As most specialists know, targeting good keyword phrases plays a crucial role in the success of an SEO strategy. Additionally, it is just as important to monitor the effectiveness of your current keywords, especially before conducting an audit. Whether you are just beginning your SEO strategy or about to do an audit for your website, knowing the qualities of good keyword phrases will prove incredibly useful.

Relevant to your business and audience

This should be obvious, but the most important quality to keywords for SEO is that they are relevant to what your business does. Choose words and phrases that your target audience will be searching for on Google. Your list of phrases will depend on your time and resources dedicated to SEO strategy.

The right balance between specific and broad

After thinking about the relevancy of your chosen keywords, it is important to find the balance between phrases that are too broad to be seen, as well as too specific to be searched for on a regular basis. When a term is too broad, you can lose out on potential customers to your site. Many random internet surfers are not as meaningful as a qualified lead. Additionally, more specific keywords are generally easier to rank for than a broad term. That being said, you also want to make sure that the terms you are choosing are popular enough within your industry to be searched for frequently. Keywords that are too specific may cause your page to get overlooked because no one is actually searching for the keyword phrase you implemented.

Phrases over single words

Continuing with the topic of avoiding broad keywords, single words are almost always too broad and too competitive. Instead, always push phrases for your SEO. Multiple word phrases are vastly easier to rank for and bring a much higher quality to your audience.

Attainable for high-rankings

While, of course, you want to rank highly in competitive Google searches, you must still be realistic when devising your SEO strategy. Especially for new websites, there is a struggle to rank for competitive keyword phrases because the websites already using them have an authority on the subject and have been trusted over time. Don’t let pride get in the way of your strategy: use research and data to guide your SEO.

Measurable

The performance of your keywords must be measured. Tracking your keyword phrases shows you how much value Google places on your website and measures the effectiveness of your link acquisition efforts. Learn how to get started with a helpful Keyword Rank Tracker Tool to ensure your SEO success.