainable results in the long term.
