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Where To Put Keywords
- 06.19.08
Here are a few generally-agreed upon practices. That said, always – always! – consider your site visitor first. If it doesn’t read well, or seem natural, don’t do it.
Okay, let’s look at typical places to put keywords on any given web page.
URL Page File Names
Keep it simple. If you have a page all about your blue widgets, you might want to have this:
www.yourcompany.com/blue-widgets
But trust me, don’t go berserk loading it up, because it looks spammy to people and to search engines.
www.yourcompany.com/blue-widgets-aqua-widgets-indigo-widgets-more-widgets
Ridiculous.
Title Tags
Instead of just your company name site-wide, it’s a good idea to include your keyword phrase where possible in your title tag. Again, use the ‘concise & descriptive rule’, keeping it short and highly relevant to the page.
Meta Keywords & Description
Meta tags are not a magic bullet. Due to previous spamming, they are largely ignored by search engines. But I tend to include a pithy, well-written meta description anyhow. At the risk of becoming repetitious, keep it relevant to the page, and never "keyword stuff.” If you are going to use your meta keyword tag, a handful of phrases that relate to the page are enough and common misspellings as well. (“blue wigdet”)
A meta description for our blue widget seller might be:
See an array of blue widgets including ordering details and prices. Your Company ships blue widgets across North America.
Heading Tags
H1 tags are also one of the countless factors search engines use to evaluate a page. But use them wisely. It is generally similar in concept to the page title, but not exactly the same. Sub-titles that aren’t as important should be in H2.
Content
Integrate your keyword throughout the copy. The first paragraph is important so make sure your keywords are there. And, really, that is just common sense – if the page is about a specific topic, obviously the lead paragraph is going to use the keyword phrase a couple of times.
Pepper your copy with your keyword phrases periodically. The keyword phrases should never be forced, or sound unnatural. Read your copy aloud. If it doesn’t ring true – rewrite.
Search engines are smart. Go ahead, mix it up a bit, use variations such as plural, singular and various tenses for verbs. Be as descriptive as you can about your products and services as this will give your page a rich vocabulary as well as draw in some long-tail keyword phrases.
Bold/Strong/Italics
Sure, why not? Effective usage can help words stand out on the page, which can add to a better user experience. But don’t overuse this technique. When too much is emphasized, nothing is.
Hyperlinks
Use keyword phrases in hyperlinks leading to and from the page.
Alt and Image Tags
This is good for SEO but also good for accessibility/usability purposes. Keep your tags descriptive of the image, but also consider keywords where it makes sense.
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