One of the most common questions we are asked at Ghost Blog Writers is about keywords in blog posts.
How many to use. How often to use. And how to integrate them into the blog post.
I get it. Keywords can be a great tool. Sometimes they can let you know what question readers are asking that you can answer with a blog post.
But sometimes keywords can send you down the wrong path. At least when it comes to blogging.
Here are a few thoughts on integrating keywords into your blog posts.
1. Blog Post or Main Website Page
The first question to ask when it comes to keywords and blog posts is whether the keyword makes sense for a blog post or not.
Let’s say you sell shoes. Would it make sense for you to write a blog post with the only focus being on the keyword shoes? Or would it make more sense for your homepage and your brand to rank well for that general term?
Obviously you can write about shoes on the blog. But when people search for “shoes” on Google are they looking for a blog post about shoes?
Google is smart with understanding the context of why people search for what they search for. The majority of people that search for shoes are interested in buying. That’s why Google shoes local shoe stores and online shoe stores.
No blog posts near the top for that term.
There are a few, but they’re recent articles about big brands associated with shoes…like Nike.
If you start out by writing blog posts with keywords that are better suited for main pages on your site you’re already going off in the wrong direction.
2. Answering The Question
When writing a blog post, Google wants you to answer the question the searcher is asking. That should be the main focus. Google has gotten very good at understanding how well blogs answer questions. The same with any type of content including video. I think they’re working on podcasts.
But it’s all about answering questions. That should be the main focus.
When you focus on providing the best answer you can you will naturally integrate keywords into a blog post. We’re long past the days when you had to mention a keyword a certain number of times. You could probably find a few cases when that will work.
But the reality is that Google is getting better all the time and parsing through content. They are getting better at finding the best answers to questions.
It’s why people continue to use Google more than other search engines. Google provides the best answers. They have to keep that focus or they will lose market share.
3. One Last Check
If you are starting a blog post with a keyword, make sure that when you’re done with the post that you’ve addressed what the person is searching for when they type that keyword in. Then make sure you’ve provided what they’re looking for with the blog post you’ve written.
I will say that people scan blog posts. It doesn’t hurt to include the keyword in a heading. Or you could even bold it. The searcher will often scan the post to see if they’re on a page that addresses their question. If they see the keyword in the title or in a heading they will likely continue reading.
But don’t make it awkward. You want to use the language of the reader. And by that I mean you want to provide the best answer in a format that makes sense.
Final Thought
The big key here is that to integrate keywords into blog posts you want to provide the best answer you can to the question a person is asking. You’ll naturally include it the right number of times. You’ll also write about the correct things.
Will every blog post you write be great and provide the best possible answer? No. But you will get better the more you do it. In fact, you could get really good, but it’s going to take some time.
Google has gotten really good over the years. It’s not about a set number or percentage anymore. It’s not about titles or subheadings or things like that.
Provide the answer the searcher wants. The rest will work out.