Search Marketing

6 Common Keyword Misconceptions

As we continue to dive into deeper and deeper research with clients on the type of keywords that are attracting search traffic, we find that many companies have the wrong idea when it comes to keyword research and usage.

  1. A single page can rank well for dozens of keywords. People think they need to have one page per keyword they wish to target… It’s simply not the case. If you have a page that ranks well for a keyword, additional relevant keywords can rank just as well! Why keep adding tons of pages with repetitive content when you can just optimize one page and rank for a group of words?
  2. High volume keywords with great rankings may lead to a lot of visits but that could be at the detriment of your conversion rates. Branded keywords and geographic combinations may bring you the most customers… even if your business isn’t necessarily local.
  3. Ranking on long tail (low search volume, high relevance) keywords does not mean that you can’t rank on highly competitive, high volume keywords. In fact, we find that as our clients rank on a higher number of long tail keywords, they tend to rank over time on highly competitive terms. And the reverse is not necessarily true. Just because you rank on a highly competitive term, doesn’t mean you’ll rank on all the associated long tail terms. Long tail terms need to be supported by relevant content.
  4. More traffic doesn’t always mean more conversions. Many times, it means higher bounce rates and more frustrated visitors because they can’t find what they were searching for.
  5. Using keywords in meta descriptions may not impact your rank, but it will improve your click thru rate from the search engine results page (SERP). Remember that keywords searched for are still bolder in the SERP, drawing attention to your entry and not others.
  6. Many people don’t even utilize short search terms, instead opting for typing entire questions into search engines. Having an FAQ (frequently asked question) strategy can be a fantastic keyword usage strategy.

Got any others?

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Douglas Karr

Douglas Karr is CMO of OpenINSIGHTS and the founder of the Martech Zone. Douglas has helped dozens of successful MarTech startups, has assisted in the due diligence of over $5 bil in Martech acquisitions and investments, and continues to assist companies in implementing and automating their sales and marketing strategies. Douglas is an internationally recognized digital transformation and MarTech expert and speaker. Douglas is also a published author of a Dummie's guide and a business leadership book.

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