How to Find The Perfect Keywords For Your Website

You want your website to rank high. It’s how you will be found. Having the right keywords for your website will get you on the first page of a search.

Keywords are 2- to 5-word phrases that people searching for you, or a similar business, would type into a search engine.

You may know your business very well, but quite often knowing which keywords to use is not intuitive.  Here are some tips to help you determine your best possible keywords.

Make a List

The first step in determining your keywords is to make a list of phrases that your clients would use to find you on Google. Don’t think like the business owner; think like your customers. How would they describe your business, your products or services?

Your next step is to use these phrases to see if your competition comes up in a Google search. If they do, then you’re looking at the right phrases.

Get Specific

Your keywords should be terms that describe what you do and the products or services that you sell. Consider pairing these terms with words that are more specific, such as your location. For example, if you are a hardware store, it’s great that customers can purchase hammers and paint from you, but by adding your location to your keyword term, you are targeting customers in your area.

Use a Keyword Tool

Take advantage of some great, and free, tools available to you to help choose keywords. I love Google Keyword Tool. Other tools are SEMRush and Moz Explorer.

These tools can tell you exactly how many people are searching for specific terms each month. The tools will also suggest terms you can use and tell you if a specific keyword is very competitive.

Google’s Keyword Tool is free, which is great! Unfortunately, Google has changed the rules and unless you’re running an Ad Words campaign on Google, you can’t access this tool.

Moz Explorer (https://moz.com/)  charges a monthly fee but you can get a free 30-day free trial. SEMRush (https://www.semrush.com/) only allows one free day to try out their tool then you have to pay.

Find a Niche

When many businesses use similar keyword terms, it can be nearly impossible for a small business to make it to the top of the search. Look for your unique niche and use keywords that reflect that niche. Are you a local restaurant that makes a fantastic pizza? I’m sure that there are many such businesses in your area. What if you also make gluten-free pizzas? That is your niche. Add some specific adjectives to your keywords and you’ll increase your chances of ranking high.

Now that you’ve identified your list of 5-10 awesome keywords, it’s time to use them throughout your website.