1 EZ Rule to Rank For Keywords with a Checklist

 

One simple rule and a checklist? Too good to be true! It is good and it is true. As simple as this is, you would be surprised how many sites miss this opportunity. Let’s get started.

KEYWORDS NOT KEYWORD

First, we want to be clear. “Keywords” is plural for a reason. You want to rank for multiple keywords strung together. Also known as a keyphrase. For instance, if you are in the automotive industry, the single keyword “automotive” is too broad and doesn’t allow you to target more specific phrases like Automotive Repair, Automotive Sales, or even Automotive Enthusiast. As you can see each of those key phrases could target a different audience. Keyphrases allow you to be specific and target your audience.

In another post we shared how to choose keywords, you may want to visit that post to learn how to pick keywords (or keyphrases) that fit your strategy.

EZ TIP: ONE SIMPLE RULE.

If you want to rank and be visible for keywords/keyphrases build a page dedicated to those keyphrases. That’s it. That’s the simple rule. 

For example, if you are in the Pest Control business you can rank higher for each type of pest you exterminate just by creating an individual page for each pest. Sure you would still have a catch-all page with all the critters you exterminate–but those should link to individual pages for each pest. 

This rule is not limited to your services (although that is where most local businesses miss this opportunity). You can also use this rule to rank higher in a certain geography or neighborhood. For example, “Pest Control in Estacada” is a page you could build that links your service with a service area. This tip also applies to what we call Gateway Keyphrases. Say you want to rank for “How do I get rid of ants?” Create a page in the form of a blog post with that exact title. 

WHY DOES THIS WORK?

Many still think that Google ranks websites as a whole. This isn’t exactly true. Every page is ranked on its own merits. In theory, you could have a single page, deep in your website, that ranks better than your home page–especially if it is focused on a keyphrase with valuable keywords. If you follow this rule people will find your deeper pages and get the exact results they are expecting, bypassing the home page altogether. 

Let’s use the Pest Control example again, chances are somebody is going to type “ant exterminator” in Google. If Google has a choice between a page that is dedicated to ants as oppose to a page that lists ant, spiders, wasps, bees, etc…Google is going to display the page that is focused on ant extermination.

WHERE’S THE EZ CHECKLIST?

Right here! This is almost a foolproof checklist for creating a page that ranks for specific keyphrases. Employ these three steps after you have chosen the keyphrase you want to rank higher for:

1. Make sure the keyphrase is in the URL (web address) with dashes between words (e.g. http://www.brainjarmedia.com/seo-keyword-research/).
2. Make sure your keyphrase is in the H1 Title tag <—click if you don’t know what this is.
3. Use the keyphrase more than once on the page—but don’t flood! Read it out loud and determine if it sounds natural or forced. As long as it is the most used word on the page you should be good. The balance is called Keyword Density. You can learn more about how keyword density works in the short video below. 

Brainjar Media helps your website get found through Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Social Media Marketing. We help you define your goals, we can find out what kind of SEO your competition is doing, and we can do it better. Everything we do comes with measurable results.

Interested in hiring a professional agency?  Check out Brainjar Media’s SEO Services or call us at 503.492.6500.