The rising number of related with anomalies Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has been bugging digital marketers for years now, and most would agree that this exercise is burgeoning with increasingly more complicated metrics, data-driven patterns, convoluted traffic and keyword research. Consider the never ending Google’s algorithmic updates that spell havoc amid the global SEO related community, whereas every word and gesture of Matt Cutts is analyzed and brainstormed for underlying meanings and obscure concepts. Matt Cutts, Google’s anti spam head, has baffled every SEO professional with his well known propensity to refrain from saying the search engine giant’s real algorithmic principles.
Sometimes despite being deeply involved with percentage of keyword in content, incoming and outbound link metrics, DA and PR, etc. many SEO overlook some of the easiest areas that they can utilize for their benefit. This are involves strategically placing keywords into a website where they matter the most. Through this article we will cover the most simplistic methods of deploying keywords at key areas on a website. Let’s cover those important areas one at a time.
Titles
Titles represent the most vital area that can directly impact your website’s search engine rankings, online reputation and Click Through Rates (CTRs). Experts advise that the title for any webpage should be under 65 characters, and must include the target keyword or phrase. This will make that webpage search engine friendly and would significantly impact its impressions on the SERPs.
Consider a scenario where you have shared a keyword-bound webpage on social channels like Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook, then you would witness traffic and CTR increasing. This is because if your webpage’s title has the target keyword, then it scores better in terms of relevancy factor and compels people to click the page.
Content
We all know that Google punishes keyword stuffing, keyword hiding and other similar acts that it holds against its principal directive- “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” Hence, the search engine giant has regularly endorsed the idea of using keywords in a more natural fashion, keeping the searcher’s interest before that of Google.
Keywords and rankings have a natural relationship. Most SEO experts understand that Google’s algorithm evaluates keyword placing on a webpage’s content, but only a small fraction of those can actually be found implementing that. Hence, for optimal search engine rankings, one can strategically deploy key target phrases on sub headings as well as content. Further, don’t manipulate with keywords, since there is smaller a microscopic chance that you might succeed against Google’s algorithm.
ALT Text
ALT texts render vision to Google while it compiles your visual content in the form of images, infographics, and videos. Hence, it is advisable to include keywords in a natural format in the image even if it doesn’t affect the rankings much. This is considered a good exercise and is also used as a minor ranking factor. Further, don’t just stuff keywords in ALT text and image titles for the sake of SEO. However, if your image needs description, then keywords are usually the best shot at accurately relating it with the content and purpose.
Descriptions
Meta descriptions don’t play a prominent role in determining a webpage’s ranking anymore. That thing used to happen in the past, but not anymore. However, descriptions do affect a website’s CTR, and fulfill their prime purpose, which is to tell searchers if they should click on a particular result or not. Every search result appearing on a Google SERP has to look relevant, attractive and resolute enough to drive a searcher to click on it. If your descriptions have important keywords than they signal the searcher that this webpage means business and must be checked out.
Page URLs
Keywords can make an accurate measure of the relevancy of your webpage and its content and this is why most SEO experts have endorsed their use in the page URL. Top bloggers are famous for their sweet use of keywords in their blog URLs. However, top search engines like Google and Bing will penalize if you have keyword-stuffed exact match domains. Hence, it is sensible to keep it simple and create topic based page URLs- domain name/topics-keyword. The relevancy factor should never be compromised, and don’t include keywords where they don’t belong.
