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As many people know, the role of keywords in SEO strategy is changing dramatically. The biggest cause for this change is the changes that Google has made to their importance. As SEO strategists know, any time Google makes a change, we must make adjustments to stay up to date. So, are keywords even relevant anymore? And if they are, what role do they play with Google's latest updates and changes? We've compiled the answers you need and an explanation of the relevance and role of keywords in 2019.

Changes in Google

Google has made many changes to its algorithms in recent years. Some of the most recent changes have drastically altered the importance of keywords. Google is getting smarter, and it now attempts to understand search queries, rather than seeking word-for-word matches. Beyond that, Google attempts to understand the meaning behind each piece of content on the Internet. For this reason, making sure there is an exact match for every possible search query is no longer important. Because Google attempts to understand search queries and web content, it's more important to make sure your content covers every possible topic.

The keywords you choose become the basis for your SEO strategy. For this reason, it’s essential to select the right keywords that will maximize your chance of success. Although choosing your business’s keywords might seem like a simple task, there are various factors that are important to consider when selecting your keywords. We’ve compiled a list of the top things to consider when choosing your keywords to help you maximize the success of your SEO strategy. 

What Your Customers Are Searching For

The most obvious thing to consider when selecting your keywords is what your customers are searching for. The goal of your SEO strategy is to show up on search results when customers and potential customers are searching, so it’s essential to know what they’re looking for. Consider the types of products or services they’re looking for, common questions they might ask, and common problems they have. Understanding what your customers are looking for is an important step in selecting the right keywords for your SEO strategy.

Services You Want to Promote

In addition to the services your potential customers are typically searching for, it’s important to consider the services you’re looking to promote. When creating an inbound marketing campaign, you’ll want to focus on a particular set of keywords surrounding a service you’re looking to promote. These keywords will be included in your blog posts, calls to action, landing pages, and all content surrounding this campaign. Focusing on the services you’re looking to promote is the best way to make sure that the right kind of traffic is coming to your site.

Your Location

When creating the keywords that your SEO strategy will focus on, it’s a good idea to include your location. You might include a state, city, or region, depending on your focus. Including a location helps ensure that the right users get to your site. Including your location can also help with local search, which provides an additional avenue to show up on the first page of Google’s search rankings. Local search is especially important in mobile searches, which are typically performed on the go.

Google’s Departure From Exact Match

When creating keywords for Google, it used to be important to focus on the exact match. If someone typed in “pizza delivery ct,” Google used to look for an exact match to that search term in its results. However, Google has gotten smarter over the years. It now understands the meaning behind that search and will match it to sites that mention selling pizza and delivering, even if that specific keyword is not mentioned. For this reason, you don’t need to focus on several wordings of the same keyword when creating your list. Instead, create a single keyword for each unique idea and know that you will be covered.

Long Tail Keywords

In addition to local search and Google’s advanced search criteria, another trend that we have seen in recent years is the rise of voice search. Because voice search involves users speaking naturally, the best way to optimize for these searches is to include long tail keywords. These keywords are aimed more at conversational language and often include incorporating “how” and “why” questions that customers are likely to ask. Short keywords can be effective, but a successful SEO strategy will include both short and long tail keywords to maximize success on every search platform.

Keyword Research

One of the best ways to make informed decisions about the keywords you select is to conduct keyword research. This type of research involves looking at your competitors to see their keywords and what they rank for. It also involves looking into common searches that your customers perform as well as common questions and concerns. You can also use keyword analysis tools like Google Analytics to help you gather data on potential keywords. Conducting keyword research is the best way to ensure that you choose the best keywords for your business that will improve traffic and maximize your visibility on Google. If you are unable to conduct this research on your own, consider hiring an SEO agency to conduct the research for you and help you select the optimal keywords.

Proper keyword research is the foundation for a successful SEO strategy, yet there isn’t always a clear-cut strategy for how to approach keyword research. Keyword research, when done properly, can help to increase your site's organic traffic, helping to bring in qualified leads. Also, keywords are an essential aspect in the content creation process, as they must align with the search behaviors of your businesses' target buyer personas, so it's important to know who you are targeting.

You cannot initiate keyword planning, unless you have a basic understanding of the phrases you will be targeting. So, to help you prepare we have included an Syntactics Inc infographic to help you learn which keywords to target for your businesses' website.

Final Thoughts

Now you have a list of keywords that will help you begin to focus on the right topics for your business, and get you some short term and long term gains. You should re-evaluate these keywords every few months, and as you gain more authority in the search engine results pages, you will likely discover that you can add more keywords to your list to tackle as your work on maintaining your current presence.

Keyword optimization is an art that is easy to learn but takes practice and skill to master. By mastering this art you can attract new customers to your website with just a few strategically placed words. But you may ask, “ Where are the best places to keyword optimize? ”