How to choose the right keywords for your blog post?
If you're new to writing blog posts that rank well in search engines and search for something like 'how to write an SEO friendly article' you've likely come across a lot of advice. You might hear suggestions like keyword research, keyword analysis, stealing your competitor keywords, including keywords that are easy to rank but have high search volume, etc..
But in reality it’s not that effective and take lots of your time.
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is not magic, although it might have seemed mystery a couple of decades ago. Back in the late '90s and early 2000s, stuffing your post with keywords and making it just longer a desktop screen could get you a top spot in search results. Those days are gone. Google's algorithms is getting smarter with each update.
Now, a page doesn't need to repeat the exact search query to rank well. In fact, you don't even need to include a searched query to your web page to rank.
If you've paid attention, the same search done at different times might show you different results.
Why? Google is always making its system smarter to give users—the priority here—the best possible search results.
Now, Google aims to understand the whole context of a topic to match what you see with what you're really looking for.
So, if we're not just chasing keywords anymore, what should we be doing?
Let's first understand what do we mean by keywords.
Understanding keywords
Keywords are words or phrases related to your main topic. They guide people to discover the content they're interested in.
A decade ago, when we use exact phrases like "cleaning services San Francisco" that most of the SEO platforms suggested, we would be successful. But now, using those exact keywords that is grammatically incorrect and has no meaning would hurt our content.
While Google's focus is on providing valuable content, you must understand the following to rank higher:
Meet user intent: understand what people are searching for.
Credibility: show Google your site is a trusted source.
Authority: demonstrate expertise in your niche.
User-centric content: Write primarily for people, not just search engines.
This doesn't mean you can ignore what goes into your blog post. Google's understanding of content involves concepts like "entities" and "related phrases," which are crucial for quality content. But what are these?
Entities
In the context of SEO, entities are unique and recognizable terms like people, places, or concepts relevant to your topic. For instance, if your topic is “yoga for beginners”, potential entities could be "yoga instructors" or "yoga studios." These help search engines understand the context of your content, helping with relevance and search accuracy.
Related phrases
These are terms connected to your main topic. For the same yoga example above, related phrases could be "breathing exercises," "flexibility," and "mindfulness." Including these in your post enriches the context and opens up opportunities to write other related articles, helping build topical authority and practice internal linking.
Synonym keywords (keywords variations)
While a primary keyword is essential, using variations like synonyms can help you reach a broader audience. For the main topic "yoga for beginners," variations like "starting yoga practice" can make your content more discoverable for different search queries.
Child keywords
Child keywords or LSI keywords are secondary keywords that expand on your main keyword, offering more specific angles. For "yoga," child keywords might include "yoga poses for beginners" or "yoga benefits for mental health."
Using these helps create a more comprehensive article. For example, child keywords are a great source for you to organize your blog post with header tags.
Which keywords to include in your blog post?
We have seen the types of keywords that are highly effective to include in your blog post.
When writing a blog post, picking the right keywords helps reach your target audience and improves search rankings.
Adding entities, synonym keywords, child keywords and related phrases help your blog post have “keyword density”. This will not only help your article rank for different keywords and phrases but also build topical authority and use keyword clusters.
In our knowledge base, we have written how you can use target keywords, child keywords, synonyms, related phrases and entities.
Use variety of keywords and phrases
Using a variety of keyword types—such as child keywords, synonym keywords, entities, and related phrases—can significantly benefit your blog post. These keywords help create what's known as "keyword density."
Using different types of keywords makes your content more likely to rank for multiple search terms and builds your topical authority.
At vevy.ai, we give all these keyword groups that you should include in your blog posts.
Make keywords flow naturally
The golden rule about keyword placement is whatever you do, make it sound natural.
When choosing keywords, always aim for them to flow naturally within the text. Readers and search engines prefer content that reads smoothly and makes sense. Forced keywords disrupt the reading flow and might harm SEO, so keep it genuine!
Keep keywords relevant
Choose keywords and phrases that closely align with your blog post's main theme. Relevant keywords help search engines understand your post, improving your rank.
Avoid keyword stuffing
Keyword stuffing, especially the synonym keywords or modifications of the target keyword can hurt SEO. Search engines prioritize content that features natural, high-quality language. When choosing keywords and using them in your blog post, make sure you use them when necessary.
Wrap-up
Focus on creating content that truly helps your audience, keeping the intent clear and user-focused.
Following these tips makes your blog SEO-friendly and engaging for readers. Always aim for valuable, easy-to-read content that search engines can rank easily.
By understanding the modern approach to SEO, you’re on your way to writing articles that resonate with readers and search engines alike.
Happy writing,
vevy.ai
