What Makes a Good SEO Term?

Search engine optimization (SEO) has changed over the last few years. One part of a strong strategy that hasn’t changed is using keywords.

They help signal to Google what your website is about. That lets Google serve your site up in the search results for relevant queries.

In short, keywords connect you with your target customer.

Remember there are around 3.5 billion Google searches per day. You need Google to send some of those searches to you.

But how do you know what makes a good SEO term? Read on to learn more.

When Did You Last Do Research for SEO Terms?

SEO can be hard. Some marketers only do keyword research once. Or they only do it once a year.

The best keywords evolve over time. Some keywords become too competitive, so you need to rework or replace them. By making keywords more specific, you can target even better customers.

Besides, your offering may have changed since you first collected your keywords. Or you may be targeting a different customer base.

Updating your keywords means you can target new customers. And Google will better reflect your current offering.

How Common Are Your Keywords?

When everyone uses the same keyword research tools, everyone ends up with the same keywords. A great SEO term is specific but also not overly competitive.

Feel free to experiment with keywords. Employ social listening to find out what your target customers say on social media. Compare their language with your keyword searches.

It’s good if your keywords are close to your customer’s language. They’re more likely to match what your customer actually searches for.

Another option is to balance your use of head and long-tail keywords.

Head keywords are those short phrases most people think of when they hear ‘keywords’. Our head keyword might be ‘online marketing’. It covers what we do in the broadest sense possible.

A long-tail keyword is more laser-focused and specific. We offer advice to web designers, so one of ours might be ‘SEO for web designers’. Because it’s specific to our audience, it’s more likely to be competitive.

Balancing the two types of keywords means you can use common terms alongside less typical searches.

What Are Your SEO Goals?

SEO serves various functions and not all of them relate to revenue. The strategies normally work in the long-term. For swifter results, your best SEO terms are low in competition but high in search volume.

While we’ve advised you use keywords to target the right audience, you might be more flexible. Maybe you can afford to target a broader customer set.

Revenue might be less of a priority. You can use SEO to build brand awareness, which changes the type of keywords you’ll choose.

Setting your goals in advance will guide which terms you’ll choose. A good SEO term is one that helps you reach your goal quickly and easily.

Have You Tried a Range of Research Strategies?

Brainstorm both varieties of keyword because you’ll need both to attract the widest audience.

If you have Google Analytics installed, check what search terms brought people to your website.

Try out a keyword research tool online. Make a note of the results and compare them.

Google also offers its own suggestions – start typing your potential keyword and make a note of what Google offers to ‘complete’ your term. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see similar terms people searched for.

Even try putting your searches into Amazon or Pinterest to take advantage of their search engine functionality. These strategies will give you SEO terms that your competitors may not be using.

Do You Know How Popular Your Terms Are?

Make notes of the search volume. The lower the number, the fewer people using that specific term. It doesn’t mean they’re not searching for it, they’re just not using that wording.

The higher the volume, the more popular it is. You might struggle to compete with huge websites for traffic.

Once you find an SEO term with low competition and high traffic, work out how relevant it is. Are people using that term likely to buy your product or service?

Whittle your list down to a handful of terms. Optimize your website and content for those keywords. Keep evaluating which ones work and discard the ones that don’t.

Is Your SEO Term Suitable for Voice Search?

16 percent of Americans own a smart speaker such as an Amazon Echo or a Google Home. Without a screen or keyboard, these devices rely on voice commands to run internet searches.

Trouble is, people phrase searches differently when they ask a question, rather than typing. Say someone wants to know the best hair salons in Jacksonville. On Google, they might type ‘best hair salon Jacksonville’.

The SEOs behind that website can optimize for that term as part of their local SEO strategy.

But in voice search? That person is more likely to phrase it as a question. Maybe “Which hair salons in Jacksonville are open right now?”

They need to add the last piece of information to book an appointment. There’s no point getting the phone number of a salon that’s currently closed.

When you devise your SEO terms, think about what someone might ask that would lead them to your website. Those long-tail keywords will work for browser-based searches too thanks to RankBrain, Google’s algorithm.

52 percent of owners keep their Google Home device in a space like a living room. That makes voice search more likely from the whole family.

It’s wise to get involved with voice search SEO terms before your competition.

Find the Right SEO Term and Boost Your Traffic

Building an organic presence in the search engine results takes time. But to find a great SEO term, you can try out all of the strategies listed here.

Balance your head and long-tail keywords to target a range of traffic. And optimize for voice search to take advantage of the smart home assistant revolution.

Keep re-evaluating your terms. Ditch the ones that don’t work and re-double your efforts on the ones that do.

Want to learn more great SEO strategies? Check out our other articles here.