Keywords play an important role in small business marketing. For some sites, improving your online visibility hinges on creating impactful SEO content focused on the right topics. Learning how to find keywords will help you attract your ideal audience.
Yet, as pivotal as keywords are for website optimization, they do not exist in isolation—you don’t “insert keywords” into your website and call it a day. There’s much more to a robust digital strategy than just a list of search terms.
Why Keywords are Important for SEO
Improving search engine understanding: Proper keyword optimization lets search engines comprehend your content better. When your small business website ranks well for phrases pertinent to its target audience, it will attract organic (free) visitors genuinely interested in your offerings.
Guiding user intent: Keywords allow you to tailor content for users at different stages of the buying journey. By understanding user search behaviors, you can offer content that directly addresses their queries. Most small business SEO projects begin with keyword research.
How to Find Keywords
Leverage your knowledge: Begin with your business insights. Brainstorm potential search phrases that your audience might use in order to find products and services like yours. Test these on major search engines and notice the number of paid ads—indicative of keyword value. Ask your circle for their search preferences and use buyer personas for precision.
When people are new to generating SEO keyword ideas, they sometimes think too broadly. For example, a solid waste disposal team suggested concepts like “environmental” and “carbon emissions,” but these are not terms potential customers would search to find local disposal services.
Note that for many local small service-based businesses such as roofers or landscapers, core keywords are usually straightforward to identify. Customers typically search directly for what your business offers, such as “roof repair” or “emergency plumber.” Yes, be thorough, but there’s no need to overthink it—despite what some SEOs or tools might suggest.
Use free keyword research tools: Keyword tools can provide valuable insights, but the data can be overwhelming for beginners who may not fully grasp the importance of context and relevance. The good news is that tools are not necessary to find obvious, common-sense keywords that customers use for straightforward service-based businesses. However, if your business offers specialized services, tools can help uncover less obvious niche phrases or emerging search trends.
Google: Type your queries into Google and analyze what the search engine results pages (SERPs) return.
Keywords Everywhere: A favorite extension showing data in Google search. This tool is no longer free, but it is very affordable.
Google Search Console: A free tool showing queries your site makes impressions for and where you can improve content.
Google Autocomplete: Type a topic into your search bar to see related terms.
Google Trends: Allows you to compare the popularity of multiple terms.
Explore Google Keyword Planner: Accessible via Google Adwords, this tool offers comprehensive keyword insights. Input your preferred keyword and discover related suggestions. Remember this data is tailored more for PPC ads vs organic search.
Competitor analysis: Research competitors’ keywords. Some small business SEO tools such as Ahref’s free traffic checker or Semrush can offer insights.
Selecting the Right Keywords
Before diving into keyword selection, focus on learning the basics of SEO. A strong foundation will help you effectively prioritize keywords that align with your business goals and customers’ needs, rather than getting overwhelmed by data.
Relevance: Ensure the keyword aligns with your product and target audience. A traffic surge from a mismatched keyword won’t convert. Not only does this lead to lower sales and conversions, but it can also damage brand reputation as users find the content misleading.
Variety: Incorporate a mix of primary and secondary keywords to provide context and depth. This strategy ensures a broader coverage in search results and offers users a more comprehensive insight into the topic or product.
Performance: Monitor metrics and success rates. Refine and adapt based on insights and ensure your content is aligned with the searcher’s intent. Keeping track of keyword performance regularly can help in identifying trends, eliminating underperforming keywords, and focusing on those that drive results.
Long-tail advantage: Longer, specific phrases can draw a more defined audience. These keywords often mirror natural language searches and can capture users who are at a more decisive stage in their search journey. Remember, the point of your content is to drive revenue, not gather impressive website traffic.
Keyword intent: Classify keywords based on the intent: informational (looking for information), navigational (looking for a specific site), transactional (looking to purchase), and commercial (looking to compare products before purchasing). Understanding the intent behind a keyword helps in writing content that directly answers the searcher’s needs and drives better engagement.
When selecting keywords, prioritize understanding your customers’ intent. Rather than chasing high-volume terms, focus on what your target audience is actively searching for and how it aligns with your business offerings. This approach ensures you’ll attract visitors who are more likely to convert.
How to Use Keywords
With your curated list, now your mission is to offer valuable, helpful content.
Integrate with your content strategy: The most important thing to understand is that SEO keywords don’t exist in isolation. They can guide the way you structure your services pages and your content strategy.
Application: Use your primary keyword in the search title and initial paragraph. Additionally, consider including keywords in meta descriptions, headings, image alt tags, and URL slugs. Weave in variations of the keyword organically to maintain natural language and avoid over-optimization.
Stay updated: Industries evolve, and so do consumer behaviors and search algorithms. Regularly updating your keyword strategy ensures you remain relevant, effective, and ahead of your competition. Ensure you consider both user intent and search trends.
Avoid keyword cannibalization: You don’t need multiple pages targeting identical keywords—this can confuse search engines about which page is more relevant to the keyword. Instead, have a distinct focus for each page, ensuring content clarity and improving the chances of ranking higher in search results.
Finding keywords to drive traffic to your website is a part of an overall digital marketing strategy that includes authority content, social media, email marketing. But keep in mind, Google focuses on user intent, also considering factors such as past searches, location, and personalized data. Understanding user intent and how search engines respond to it can give you a competitive edge.
Beyond Keywords
The Value of Industry Expertise
It’s important to recognize that a robust content strategy goes beyond just keywords. To cement your authority and credibility, you need to produce insightful commentary that showcases your deep industry expertise.
Standing out as an authoritative figure provides a unique edge for your business. Insightful commentary isn’t about brand-centric narratives, it revolves around offering deep insights, thorough analyses, and future-oriented perspectives that shape and steer conversations.
Looking Ahead
In a world with generative AI and AI-based search tools providing rapid answers to basic queries, and the omnipresent influx of SaaS companies churning out vast amounts of content, the nature of what constitutes “valuable” content will continue to change. Keywords lay the foundation for search engine visibility, but when coupled with your subject matter expertise, they can offer a pathway to industry influence.
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