How to Seamlessly Integrate Keywords into Your Content
Creative content and keyword optimization don’t always go hand in hand. You want to create web content that lets your brand’s voice shine through, and that is compelling and engaging. Adding keywords can sometimes interfere with the creative process.
There are so many rules you need to follow: you must be careful not to use too many keywords, but not too few either. They should be long but not that long. And, most importantly, you must integrate them naturally throughout your content. Otherwise, it will sound cold, robotic and unprofessional. Talk about a challenge! In this article, we’ll take a look at how to integrate keywords seamlessly into your website content.
Make Sure You Understand User Intent
Your content should fit your consumers’ needs like a glove. In other words, you must learn the intention behind a certain search query and understand what solutions your audience was hoping to find.
Some people are curious about the topic and just want to learn more about it. Shoving sales messages into their faces is, therefore, a surefire way to turn away from your content. Others, however, have already gathered all the information they need and are ready to make a decision.
For the first category, keywords like “bed and breakfast in Boulder, Colorado” are best suited for their needs while the latter will probably respond better to keywords like “book cheap bed and breakfast in Boulder, Colorado.”
Now that you have a better understanding of your audience’s intentions at different stages of the funnel, it becomes easier to integrate keywords naturally into the headline and body. Make sure to write like you’re talking to them face-to-face and focus on addressing their particular pain points.
Use Them in Your Headlines
With a list of keywords that fit your prospects’ intentions, use tools like BuzzSumo or visit sites like Buzzfeed.com or Upworty.com to identify viral headlines you can model after.
Let’s say that your primary keyword is “steps to start a small business” and you find “5 Simple Ways to Start a Small Business” to be a popular headline. You can adapt it and create a unique headline that reads “7 Simple Steps to Start a Small Business That Will Transform Your Life”.
Write Relevant and Keyword-rich Subheads
Subheads clarify the promise made in the headline and describe what you’re going to write about in your content. After the headline, they are the next best thing that can convince visitors to stick until the end instead of just scanning through and leave. Subheads must be relevant and help readers skip directly to what they’re looking for.
An efficient way to incorporate keywords in your subhead is to use LSI or Latent Semantic Indexing. Don’t make the mistake of assuming that LSI means synonyms of your keywords. In fact, this concept refers to words and phrases that internet users have come to associate with a particular keyword.
For example, Apple is “associated” with iTunes, Steve Jobs, Mac or software.
Google is now smart enough to recognize these variations. So, if you have “drive web traffic” as a keyword, “get online visitors,” “generate website visitors” or “improve site traffic” will perform the same. You just have to make sure they flow organically into your web content.
Write Introductions and Conclusions around Your Keywords
A good introduction prepares the readers for what is to come. It needs to slowly immerse them into the topic and be persuasive, interesting, and entertaining enough to captivate them.
Make sure to use the exact keywords your prospects are typing into the search engine to find the information that interests them. If you have a long-tail keyword, then a 100-200 words introduction should do the trick.
As far as your conclusion goes, reiterate the keywords you’ve targeted and try to make a strong exit. That way, you’ll make a lasting impression and persuade your visitors to return.
Conclusion
With Google being able to decipher almost every trick you try to boost your content’s ranking, it’s imperative to learn how to use keywords for your business to succeed. “Naturally” is the word you need to remember whenever you start writing. Not only that search engines will rank your page high, but your audience will be more likely to engage with you if you deliver helpful and relevant content.