Last Updated on: 3rd October 2024, 03:56 pm
How to Choose the Best Keywords for Your Small Business Website
As a small business owner, getting your website found by potential customers is essential. One of the most effective ways to ensure that happens is through strong search engine optimization (SEO). A critical component of SEO is choosing the right keywords—those terms that people are using in search engines to find businesses like yours. But how do you choose the best keywords for your website?
This guide will walk you through the steps of keyword research, evaluating keyword competition, and ultimately selecting the most effective SEO keywords for your small business website. Follow these steps to build a solid keyword strategy and improve your site’s visibility on search engines.
5 Steps to Choose the Best Keywords
Step 1: Understanding the Basics of Keyword Research
Keyword research is the process of finding and analyzing the terms people enter into search engines when looking for specific information, services, or products. For small business SEO, identifying the right keywords can significantly impact your visibility online. The process starts with brainstorming ideas and expanding those ideas into actionable keywords that match your audience’s needs.
Start with Broad Terms
Begin by identifying broad terms related to your business. For instance, if you run a bakery, some obvious terms might include “bakery,” “fresh bread,” or “custom cakes.” These are the starting points for more in-depth research.
Expand with Related Keywords
Use tools like Google’s Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, or SEMrush to expand on those broad terms. These tools will provide additional SEO keywords that are similar or related to your broad terms. For instance, for “custom cakes,” you might find related terms like “wedding cakes,” “birthday cake designs,” or “gluten-free cakes.”
Use Long-Tail Keywords
While broad terms are important, they tend to be very competitive. Long-tail keywords—phrases that are more specific and often longer—can be incredibly valuable for small businesses. For example, instead of “bakery,” a long-tail keyword could be “best bakery for custom wedding cakes in [city].” Long-tail keywords tend to have lower search volumes but are more specific to what potential customers are looking for, making them easier to rank for and more likely to lead to conversions.
Explore Your Competitors’ Keywords
A great way to find effective SEO keywords is by researching your competitors. Look at the top-ranking businesses in your industry and analyze the keywords they are using. Tools like Ahrefs or SpyFu allow you to see what keywords your competitors are ranking for and identify opportunities for your business to rank as well.
Step 2: Analyzing Keyword Metrics
Once you have a list of potential keywords, the next step is to evaluate their effectiveness. Not all keywords are created equal—some may drive lots of traffic, while others may have low competition but still lead to conversions. Understanding how to assess keywords will help you refine your keyword strategy.
Keyword Search Volume
The first metric to analyze is the search volume, which tells you how many people are searching for a specific keyword in a given time frame. High search volume keywords may seem tempting, but they are often highly competitive. Smaller businesses may struggle to rank for terms with high search volumes because they compete with larger, more established companies.
Keyword Difficulty
Another critical metric is keyword difficulty or keyword competition. This metric shows how hard it is to rank for a specific keyword. The higher the difficulty, the more effort it will take to rank on the first page of search engine results. For small businesses, it’s often better to focus on low-to-medium difficulty keywords, especially if they have reasonable search volume.
Cost-Per-Click (CPC) Value
If you are running paid search campaigns in addition to organic SEO, the cost-per-click (CPC) value is worth considering. The CPC represents how much advertisers are willing to pay for a click on a particular keyword. A high CPC suggests that the keyword is valuable and may have commercial intent, meaning users searching for it are more likely to make a purchase.
Organic Click-Through Rate (CTR)
The organic click-through rate (CTR) shows how often people click on a result for a particular keyword. Keywords with a higher organic CTR mean that users are more likely to click on your website if it appears in the search results.
Step 3: Evaluating Keyword Competition
Now that you have keyword metrics, it’s time to evaluate your keyword competition. This means understanding who you are competing against for search engine rankings and assessing your chances of success.
Analyze Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs)
Search for your target keywords and examine the first page of results. Who are the top competitors? Are they large businesses, small businesses, or blogs? If large, established businesses dominate the first page, it may be hard to compete unless you offer something unique.
Assess Competitor Strength
Look at the domain authority (DA) and page authority (PA) of the top-ranking pages. Tools like Moz and Ahrefs can help you analyze this. A high DA/PA indicates that the page is well-established and trusted by search engines, making it harder to outrank. If most competitors have lower DA/PA scores, you may have a good chance to rank for that keyword.
Consider the Content Quality
Evaluate the quality and depth of the content on the top-ranking pages. If your competitors have thin or outdated content, you have an opportunity to create more valuable and comprehensive content that will outrank them.
Step 4: Selecting the Best Keywords
Once you’ve conducted your research and evaluated the competition, it’s time to choose the SEO keywords that will form the foundation of your website’s content and SEO strategy.
Focus on Relevance
Choose keywords that are directly relevant to your business and services. It’s easy to get distracted by high-traffic keywords that don’t necessarily align with what you offer. For instance, if you’re a local bakery, it wouldn’t make sense to target “wholesale bread suppliers,” even if the keyword has high search volume.
Balance Search Volume and Difficulty
Look for a balance between search volume and keyword difficulty. You want to target keywords that are within your reach in terms of ranking but still bring enough traffic to make it worthwhile.
Prioritize Long-Tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords should be a significant part of your strategy. While they may have lower search volumes, their specificity can lead to higher conversion rates. People searching for specific terms like “best gluten-free cakes in [city]” are more likely to become customers than someone searching for “cakes.”
Don’t Forget About Local Keywords
If you run a local business, don’t forget to incorporate local keywords. Terms like “[business type] near me” or “[business type] in [city]” are essential for local SEO and will help your business get found by nearby customers.
Step 5: Refining Your Keyword Strategy Over Time
Keyword selection is not a one-time process. Search trends change, and new competitors emerge. It’s important to continually refine your keyword strategy by monitoring performance and making adjustments as needed.
Track Your Rankings
Use SEO tools like Google Search Console or Moz to track how your site ranks for your chosen keywords. Over time, you’ll see which keywords are driving traffic and which ones need to be re-evaluated.
Adjust Based on Performance
If certain keywords are not performing well, don’t be afraid to tweak your strategy. You may need to target different keywords, create more content, or build backlinks to improve your rankings.
Stay Current with Search Trends
Search behavior evolves, and so should your keywords. Keep an eye on new trends, especially if your industry is seasonal or subject to changing consumer preferences.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the best keywords for your small business website is a dynamic process that requires research, analysis, and constant refinement. By focusing on the right mix of long-tail keywords, balancing search volume with competition, and staying responsive to trends, you can develop an effective SEO keyword strategy that boosts your online visibility and helps you connect with more customers.
