Having certain words or phrases on your website and blog helps the Google bots find your site when someone types those words or phrases into the search bar.
It makes sense doesn’t it?
But still there’s a heap of mystery, magic and out-right lies that are spread about having these keywords on your website.
As I talked about in my blog ‘A quick guide to SEO’, being found by your tribe using Google searches takes more than just using a few scattered words throughout your site.
How to use keywords and phrases on your website and blog
Before we dive into which free tools I recommend for small businesses who want to manage their own SEO, I just want to touch on how you can best use keywords and phrases on your website and blog.
1. Research your tribe until you know them like your own face. You know how they speak, what words they use, what their problems are, how they describe these problems, how they describe what they want to be like. This gives you the words to use on your website and blog that they would type into a search engine like Google Chrome.
2. Use these words in headings and page titles, but don’t stuff them in everywhere you can. Keep the use of these keywords and phrases natural. If your page isn’t an easy read your tribe will do a runner and your time-on-page will drop (that negatively affects your SEO).
3. Think synonyms. Yes, Google algorithm is a very intelligent beast. It searches not just for the word typed into the search bar, but also similar words.
4. Answer questions using keywords and phrases. Google provides answers. Having keywords and phrases written in a ‘how, why, where, what, when’ format will help your page be found.
The trick to effective keyword research is to know what your tribe are searching for.
Which, if you’ve got an excellent profile of your tribe you shouldn’t need a keyword research tool for anyway.
Why use keyword research tools?
Because sometimes they highlight words and phrases you might not have thought about.
They can show you what your competition is doing.
If you’re thinking ‘counseling’ and your tribe is searching for ‘coaching’ it shows you a more accurate word to use to get them to your page.
The most productive use of keyword research tools is to find long-tail key words (or key phrases)
People don’t just search for one word. People are generally searching in what they actually want to find. No more are people searching ‘weight loss’ but now they’re more specific, searching for ‘low carb weight loss’ or ‘intuitive eating dietitian near me’.
People type what they speak, and now days are using voice commands too.
My top 5 free keyword research tools
1. Google AdWords: Keywords Planner
2024 update - Still one of the best for finding keyword ideas. It helps you discover relevant keywords and phrases your audience is searching for, and you don't need to run ads to use it—just set up a Google Ads account.
Set up an account. You don’t need to set up an ad to use the keyword planner. Here’s how to set up a Google Ads account and use the keywords planner. Choose the ‘discover new keywords’ tab and enter a search term. You’ll get a heap of information on keywords to help workout whether to use ‘counseling’ or ‘coaching’.
2. Ubersuggest
While it offers limited free access, Ubersuggest provides valuable insights into keyword search volume, competition, and even top-performing content ideas. It’s great for small businesses looking to boost their SEO without breaking the bank.
3. Keyword Surfer
keyword Surfer is a Chrome extension that shows keyword volume directly on Google search results. It’s a great tool for quick, real-time keyword research without leaving the search page.
4. Answer the Public
This tool generates question-based keyword ideas directly from user searches. It’s perfect for optimizing your content for Google's more conversational search algorithm, making it especially useful for long-tail keyword research.
5. Google Trends
Track search trends over time and see what’s currently popular in your industry. You can filter by location and time to help create content around relevant, high-interest topics for your audience.
Blogs and SEO
Blogs are a great way to grow your business through creating SEO and human-friendly content that answers questions, shows your expertise and hits up the best keywords.
Get started with your blog content strategy session.