SEO Keywords Basics

What is a Keyword?

A keyword can be one or more words.  A keyword is a word or phrase someone types into a search engine.  The search engine then looks through it’s database of webpages and then chooses the pages who’s content most closely match the keyword searched.

Where do search engines look for Keywords?

The main areas search engines look for keywords on your webpage is your: URL string, title tag, h-tags, ALT text, and the content of the web page.

Why are Keywords important?

The content of a webpage tells search engines what the webpage is all about. If you don’t have text on a webpage, the page is virtually invisible for all keyword searches.

Don’t spread your Keywords thin

Most webpages need to be focused on one topic.  If you expect a webpage to show up in search results for several unrelated keywords,  you may be sadly disappointed.  If you have too many unrelated keywords, you probably need to split your web page into  pieces, one page for each keyword.

Example: Good use of Keywords

A webpage about puppies for sale in Renton, WA

URL: http://example.com/puppies-for-sale-renton-wa/
The URL of the webpages location has exactly the keywords you are trying to use.  The words are separated by a dash (-).  The URL is short and too the point.  Looking at this URL I can already guess what the content of the page is about.

Title Tag: We sell puppies in Renton, WA | Puppy Sales | Example.com
The title tag is is short and sweet.  The length of the title is short (58 characters).  The title tag includes alternate similar keywords (Puppy Sales).  The title also includes branding for the website as whole (Example.com).

H1 Tag: <h1>Find Puppies for sale in Renton, WA</h1>
The H1 tag is a the headline of the webpage.  This is where you need to be clear and concise about what the webpage is about.  There should be only one H1 Tag.

H2 Tag: <h2>Puppy List</h2>
The H2 other higher H-Tags should support the main header (H1) without being an exact duplicate of it’s content.  Don’t over use H-Tags.  Limit your H2 Tags to 3 or less.

Content: the webpage should has a lot of content that is rich and informative (at least 250 words if possible).  Don’t keyword stuff.  If the webpage is easily read.  The keyword is not repeated in the content more than necessary.

Images and ALT Text:
Have images of the puppies you are trying to sell.  Good ALT text for a image of a puppy could be: “1 year old Dalmatian for sale in Renton.”