Last Updated on by Michael Brockbank
When it comes to finding content online, good keywords are always going to matter. But nowadays, it’s all about delivering quality information to someone searching for a specific topic. It’s all about search intent and whether you can provide that information.
Still, having good keywords means the difference in attracting visitors. After all, you’re not going to find parts to a 1990 Dodge Daytona if you’re searching for “barbecue chicken recipes.”
However, you need to do more than just add a certain keyphrase to your post. Just because you add a high-search-volume keyword to your article doesn’t mean it’ll show instantly on the first page of Google.
What is Search Intent?
In a nutshell, search intent is the reason behind any topic a person will search in systems like Google. What is the person’s intent and what is he or she actually looking for?
Using a keyword as a guide, you can offer a wide scope of answers for any given topic. But if you can zero in on why a lot of people are searching for specific information, you can easily draw in traffic.
As Google continuously fine-tunes its algorithms to deliver high-quality information, you need to focus more on fully understanding your target audience.
It’s More About the Topic
Good keywords are more of a guide than anything. Instead of the days of old when you could saturate a blog post to appear higher in results, you have to focus more on a specific topic.
While this makes creating content more difficult than it used to be, the results far outweigh the extra work.
Not only does focusing on topic help appear higher on the results page of Google, but visitors are more likely to buy your products or services.
Providing Answers that People Want
The best way to gain a lot of attention, from both search engines and visitors, is to provide answers to questions. After all, most searches are conducted because someone wants to know something.
Now, good keywords can lay the groundwork for developing those answers. But, you’ll still need to go into detail if you want visitors to view you as an authority or as the “go-to” area of the web for information.
Merely adding popular terms to an article is not going to be enough for future success. If you’re not adding relevant information to the topic, you’re not going to draw an audience.
It’s as simple as that.
What Do You Offer?
One thing to keep in mind about using good keywords is that sometimes you can answer a question that someone hasn’t thought of regarding the topic.
In other words, you don’t have to follow trends to get noticed online. In fact, I’ve developed several articles that performed well just because I thought it was an interesting topic.
Apparently, so did quite a few other people.
Expertise and insight can go a long way. Using good keywords can accentuate the content, but it’s still up to you to create something meaningful for the reader.
Diving Into Details
Speaking of adding meaningful content, expanding the details can work great in your favor when writing. Of course, this is going to depend greatly on your target audience.
For example, what if you wrote a tutorial? Will the majority of your visitors appreciate a short, to-the-point, how-to article? Or, do they want something that goes further into detail?
Details can work as a double-edged sword. They can work in your favor to get seen in Google. However, too many details can make your content appear long-winded and boring. It all really depends on who you’re targeting.
In the end, good keywords don’t mean much if you don’t have a good on-page time from visitors.
If you’re worried about going into too much detail about any given topic, there’s nothing wrong with creating a second or third piece of content. Perhaps you can break down topics to create a stream of posts covering each point in full.
My point is that people want details. It’s the level of detail you use that will make or break an article. Understand your target audience and understand which they would prefer when producing articles.
Good Keywords Don’t Play the Role as They Once Did
Back in the day, website owners could simply fill up an article and saturate it with keywords. Today, it doesn’t work that way. While good keywords are still important, it’s all about the topic and what you can convey.
Focus on quality while providing valuable information. When it comes to driving an audience, effort in your work can go a long way.
Put in a half-assed effort, and you’ll get a half-assed result.
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