If you don\u2019t know by now that \u201ckeyword stuffing\u201d is a very bad thing, then heed me now. It applies to long tail keywords as much as it does to individual keywords. So if, say, you\u2019re selling clothing for plus-size women, and your website is ClothingforPlusSizeWomen.com (I actually checked this out before writing this article, and there is no such site), a very bad blog post would be something like this: \u201cI am a plus-size woman, and it is very hard to find clothing for plus-size women. Plus-size women do not enjoy the fashion options of women who are not plus-size women. If you want clothing for plus-size women, you will have to find a website that offers clothing for plus-size women\u201d \u2026 and so on. I really don\u2019t have to tell you that this is unabashed keyword stuffing, and Google will penalize you for it and drop you to the very bottom of the SERPS.<\/p>\n
SEO is not about including as many keywords as you possibly can. Google knows you\u2019re stuffing, and they\u2019ll punish you. What you want to do is focus on just a couple of keywords or phrases in each post. Often, long tail keywords make this easier \u2013 you actually bring in more traffic this way.<\/p>\n
Watch Where You Use Your Keywords<\/strong><\/p>\n There are basically four areas where you should be using keywords \u2013 in your headline, headers, body, URL, and also in a meta description. Your headline will be the first place where the search engines (and your potential customers) will look for keywords, so you really need to have a keyword in the headline. Make sure to use it in the first 65 characters because, at that point, Google is going to stop looking. If you feel you really have a lot to say, then do it in the beginning so that people might feel motivated to click on your URL and read more.<\/p>\n Now, try to include your keyword naturally throughout the body of your post, and in the sub-heads. Again, don\u2019t stuff. You want the reader (and Google) to believe that you\u2019re just writing away, and if a keyword happens to pop up, well, that\u2019s just normal. Basically, sit down and write the way you would talk \u2013 you\u2019re trying to be helpful here, right? So write about what matters to the people who are reading our blog, and don\u2019t even think about how many times you can insert a keyword. If you do this, and then you go back and do a keyword search on your blog, you will probably find that your important keywords have just naturally happened anyway.<\/p>\n Remember Your URL<\/strong><\/p>\n Keep in mind that Google is also going to look at your URL to determine the content of your post. Remember that every post has its own URL, so make sure it\u2019s unique, and include a keyword or two in it.<\/p>\n Your Meta Description<\/strong><\/p>\n A meta description should be no shorter than 135 words, and no longer than 156 words. It contains the information that Google, and your readers, need to know in order to identify what your post is about. Make sure it\u2019s engaging \u2013 it should not be just the first chunk of words in your blog post. It should say something about the content that is to follow, and it should contain keywords but not be overwhelmed by them.<\/p>\n Internal and External Links<\/strong><\/p>\n Include links to other blogs that are relevant to the topic you are writing about. For example, here\u2019s one we wrote about creating a b2b blog marketing strategy<\/a>. Not only is this good for SEO, but it will keep people engaged. Assuming you are using CTA\u2019s (calls-to-action) on your blog posts, you\u2019ll also get them interacting with other offers which may entice them to opt-in and get on your email list.<\/p>\n External links, especially pointing to authority sites, is a good SEO practice as well. An authority site is just that, a site that Google considers to be powerful and influential. For example, linking to a related article on a site such as Forbes<\/a> would be better than some unknown business blog.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t Expect Immediate Results<\/strong><\/p>\n The final word on this topic is, don\u2019t think that your blog posts are automatically going to rank high in the SERPs. It takes time. But if you blog often, and you write naturally, and don\u2019t stuff your keywords, you will create content that is reader-friendly. Pay attention to the suggestions outlined above, but primarily, write naturally, and the keywords will likely look after themselves.<\/p>\n
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