Using Keywords Effectively

If your blog isn’t intended to gather an audience or make money, you don’t need to worry about how keywords work. On the other hand....

Most bloggers want to reach a few thousand people a day or at least wind up with a bit of extra cash in their back pocket. That’s exactly where keywords can help.

Start at the Beginning

Before you can start using keywords, you need to understand how search engines use them. Choosing a set of words and including them in a single post tells the search engines what it is about, which in turns allows them to tell your audience so they can find you.

Make a List

Make a list of words related to the theme of your blog before you start working on it. Consider the people you want to attract and the words that will interest them. Then bring in a keyword search tool to help you figure out which terms and phrases will give you the best results.

Keep It Natural

Using keywords properly doesn’t mean jamming ten of them into every sentence. Don’t force-feed your readers; you need to keep your content natural or no-one will read it. Try writing your post first, and then going back to add in your keywords later.

Don’t Crowd Yourself

Use just enough keywords for the search engines to get the idea, but not so many that your readers lose sight of what you’re talking about and wander off to read something more interesting. As a guideline, keep keywords to about 3% of the total word count per post.

Don’t forget to keep keywords prominent. Your lead keyword should be included in the title of your post as well as in the first paragraph. A few subheadings wouldn’t hurt, either.