SEO Keywords Ranking

One of the largest facets of Organic SEO work is Keywords Ranking. You generally want your website to rank well for a range of keywords.

This process is centered around using keywords in a strategic way to increase the chance that when someone enters a keyword into a search engine, that your website would appear in the first page search results.

To make this happen you have to understand a few things about how search engines work, keywords ranking, and what you need to do to make your site Keyword Optimized.

How Search Engines Work

 

Search engines basically have computer programs that read through the code of your website...(they crawl your website and so they are called "spiders"). They are looking for content and keywords based on an algorithm. When they get the information they need they add the website and the relevant information to their database.

This information is stored and then presented when people perform searches on their website. When you Google a phrase, you are sending a request to the search engine asking them to show you websites that relate to those words/phrase.

Understanding this process you would think having a site optimized for the keywords people are using would be all you need. Unfortunately there isn't a silver bullet approach to SEO.

Just data, analysis, and hard work.

Keywords Ranking

The key to ranking well for specific keywords is a little complicated but how your website is ranked for a keyword is simple. It boils down to the number of competing sites and the quality of those websites for that specific keyword. I'll break this down.

Keyword Competition - Competitor Quality

Your website is basically trying to win one of 10 coveted spots on a search results, i.e. First page search results. This would be easy if there weren't other website trying to do the same thing (intentionally to unintentionally). So then, lets look at what makes quality competitors for keywords ranking:

1. The age of the competing domain. (All things equal older sites would "win")
2. The quality of their code. (Is it more or less compliant with correct coding practices?)
3. The quality and quantity of their backlinks. (Relevancy and Site rank)
4. The frequency in which they update their site. (Search Engines love new content)
5. All the above compared to your website.

Given these factors you can see why some websites appear ahead of others for specific keywords. It's not just one factor that makes a website better, but the combination of factors. Given the sheer volume of information added to the internet everyday, your keywords ranking can ebb and flow.

{This is why we take a holistic approach to SEO work.}

So then, how do you make your site a better competitor?

1. Fix code errors, reduce the number of errors
2. Optimize your site for keywords and content (See below)
3. Increase the number of quality backlinks to your site
4. Know your competition and how they compete with your site.
5. Watch your keywords ranking and make pivots as the competitive landscape changes.

Okay I didn't want to digress too far, but really wanted you to know why keywords ranking can change and what leads to those changes.

Given the ebbs and flows, let's look at one element you can totally control...Keyword Optimization.

Keyword Optimization

This is the crux of SEO keyword work. Optimize your website for specific keywords. Use the words that people are using for their search engine searches. Simple right?

Sure but how do you know what words people are using, that these words will lead to increased traffic/sales, and how do you implement these words?

This is a topic for another post, but I will provide an overview. Here is the high level view:

1. Keyword Research - Know search volume, expected visits, competition level.
2. Test and Measure - You can track your website data and get detailed reports on how people come to your website and use the site.
3. Create and Use a Keyword List - Each page should be optimized for a keyword.

I hope this adds a little more insight into how Keywords Ranking work and what leads to the ranks. I've provided some insight on how to improve your keywords ranking.