Four Pillars of SEO: Keywords for Relevance

By Josh Hiemstra

February 4, 2023

In the last post from our Four Pillars of SEO series, we discussed the importance of relevance for search engines and how keywords play a large role in helping search engines know what your website/webpage is about.  

The next question you should be asking is “what keywords should I use in my website?” 

When determining what keywords to use for a website’s SEO strategy, Simpler Site looks into three different keyword variables: Search Volume, CPC (cost per click), and keyword competition. There are many websites and software that have tools to provide the information of the three variables. 

Keyword Variable 1: Average Search Volume/Month

Average Search Volume/Month measures how frequently a keyword is searched in an average month. By understanding the terms people actually search for, websites can optimize for keywords that actually matter to potential customers. 

Keyword Variable 2: Cost Per Click (CPC)

Cost Per Click (CPC) measures the average price Google expects people to pay if they were to purchase a Google ad for a given keyword. By understanding the keywords companies are likely to pay more for, we have an idea of what keywords are likely to be valuable in terms of generating sales.

Keyword Variable 3: Keyword Competition

Keyword Competition measures if there is a lot or little competition from other websites for the keyword.  A high level competition keyword will have a lot of websites that have good SEO practices for that particular keyword.  The higher the competition, the more difficult it will be to rank highly for that keyword.

How to Choose Keywords

Your business goals will dictate which combination of keyword, CPC, and keyword competition is right for you.  Different combinations of keyword volume, CPC, and keyword competition can be right or wrong for your industry.  We have experience consulting companies to determine the keywords that are most important for a successful SEO strategyContact us if you are looking for a keyword analysis for your business.

Want more? You can read our other Four Pillars of SEO posts: Why Relevance Matters to Search Engines, Keywords for Relevance, Crawlability, User Engagement.

References

SEO Resource Book – 1
SEO Resource Book – 2
Google SEO Resource – 1
Google SEO Resource – 2

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Call: (616) 822-3706
Email: hello@simplersite.co

About Josh Hiemstra

Josh Hiemstra manages SEO and website maintenance, helping clients improve digital presence and drive strategic results. Josh’s background in medical and automotive engineering has honed his ability to thoughtfully analyze complex data and information. Clients appreciate Josh’s commitment to getting the details right. From complex audits to standard maintenance, they trust his results. Josh earned his Bachelor of Science in Engineering from University of Michigan. At the University of Michigan Josh studied user experience and user interfaces. Josh has a Fundamentals of Digital Marketing certificate, an Advanced Google Analytics certificate, and Google Tag Manager certificate and is also certified as a Six Sigma Black Belt.

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