When we create a new website, we begin by getting to know our client and the organization the website will be introducing. We plan the site architecture and get to work on the design. Along with these actions, we come up with the keywords we’ll work on first, with the primary content of the website. Working on your keywords should start with the main content of your new website.
Once the site is up and running, we may leave it to the site owner. If we continue to work with the website, though, we expect to add more keywords as time goes on. We may keep a spreadsheet of all the keywords we work on, or we may rely on the various pieces of software we use for analytics. But we always have new keywords to work on. Sites we’ve shepherded along for years often rank for thousands of keywords. We’ll still be adding more.
Do you always need new keywords?
The answer to this question depends on your competitors. If your competition is working on the same keywords you’re working on, you may need to keep working on the same keywords on a regular basis. If you are the undisputed owner of some keywords, you don’t have to keep working on them regularly.
In order to know which keywords you should be working on, you have to keep track of your rankings.
You can see how a spreadsheet can come in handy. At the very least, you should have a short list of keywords you’re currently working on. You might become aware of a keyword that you hadn’t thought of before. You might find it in a Spyfu list of “missing keywords” — the keywords your competitors are ranking for and you’re not. You might see that you rank at #10 on average and want to move it up the page. Once you’ve found a good candidate, it’s time to get to work.
How to work on your keywords
Content is always the way to work on keywords. You should choose a page or post for each keyword you’re working on. If you already have a good page for a new keyword, you can optimize the content on that page to feature the new keyword and the strengthen the page. However, ideally all your pages and posts will already have an important keyword they’re working on, so your new keyword should get a new page or post.
We like Yoast, a WordPress plugin, to help us out when we create a page for a new keyword. Install Yoast. Find the tool on your page or post. Put your keyword into the box that says “Focus key phrase” before you start writing. Keep working until you get a green light.
This is a good start, and it might be enough to rank. However, there are more steps you can take. You can build content clusters to strengthen your cornerstone content for the new keyword.
Check out your competitors. If you are seriously outranked because you are competing with the New York Times, the Atlantic, and the Smithsonian, consider changing your keyword to a long-tale option for which you can be more competitive. If it’s just you and a local competitor, examine their page and make sure that yours answers searcher’s questions better than they do.
Keep it up
How long does it take? It depends on your competitors, the quality of your website, and the quality of your content. We’ve done experiments and seen results in a couple of weeks. If it’s a highly competitive keyword, it can take longer. Keep at it till you reach your goal.
Then identify the next list of keywords to work on.
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