Are keywords still valuable for optimization?

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Are keywords still valuable for optimization?

For those unfamiliar with the term SEO or search engine optimization and how it works and how the term ‘keywords’ come into play, here is your synopsis.

To start, we will only refer to Google as it is the most commonly used search engine. So, let’s say you have a business and of course you want people to find you – right? Of course you do. So what has to happen, you may ask. To start, you have to get into the mind of the person who will be searching for you. So, let’s say for example you sell vacuums. What will your potential buyer type into the search engine to find you? Will they type ‘vacuums’ or will they type in ‘vacuums for sale’ or even ‘cheap vacuums’? The terms people use are what we call keywords.

Now Google, who wants to provide the best webpage for your search term has to follow a particular criterion to help you get your match. Google uses a software element that is called a ’spider’ which scans websites and their text looking for the keywords within your site that match the user’s search terms.  Google will they show a results page that is made up of two elements – sponsored links and organic results. The sponsored links are paid for and are on the right-hand side. The organic results are in the left-hand column or what appears to be up the middle. Organic results are the free listings and the listings people strive to get on the first page for.

So how do you get on the front page of Google without having to pay? One of the many ways is by writing and optimizing text. This text not only has to be of value to its reader but include the keyword(s) you think your potential customer will be using. Your first thought might be to shove a lot of these keywords into your text. Don’t do this – it has been tried and while it worked for a short time it is now called keyword stuffing. Not only will this now turn your potential customer away but it could also get you booted off of Google for some time.

So how many times can one keyword be used on a page without a site getting penalized? Many SEO experts feel 9 to 15% is a nice ratio. To evaluate the number of keywords in your text, there is a formula, or one can simply use free software available online to evaluate their keyword density in contrast to the number of words in the text.

Hiring professional writers who can integrate keywords naturally into your text is key. You don’t want your pages to appear like spam and yet you do want it to meet Google’s algorithms. Understanding how Google searches pages in not truly known by anybody as it is kept somewhat under wraps, but through experience, SEO experts can tell you the software is able to observe general relevancy in addition to the keywords.

The second element to all of this is that the value of keyword density will hardly ever come from your main content, but rather from the optimization of all the other factors on your page. Keywords are not only taken into consideration from your main text, there are other elements Google’s spiders scan, they include:

•    Page title
•    Meta Tags
•    Meta Description
•    Images Description
•    Headers Tags

The last important element regarding keywords is knowing which ones to use. Are people typing in ‘vacuum’ or ‘vacuum(s)’? SEO professionals use a number of tools to find these keywords for their client’s use. A word plural or not plural can make a difference by the tens of thousands of searches, at times.

Search engine optimization is always changing and evolving, but one thing that has remained most consistent is the continued value and use of keywords. Are they still valuable for optimization?  You bet ya!

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