Keywords are one of the most necessary yet tricky pieces of blog formatting to master when it comes to improving your Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
If you know how to properly utilize keywords, they can help you improve web traffic to your site and increase your blog’s following.
However, misusing keywords can have a negative effect on your Google ranking, as well as your quality of writing.
This is all you need to know about how to use keywords in an effective manner.
Let’s get started!
How Does Overusing Keywords Hurt Your Site?
Believe it or not, using a keyword too many times can actually hurt your status on Google. There can be significant consequences to overusing keywords as a shortcut to improving your Google rankings.
Why does this happen?
Google is concerned about providing their users with helpful, cohesive, and well-informed content. If you overstuff your posts with keywords with the hopes that your ranking will improve, Google will take note of the tactic.
Your work may be considered spam. As a result, they will not boost your site on their browser.
What other ways does overusing keywords harm your content?
Overusing keywords sounds unnatural.
Keywords, when used in moderation, can be an excellent way to increase traffic to your blog. However, using a keyword too many times can result in messy, unorganized prose.
How does overusing keywords make your writing weak?
Let’s say that you’re writing about the education system. A post that overuses the keyword education may look like this: “The education system could benefit from improving their general education.
A strong education system is very important to the positive education of our children.”
This paragraph, which uses education multiple times in an erratic fashion, is structurally weak, messy, and uninteresting to read.
A paragraph that utilizes effective keyword strategies might read: “The education system could benefit from improvements in the way our kids are taught.
Developing a stronger school system may help improve the quality of our children’s teachings.”
How To Be Smart About Your Keyword Usage
Utilize long-tail keywords.
Broad keywords aren’t your friend. Google is stuffed to the brim with millions of posts related to your topic. Specificity in your keywords can make all the difference in how your post is optimized.
If you’re writing about the education system, long-tail keywords such as “education system in USA,” “education system in society,” or “a flawed education system” can help push more traffic to your page from consumers searching for information on your topic.
Sites like Long Tail Pro and Keyword Tool can help you track down and master long-tail keywords.
(Pro-tip: Don’t use too many long-tail keywords in your post. The repetition of “education system” can be a red flag for Google, as it can be read as a loophole out of keyword stuffing.)
Mix in Related Keywords
Find and utilize keywords that are related to your main keyword. These can help prevent you from writing the type of uninteresting prose that results from posts with repetitive keywords.
What are some keywords that are related to education? School, educators, teaching, and teachers are some examples of related keywords.
Using these words in place of an overused keyword can make your writing sound more natural.
Additionally, they provide supports for the main keyword in your post.
Make Sure Your Keywords are Purposeful
Don’t throw random keywords into an article because you believe they will improve your Google ranking. Your keywords should fit naturally into your prose.
If any keywords don’t contribute to the message of your post, do not include them for optimization’s sake.
Only take advantage of keywords that are related to your content that will improve the quality and message of your writing.
What’s the Verdict on Keywords?
In general, keep the use of any keyword close to five. By using keywords in moderation, you can avoid the consequences of overstuffing your text with them and ensure that your writing sounds natural and well-informed.
Google will penalize you for overusing keywords, so it’s necessary to be tactful in how you use them, how many you use, and what form (long-tail) you use them in.
If you utilize long-tail keywords, incorporate topic words related to your main keyword, and use keywords that strengthen the foundations of your writing, you should enjoy more success in terms of SEO on Google.
Do you have any tips and tricks for navigating keywords in your blog posts? Let us know in the comments below!
