Whether you’re just dipping your toe into SEO or you’ve been navigating SERPs for a while, there’s no getting around the importance of keywords. But how do you know which ones to use?
Read on for some tips on finding keywords that can help your creative business be seen.
Why are keywords so important?
The world of search engine optimisation (SEO) can seem daunting. In a nutshell, SEO is all about improving the visibility of your creative business. It can help you appear higher up on search engine results pages (SERPs), such as Google.
Keywords are terms your target customers are searching for. That might be “web design”, “handmade knitted hats” or another relevant phrase.
Ultimately, what you write on your website should be focused on helping your customers. However, by strategically including keywords, you tell search engines how you can help answer a person’s query. In turn, this increases your likelihood of appearing higher in search results.
Finding keywords for your creative businesses
How do you work out which keywords your customers are searching for? First, conduct some keyword research.
There are several handy tools that can assist with this, such as Ahrefs and Google Keyword Planner. These tools identify how many times people are searching for certain words each month: the search volume.
Every business is different. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to keywords. That said, here are some ways to identify the best keywords for
your creative business.
Put yourself in your customer’s shoes
Think about your product or service and the solution it offers. Then consider how your customer might get to your solution. Would they search for the product or the results they want to get from it?
Answer the Public is another helpful tool for finding out what people are searching for. You can enter a term and it will show you the questions and phrases (also known as long-tail keywords) that potential customers are searching for.
Don’t always choose the highest search volume
When using keyword research tools, it might be tempting to use the words and phrases that have the highest search volume – after all, more people are searching for them. However, these phrases often come with higher competition, too.
Unless you have a very niche market, chances are that other businesses are also competing for that precious SERP real estate. It can be more beneficial to look at the keyword difficulty section of these tools. They’ll give you an idea of how many other creative businesses are trying to rank for those search terms.
Use specific search terms
One way to combat this competition is to be more specific in your keywords. Consider focussing on more detailed, long-tail keywords.
So, rather than always using general, one-word terms such as ‘pottery’, try some more detailed versions. For instance, ‘pink pottery vase’ or ‘handmade pottery mug collection’.
Think local
Do you have a physical shop, workshop or office? Perhaps you offer your services to other businesses in your city or county but can’t extend beyond that.
Even if you sell on an eCommerce platform, focusing on your business location can help drive traffic to your site.
Some examples of local keywords include:
Copywriting services in Bristol
Macrame plant hanger UK
Shoreditch artisan bakery
See what competitors are ranking for
While you want to rank for low-competition keywords, it’s also important to know what search terms similar businesses are using. Look at some competitors – can you spot keywords on their websites? They can give you an idea of similar terms to include.
Need support with your business?
Erin at Bizzybee can save you time and help you scale your online presence.
Get in touch to learn more.