Anyone reasonably familiar with social media and other internet forums would already know that keyword optimisation is an essential ingredient in the online marketing mix. Whether it’s for a business website or your LinkedIn profile, using keywords that align with what others are looking for (aka search engine optimisation*) is known to increase your chances of being ‘found’.
Avoid Keyword ‘Overuse Abuse’
The use of keywords needs to be strategically thought out in most online marketing content. Their overuse can interrupt the flow of your writing. They could also distract readers from the marketing messages you’re trying to send them. The aim is to attract potential customers and followers through keyword usage, and to then inform and connect with them via the written content.
Involve Target Audience Needs
Really think about your potential audience’s needs when assessing what keywords are best for your online marketing content. What are the services you’re offering that will address their requirements, and how do these tie in with the wording they’re likely to type in during online searches. Although keep in mind that there’s no point using keywords that don’t properly connect with your online marketing content. Such keyword misuse will most likely disrupt the ‘search and take action cycle’.
Keep Monitoring Your Keywords
Coming up with keywords shouldn’t be a one-off procedure for organic online marketing content, such as your website. To ensure your keyword usage is reeling in as many online bites as possible, it’s worth conducting keyword analysis on a routine basis. Your keyword database should continually shift and grow based on regular assessment of what words draw in traffic and what needs to be changed.
Keyword Usage Specifics
With all of the above in mind, below are some key pointers for anyone who’s about to traverse this online marketing territory where keywords are ‘king’:
Selecting relevant keywords
- It’s really worth spending time considering what keywords your ideal customers, recruiters and out-of-water surfers are using in their online or computerised searches.
- For instance, review applicable job ads on SEEK or career profiles on LinkedIn to make a note of well-used, applicable keywords, and scatter these across your LinkedIn profile.
- Google also has an abundance of SEO information that is likely to increase the online traffic veering towards your website.
Writing with keywords
- Repeat your keywords as often as you can across your marketing content, including headings and URL addresses.
- In your website content, it’s probably best to dedicate one main keyword to each page, particularly if each one relates to a different product or service.
- Just be sure to avoid overuse abuse of your keywords, which is highly likely to draw in yawns and reader shutdown rather than online engagement.
- Write with a purpose, always considering how you can help those you want to attract; and weave your keywords into a writing style that creates interest.
Differentiating with keywords
- With so much online competition making it hard to stand out from the rest, upping the ante to include two- or three-word search strings could be the answer.
- For instance, as an editor I’m likely to be competing with thousands of other online editors if I’m only using this as my keyword. However, if I choose to pepper my piece with longer search strings like ‘research paper editor’ or ‘student thesis editor’, I’m more likely to rise to the top of some of the more specific online searches.
Keywords on websites
- On your website, ensure at least one of your relevant keywords is included in the main title of each page. The page title is what’s shown on the browser tab and in search results, and therefore has a direct impact on click-through rates and search rankings.
- Also try to use your chosen keywords in subheadings and image captions across your pages, as well as in the URLs if they correctly define the page content.
Keywords on LinkedIn
- In your LinkedIn profile, check out your competitors to help you select 5-7 industry relevant keywords.
- Then try to use your chosen keywords as much as you can across the sections, including sprinkling them throughout your main summary, your employment history, as well as your skills and expertise.
- The more you use these keywords across your profile, the higher your search rankings will be for recruiters, networkers and potential customers.
Strategic, well-researched keyword usage in most forms of online marketing content will likely increase your business and/or career opportunities. Whether it’s selling yourself as an individual or as an organisation, your marketing communications will have a greater chance of reaching potential customers and followers. Just be sure to stay focused on addressing your target audience’s needs within your written content, and not to bombard them with too many keywords. Use them wisely and have fun experimenting with your keyword analysis.
*“Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the process of affecting the visibility of a website or web page in a search engine’s ‘natural’ or unpaid (organic) search results.” (Wikipedia)
About the Author
Jeanette Walton is the founder of Walton’s Words. Walton’s Words provides freelance writing and editing across a wide spectrum of genres, industries and document types. From thoroughly editing book manuscripts and corporate reports to collaboratively writing career-selling resumes and business-selling marketing content, concise and effective communications are guaranteed (including keyword optimisation). Described as “having a sixth sense for weaving all the information together”, Walton’s Words thrives on producing communications that impact and engage with the target audience.