It would be great if we could find the perfect keywords on the first go and “set and forget” our SEO strategy.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.

As professional SEOs, it’s our job to ensure the keywords we choose boost our search engine rankings and drive high-quality traffic to our sites.

That’s what keyword optimization is all about — it helps search engine algorithms understand your site so it’s visible and consistently recommended to people who look for it.

Let’s take a closer look at why optimization is essential, then dig into some advanced strategies for making sure you’re identifying the right keywords to get your content to show up during the right user searches.

Why Is Keyword Optimization Important?

Keyword optimization is essential because it’s about connecting with your audience in the most effective way possible. Optimization ensures your site’s content resonates with your visitors, so you can capture and keep their interest.

Here’s why keyword optimization is worth paying attention to in 2024.

• Better rankings and more visitors: By focusing on the right keywords, your content is more likely to appear higher in search results, drawing in more visitors.
• More relevant traffic and higher conversions: Optimized keywords mean you attract visitors who are genuinely interested in your offer or affiliate marketing website, increasing the likelihood they’ll become leads or customers.
• Enhanced subject matter authority: Keyword optimization ensures your content thoroughly addresses relevant topics and establishes your site as an authority in your field.
• Stronger brand presence in search results: Regularly appearing in search results and SERP features with targeted keywords builds trust with your audience and can lead to higher engagement with your website.

Ready to improve how you optimize content?

Keyword Optimization Methods

Before we get to the tips, let’s go over the tools you should you have ready.

Pairing keyword search data from Google Search Console or Google Ads Keyword Planner with a tool like Semrush can be incredibly valuable. 

Why is this pairing so powerful?

Because Google’s tools give you a direct look at how users interact with your site and what they’re searching for, Semrush can provide broader market insights and competitive analysis. This combination gives you a more comprehensive understanding of keyword performance and opportunities.

Here are nine advanced techniques for keyword optimization I use.

1. Strategize Keyword Placement in Your Content

Effective keyword placement isn’t just about inserting terms randomly into your content. To optimize your keywords, you’ve got to have a strategic approach.

Once you’ve completed your keyword research and compiled a list of relevant words and phrases, map out the most appropriate content to create on your website for each keyword. This process, known as keyword mapping, ensures you’re not overloading your homepage with keywords or using the same set for every page.

For each keyword, conduct a Google search to see what pages appear. Aim to use keywords on pages with content similar to the top search results. Doing this aligns your pages with user expectations and search engine relevance criteria.

The goal is to match each keyword with each page’s unique content. This alignment boosts your SEO efforts and improves the user experience by providing relevant and targeted information.

Including keywords in title tags, meta-descriptions, headers, subheaders, image tags, and alt text are good practices.

You should also incorporate keywords throughout the body of the content. Including primary keywords near the top of the content will often rank a page higher for the term.

Keep in mind: These basic techniques help search engines understand what your content is about, but great SEO copywriting is what increases engagement, shares, and, ultimately, sales.

2. Analyze On-Page SEO

On-page keyword analysis is an essential component of keyword optimization.

During your analysis, you’ll evaluate the existing keywords used on your pages and determine how they align with your SEO goals.

Semrush’s keyword optimization tools make on-page analysis easier. The on-page SEO checker gives you deep insights into your own keyword usage, and you can perform a competitor website traffic analysis to identify the strategies your competitors use and what works for them.

The placement and frequency of keywords are also critical when you optimize existing content. Primary keywords should feature prominently in areas like the title tag, meta description, headers, and the first paragraph of your content. 

Secondary keywords can be included throughout the body of the content, supporting the primary keyword. Related or supporting keywords and keyword questions can be used to add depth to the content and make it more user-friendly.

Here’s an example of keyword hierarchy.

• Primary keyword: Vintage leather jackets
• Secondary keywords: Men’s retro leather jackets, women’s vintage jackets
• Related or supporting keywords: Genuine leather jackets, classic jacket styles, vintage clothing
• Keyword questions: What are the best vintage leather jackets? How to style a vintage leather jacket?

Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool can help you identify related keywords to flesh out your hierarchy. 

3. Evaluate Keyword Relevance

Assessing keyword relevance is essential to the optimization process, which means thinking about search intent.

With every search, Google aims to serve up pages closely related to what the searcher wants to find. Search intent is the search engine’s way of recognizing the motivation behind a query.

Search intent can be categorized into four types:

1. Informational
2. Navigational
3. Transactional
4. Commercial

Evaluating a keyword’s relevance involves understanding which kind of search intent it serves.

For example, if your website sells products, focusing on keywords with transactional intent (like “buy leather jackets online”) might be more relevant than those with purely informational intent (like “history of leather jackets”).

Different types of queries — “do,” “know,” and “go” — require different keyword strategies. For instance, “do” queries, which are transactional, might focus on product-specific keywords, while “know” queries, which are informational, may leverage broader educational keywords.

Search behaviors and trends can shift over time due to factors like seasonality, current events, or evolving consumer interests, so keep an eye on changes to ensure your keywords stay relevant.

Tools like Google Trends and Semrush’s Trends can help you identify emerging and declining interests. This information lets you adjust your keyword strategy to meet evolving needs.

Track Your Competitors to Stay Relevant

Understanding what keywords your competitors are ranking for can also provide insights into what might be relevant for your own website. I mentioned in my Semrush review that you can use the Competitive Analysis tools to figure out the SEO strategies your key competitors are using.

Discover new keywords your competitors are ranking for with the Organic Research tool.

Open the tool, plug in your competitor’s domain, and click “Search.”

Navigate to the “Position Changes” tab. 

Then filter the “All Position Changes” report to display only new keywords. Click “Apply.”

The results will be only new organic keywords your competitor currently ranks for.

Keep in mind that a keyword’s relevance is highly dependent on how well it aligns with the content on your page. A keyword might be highly searched, but if it doesn’t fit naturally within the context of your content or meet the user’s needs, it won’t be effective. 

Make sure your chosen keywords integrate smoothly into your content in a way that adds value and aligns with user intent.

4. Map Keywords to the Buyer’s Journey

To guide customers through learning about your product to making a purchase, use keywords that line up with different stages of the buyer’s journey.

Here are some tips for using different keywords for stages in the buyer’s journey.

• Awareness stage: Start with general, informational keywords that answer common questions or introduce broad topics. For example, if you sell fitness gear, focus on terms like “beginner workouts” or “home exercise benefits.” These keywords catch the attention of people who are just starting to explore their fitness needs.
• Consideration stage: When customers are considering their options, use keywords that compare choices or dig deeper into specific topics. Keywords like “treadmill vs. exercise bike” or “best yoga mats” work well here. They attract people looking into specific products but haven’t decided exactly what to buy.
• Decision stage: For the final decision stage, focus on specific, action-oriented keywords that encourage a purchase, like “buy home gym equipment” or “yoga mats on sale.” These are more targeted and attract people who are ready to buy.

Semrush’s Keyword Research tool can help you find keywords and variations for each stage. 

5. Consider Desktop vs. Mobile Keyword Search

During keyword optimization, you also need to consider whether your users are searching on desktop or mobile.

Why does this matter?

Desktop users often engage in more in-depth research, using longer, more complex queries. In contrast, mobile searches are typically more concise due to the on-the-go nature of mobile usage. Mobile search users also tend to have more local and immediate needs, leading to a higher frequency of location-based and urgent queries.

Since mobile searches are often shorter and more immediate, make sure your keyword strategy includes concise, easily accessible content with clear calls to action. Use local SEO strategies for mobile users, as they’re more likely to search for services or products nearby.

Consider the intent behind mobile searches and tailor your keywords to match it. Semrush’s mobile audit tools can help identify areas of improvement for mobile SEO.

6. Alternate Synonyms of Your Primary Keyword

Put people first. No one wants to read the same keyword over and over again.

This can happen even if you have the best intentions to not keyword-stuff your content.

Think in terms of conversational language that engages readers and gives a fresh perspective on your topic with language that your audience might not have seen before. Just make sure the language you use is indeed related to your topic and primary keyword.

7. Place Different Intent Keywords in Headings

Do visitors to your site read every word, or do they skim?

A lot of visitors skim.

So make it easy for them to find the content they’re looking for (while seizing opportunities to draw them into your text to keep reading and find out more).

All of your different heading types can help you out with this.

If you need to optimize a page for both informational search intent and commercial search intent, identify the top keywords you need to incorporate and add them to your headings.

8. Use Short, Descriptive URL Slugs

Put yourself in the shoes of your reader. They want to know that they’re in the right place as soon as they land on your blog post or sales page.

One way you can make it easy for them is to write short, descriptive URL slugs with keywords that reassure them that they’ve found the content they’ve been searching for. This concise URL will also quickly communicate your topic in the SERPs.

9. Optimize Images with Keywords in Alt Text

Don’t forget about the alt text of your images.

Alt text helps you describe what’s going on in a certain image and how it relates to the other content on the page. Name your files with relevant keywords as well.

Look for ways to naturally describe an image and don’t force your descriptions. You still want to follow image SEO best practices here.

Traditionally, you’d add the alt text to the HTML on your site, but in WordPress simply click on an image. Under Settings, a box will appear where you can add the appropriate text. You can also add titles and captions with detailed descriptions.

Frequently Asked Questions About Keyword Optimization

Here’s a breakdown of keyword optimization that answers some frequently asked questions on the topic.

What is keyword optimization?

Keyword optimization is using the most relevant and effective keywords in your website content to improve its visibility in search engine results. This involves choosing keywords that your target audience frequently uses, understanding the competition for these keywords, and strategically placing them on your pages. The goal is to attract the right audience to your site and enhance your content’s relevance and searchability.

How do I optimize my SEO keywords?

Optimize your keywords by following these steps.

• Conduct keyword research: Use tools like Semrush to find relevant keywords that your target audience is searching for.
• Analyze search intent: Understand the searcher intent behind the keywords.
• Strategically place keywords: Incorporate your primary keyword in the title tag, meta description, first paragraph, and throughout the content where relevant. Use secondary and related keywords to support the primary keyword.
• Monitor keyword performance: Regularly check your keywords’ performance using analytics tools, and adjust your strategy as needed.

How many keywords should I optimize per page?

The number of keywords to optimize per page depends on the length and complexity of your content. As a general rule, focus on one primary keyword per page and a handful of secondary or related keywords. 

The primary keyword should be highly relevant to the specific page’s content, and the secondary keywords should support or be closely related to the primary keyword. This approach ensures that your content remains focused and relevant, and avoids keyword stuffing, which can negatively impact your SEO.

What is the difference between SEO and keywords?

SEO is a comprehensive strategy used to improve your website’s overall visibility and ranking in search engine results. It encompasses a wide range of techniques and practices, including website structure optimization, content creation, link building, and user experience improvements.

Keywords, on the other hand, are specific words or phrases that people use when searching for information online. They are a critical component of SEO, as they help determine how and when your content appears in search results. Optimizing your website with the right keywords is essential for making your content discoverable to the right audience.

Take the Next Step to Optimize Your Keywords

As SEO best practices continue to evolve, staying ahead with advanced techniques for keyword optimization is more crucial than ever.

Remember, the goal of keyword optimization is not just driving traffic. It’s about attracting the right audience and providing relevant, engaging content that meets their needs and interests.

Semrush’s suite of keyword research and optimization tools can help you gain deeper insights, track your progress, and stay ahead of the competition.

Are you ready to elevate your keyword optimization game and get better results in 2024? Sign up for Semrush today and start attracting the right audience to your content.