If you have any experience in content marketing and blogging then you must have heard a lot of contradictory opinion about SEO & keywords in the last few years. Some claim SEO is dead while some say it is the foundation to rank well on SERP. Some people will tell you to stop wasting time with the keywords while others will say a blog post should stem from the target keywords. So, the question is “who is right?” The answer is tricky because both these groups have some valid points. To know more visit Sand Crest SEO here.
So, what should you do if you want your blog to rank well on SERP in 2017?
The game of SEO changed its course a couple of years ago when Google released its Hummingbird semantic algorithm update. The days of inserting most popular keywords and acquiring backlinks for quick progress on SERP are over. Hummingbird made Google a more “human-like” search engine. The semantic algorithm understands natural language and knows exactly what the end user is looking for. Suppose someone types “the movie where the monkeys rule planet”. There is no keyword and the person doesn’t even know the name of the movie, cast, director or anything! But Google immediately shows “Planet of the Apes” as the top search result!
The Perfect Amalgamation of Topic and Relevant Keyword
Then here comes the most important question. When you are trying to write a search engine friendly blog post, what matters the most- keyword or topic? The aforementioned example certainly proves that keywords are not that crucial anymore, topic matters the most. However, that does not mean you can abandon the target keywords completely. In order to acquire the number one spot, you need the perfect mix of keywords and topics.
Think like the people who will search Google to find information related to your field and then compose the content in such a way that answers the most asked queries in a comprehensive manner. You should also embed the keywords that can be used in the article naturally, not just for the sake of ranking. Let me explain this. Suppose you offer legal help for divorce lawsuits. Now, married couples often search about “legal issues children face in divorce case”. If you write an article answering this query, then you may love to insert “hire divorce lawyer” keyword in the blog, but will it be the correct choice? The keyword doesn’t suit the theme of the article. Be intelligent and use other long tail keywords that will help Google understand what services you offer and yet won’t hamper the flow of the writing. For instance, “divorce and child custody issues” is a fantastic keyword that goes well with the article theme and will help you rank well on SERP.
Conclusion
It may sound complicated but remember that content comes first and keyword comes second. You can’t just write articles using keywords in article title and body hoping for a top rank on SERP. Google, as well as users, will immediately understand that your main goal is not to provide useful information but to misguide Google bots. If you can spend hours for keyword research, then also spend a few hours for topic ideas and write something that people would love to read.
