So you are ready to dig into the world of SEO to help boost your sales with Google’s help. That is a wise decision! You might be wondering where to start. I suggest you take a close look at your current keyword rankings. You should also evaluate your 5 closest competitor’s websites and their keywords rankings too. Why? Because in the end, you need your website to rank higher for the right keywords, than your competition does. It really comes down to that.
Recently I wrote about the importance of Google Selling. This is a fun term I created to highlight the fact that the ROI of ranking highly on Google can help build your business sales faster and more effectively than the alternative of social selling, on social media. Let’s say you agree with my assessment of the strategy that Google Selling is the smartest path to follow.
Deciding to improve your SERP (Search Engine Results Page) rankings is a wise choice. After you have done (or had someone do the research for you) the keyword rankings analysis for you and your competition, the next thing that needs to be done is to select a number of these keywords to focus on, to help improve the keyword rankings over the coming months, to help drive new traffic to your website. Remember the benefit to SEO is increasing visibility, so you can generate more website visitors and auspiciously fill your sales pipeline.
SEO is a Marathon Not a Sprint
SEO work is more a marathon than a sprint, and results take time to bear new fruit. If you or your team focus on content for keywords that are winnable and have a fair amount of traffic associated with them, Google will likely pay big dividends down the road say in 3-6 months. If you follow the advice provided in this article and on my SEO Service page on Bowman Digital Media’s website those odds of success will go up but the timeline will remain the same. There are ways to boost traffic faster, but the ROI is lower. So make sure to read the tips and follow the advice unless you are outsourcing the work. To find the free advice I provide via my website, simply click on this SEO Service page link, scroll down past the service offerings and read the content, watch the videos, and apply the lessons.
On to the main point of this article, the value of keywords, because they are not all equal. Some keywords are worth chasing, others are not, and the answer depends on what you do, where you do it, and ultimately the prospective audience you are trying to reach.
If you are looking to build sales by improving your Google rankings, you need to dive into the world of SEO and understand how Google’s algorithm (how websites are ranked) works. Please note that Google has no skin in the game, in sending business to you or your competition in the narrow sense, but they are concerned about where they send people, in the sense they need their users to be satisfied with the search results, so they can Keyword value is all about attracting the right visitors to your website – those most likely to convert into paying customers.
Easy to Understand Keywords Explanation
What are these keywords I keep talking about? Keywords, are actually the terms people use in the search bar of Google and other search engines. In the SEO world we call them the “query” but you can simply think of them as the question being asked of Google on what they want to find. Of course people don’t always phrase things in the exact same way, so one idea or term can have a whole host of keyword phrases. Please note that each phrase would have it’s own unique competition rate and volume associated with it.
Example of similar offshoots of keywords are:
Best SEO Company
SEO Services
Local SEO Companies
How to Increase Sales with SEO
Improve SEO with Keyword Research
Who can help me with SEO
Please note that each of these terms are related, but not the same. For us at Bowman Digital Media, we’d love to rank 1st place for all of these terms, however some we would actively compete for and others we wouldn’t. Why? Because the volumes of some of these are not worth the time and resources to compete. Winning some keywords, will not get you any traffic. Fighting for others can cost a fortune and take years to get there even if you can win, so the ROI is low. Others you would need to spend millions of dollars to compete for and still probably wouldn’t win or have trouble holding. Those tough words to win are usually one word, like insurance, bank, gas, milk. These are known as short-tail keywords. In the list above I purposely have some short-tail and some long-tail keywords. I’ll explain what they are in more detail now, so you can start to see how the keyword research you do, and ultimately the keywords you choose to compete for might be different than the words you would’ve picked had you not read this article. My goal is to help better equip you for the SEO journey you are embarking on after all.
Short-Tail vs Long-Tail Keywords Breakdown
So what’s the difference between short-tail and long-tail key words? Here’s the breakdown between short-tail and long-tail keywords, considering volume, competition, and ROI:
Short-Tail Keywords:
Definition: A short-tail keyword is a concise search term, typically one or two words, that casts a wide net. These keywords boast high search volume but face fierce competition, making them a gamble for attracting qualified traffic.
Makeup: One or two words, broad and generic (e.g., “running shoes”)
Volume: High – tons of people search for these terms.
Competition: Fierce – everyone wants a piece of that high-volume pie.
ROI: Potentially high, but can be difficult to achieve. Even ranking high might not attract qualified leads if the search intent is broad. Imagine someone searching for “running shoes” – are they a casual jogger or a marathon runner? Targeting the wrong audience yields low conversion rates.
Long-Tail Keywords:
Definition: A long-tail keyword is a more specific search phrase, usually three or more words, that targets a narrower audience. While they have a lower search volume, they face less competition and often attract users with higher purchase intent.
Makeup: Three or more words, specific and targeted (e.g., “best running shoes for women with wide feet”)
Volume: Lower – fewer people search for these specific terms.
Competition: Less intense – fewer businesses target these longer phrases.
ROI: Potentially higher – since the search intent is clear, you’re attracting highly qualified leads more likely to convert. Someone searching for “best running shoes for women with wide feet” is likely close to buying and just needs guidance on a specific product.
The Takeaway: Don’t just chase high search volume. Focus on keywords that are relevant to your target audience and have a decent search volume with manageable competition. This is the sweet spot for maximizing ROI.
Make Sure You Are Picking the Right Keywords
Choosing the wrong keywords can have a disastrous impact on your SEO efforts. You might rank high for irrelevant searches, attracting visitors who have no interest in what you offer. You can also rank highly for keywords that have absolutely no traffic, meaning they are simply vanity rankings. All of this translates to wasted time, resources, and zero return on investment. If you are spending your SEO dollars competing for the wrong words, you are losing ground to your competition. Make sure your SEO service provider is giving you keyword analytic reports showing you how you stack up, the volumes and competitive information, to judge how you are doing against the local/national/global competitors.
The Power of “Improvable” Keywords:
The good news is you don’t need to break the bank to improve your SERP ranking and increase your website traffic. Here’s where those long-tail aka “improvable” keywords come in – terms with decent search volume and moderate or low competition. Finding those terms is just the start. Next you want to build out content, both on your website and content that you have posted on other websites that point back to your website. There are strategies to do all of this, but I’m sticking to keywords in this article, so make sure to check out our SEO page, and read our other blog posts to learn more about other SEO strategies.
By optimizing your website content and building backlinks (links from other websites to yours), you can climb the ranks for these keywords and start attracting qualified traffic without a massive budget. Learn how to better improve your overall SEO in the article I published, Unlocking Sales Growth Through Strategic SEO with Bowman Digital Media.
Keyword Position Rankings Affect Traffic Generated
Want to know how much traffic you can expect from winning a keyword ranking? Each keyword performance will vary, however below is a general idea of the traffic you might expect based on your ranking position:
Position 1: 30-35% of clicks (the golden spot!)
Position 5: 10-15% of clicks (still a decent chunk)
Position 10: 5-7% of clicks (hanging in there)
Position 20: 2-4% of clicks (it’s a fight for scraps)
Position 50+: Minimal traffic (time to reassess your strategy)
Remember, these are just estimates. The actual click-through rate can vary depending on the keyword, industry, and overall search results page layout.
The Final Word on The Importance of Keywords
SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. By focusing on valuable keywords, optimizing your content, and building a strong online presence, you can steadily climb the SERP ladder and attract qualified leads who convert into customers. Don’t get hung up on chasing the biggest keywords – target the right ones and watch your ROI soar.
Keyword research is the foundation of any successful SEO strategy. It’s like deciphering a secret code that allows you to understand what people are searching for online and how you can position your website to be the answer they find, with Google’s help! Here’s how it works and why it matters:
Keywords Should Focus on Search Intent
Imagine yourself in a library filled with millions of books (the internet). Keyword research is like finding the most popular Dewey Decimal codes (search terms) people are using. But it goes beyond just the keywords themselves. You’re also trying to understand the search intent behind them.
Are people looking for information? (e.g., “best hiking trails Yosemite”)
Do they want to buy something? (e.g., “buy hiking boots online”)
Are they trying to compare products? (e.g., “Yosemite hiking boots vs trail shoes”)
By understanding the intent, you can tailor your content to perfectly match what users are seeking.
More Help Finding the Right Keywords
There are various tools and techniques to unearth valuable keywords. Here’s a simplified breakdown:
Seed Keywords: Brainstorm broad terms related to your business or niche. (e.g., “hiking boots”)
Keyword Research Tools: Utilize tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush to discover related keywords, search volume (how many people search for a term per month), and competition level.
Long-Tail Magic: Explore long-tail keywords (more specific phrases) that offer lower competition and higher conversion rates. (e.g., “waterproof hiking boots for women under $100”)
Final Reminder Why Keyword Research Matters for SEO
Targeted Content: By incorporating relevant keywords throughout your website content (blogs, product descriptions, etc.), you make it easier for search engines to understand your website’s purpose and rank it accordingly for relevant searches.
Improved Ranking: Search engines prioritize websites that seem to best answer user queries. Keyword research helps you target the right terms, increasing your chances of appearing on the first page of search results (SERPs).
Organic Traffic: The higher you rank, the more organic traffic (free website visitors) you’ll attract from people actively searching for what you offer. This translates into potential leads and customers.
Data-Driven Decisions: Keyword research provides valuable data on what people are interested in. You can use this information to inform your overall content strategy and create content that resonates with your target audience.
Keyword research is an ongoing process. Search trends and user behavior evolve, so it’s important to regularly revisit your keyword strategy and adapt as needed. By consistently focusing on the right keywords, you can ensure your website remains a relevant and valuable resource, propelling your sales success (thanks to SEO) in the long run.
If this all seems to overwhelming, you don’t have to do this alone. We’d love to speak with you about how we can help be your SEO service provider here at Bowman Digital Media. Our team has experience doing keyword research, formulating the winning strategy, and implementing, monitoring, and adjusting strategies as needed. We can also work with a variety of budgets from $1,000 per month and up. If you want to discuss it, please visit our contact page and fill out the short form.
At the end of the day, the difference between winning on Google and being buried down in the rankings depends on having the right keyword strategy.