Keyword optimization

In search engine optimization, keywords play a major role in securing good rankings in search engine result lists. Keywords are incorporated almost every area of a website.

First of all, it should probably be said that there is no keyword optimization per se, because you cannot optimize a keyword. What is really undergoing optimization is the website thatona specific key is optimized.

There are no inherently good or bad keys. What matters is what needs to be optimized, and from that, it is determined whether a keyword is suitable or not. Nevertheless, keyword optimization is generally referred to when it comes to optimizing a website for optimal search terms.

Basics of Keyword Optimization

Whether a keyword optimization is conducted for a new or an existing website, it is crucial that thorough research is carried out. This reveals keywords that outline the thematic focus of the website and are frequently formulated as search queries. It's important to filter out the appropriate terms for a website. Often, the competition for a keyword is too high, or keyword combinations seem more sensible in relation to the products or services offered by a website. Fundamentally, each keyword should be assigned its own page, and combinations of keywords or naming secondary keywords are possible.

The research of search terms for optimization is carried out with a corresponding tool. This allows you to identify the most important terms, possibly including long-tail keywords, which you can then incorporate into your website. The KWFinder or Google's Keyword Planner are, for example, perfectly suited for this.

Only one search term?

A website should always rank for a main keyword. However, this doesn't mean nothing else comes after it. Instead, you should always look for synonyms and related terms that represent secondary keywords. For optimization, it can sometimes be useful to focus on long-tail keywords. Often, you can rank for local search terms this way, which may have less search volume but generate more traffic because they are more specific, and people are increasingly researching more specifically on Google and other search engines.

Optimization of the areas of a website

The optimization is carried out in various areas of an HTML page. These include the URL, title and description, headers and subheaders, body text, images and videos, as well as the link texts.

Domain

Ideally, the domain should contain the most important term under which the website should be found and has set its main theme. However, since many highly competitive keywords already have domains, it is important to look for good combinations - for example, from the name and location of the website owner.

URL

In order to use key terms optimally within URLs, the content management system should deliver so-called speaking URLs. These usually include the page title specified by the author – in other words, the keyword that was used for optimization.

Meta-Tags

Some of the most important meta tags include the meta title, which is displayed in the browser window, and the meta description, which briefly describes the HTML page. The combination of title and description can especially lead to an increased click-through rate (CTR) in search engine result lists, as they are displayed as a snippet. When optimizing, one should ensure that the main keyword appears in the meta tags and thus the SERPs are optimally set.

Contenuto

The content of an HTML page plays a crucial role in acquiring customers or selling products and services. For this reason, keyword optimization should be carried out particularly carefully in this context. Important aspects of content optimization are headlines, subheadings, and body text. It is important to incorporate primary and secondary keywords, focus on long-tail keys, and ensure good key distribution. In optimization, people often talk about keyword density. However, it is a misconception to write solely based on keyword density. Rather, the overall distribution in the text should be appropriate. A WDF/IDF analysis helps to determine whether over-optimization has occurred or if the keywords are well distributed.

Media

Images and videos are a central component of informative and good websites that offer added value. Therefore, media should also be optimized in the headings or descriptions. A good keyword here is, for example, the alt text in images. These should contain the main keyword because the alt descriptions are displayed when the image cannot be shown for certain reasons.

Links

Both in internal and external links, it is important to place the key terms. This not only serves keyword optimization but ideally also gives the reader a first impression of the expected content behind the link. Look for an appropriate anchor text that is descriptive and already indicates the topic behind the link.