How to use keywords
And what to look out for when it comes to content and SEO
1. What are keywords and why do they matter?
Ultimately, keywords are nothing more than search queries. They’re what the users actively search for based on their intentions. Every query expresses a need. Your website aims to meet these needs with information, products, or services. This is also where we find an important point of intersection: By finding out the relevant search terms and using them on your website in a targeted manner, users should find their way to you. That’s why keywords and their findability in search engines are so important.
3. How do content and SEO complement each other?
There is an invaluable interplay between content and SEO: both disciplines are directly linked. SEO analyses relevant topics for which there is search volume. Content uses them in a targeted manner, taking into account the search intentions and needs of various user groups. Ideally, this is an ongoing process in which the respective know-how of content and SEO experts gets bundled for optimal results.
4. Does all web copy need to be SEO content?
The simple answer is: No, and the term "SEO content" should be used with caution in this context. Content should first and foremost be written for the users. That means: Depending on what users are looking for, website owners do not necessarily have to shine with a high volume of content, but by providing the right content. Do you want to rank with a page or is it "just" hygiene content? There’s also an important distinction to be made between search engine friendly and SEO-optimised web copy.
6. How has the use of keywords changed in recent years?
More is more? Far from it! Keyword stuffing, i.e. the excessive stuffing of a text with search terms, has become a method that’s ancient history now. It used to work– but unfortunately at the expense of the readability of a text. Today, the fine but crucial difference lies in the details. Or more specifically: in differentiating the individual terms.
Structuring the texts, working with terms, creating titles and meta descriptions in accordance with search queries ... If you take all these individual aspects into account and, at the same time, keep the big picture in mind, you’re on the right track. As a side note: The keyword meta element, for example, has never been well received by search engines.
Now more than ever, the motto is: Create content for the users – not for the search engine!
7. What are the current trends?
Voice search has been on everyone's lips for quite some time. However, opinions still differ somewhat as to the extent to which there is actually a greater need for action here compared to "normal" on-page optimisation.
The Google Assistant, for example, often displays results from its own offers such as Google My Business entries and Featured Snippets. That’s why we recommend:
- Get a Google My Business entry and optimise it!
- Structure your content by using tables, bullet points, etc.!
- Use structured data!
In principle, the same applies to both spoken and written search: Either way, you need to rank at the top of Google’s search results for a certain keyword in order to be found.
9. Can a text ever be “finished”?
Yes, a text can be "finished" at a certain point in time if you want to define it that way. But, of course, you need to follow up with performance monitoring (see question 8). Depending on the success of a page, you might have to make some readjustments. Monitoring of keyword rankings is always recommended – after all, you shouldn't rest on your laurels. Another Google update or a competitor who does a better job at using “your” keyword: Today's success might already be in danger tomorrow ...