Should you focus on keyword targeting or link building for your business website? The best answer to this is to do them both.
After all, both strategies fall under the single umbrella of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Thus, it is safe to say that one SEO strategy will not work effectively without the other. It is all about creating balance in your off-page, on-page, and technical SEO efforts.
In this blog, let’s discuss how you can leverage both SEO practices to increase your website’s relevance, visibility, traffic, and ranking.
Understanding Keyword Targeting
Let’s start with keyword targeting.
Keyword targeting is the practice of analyzing search queries that your audience inputs on search engines. This involves understanding target customers’ search intent and incorporating related keywords into your content. In exchange, this should increase the content’s relevance which helps it rank on search engine results.
Here’s a quick guide on how to implement keyword targeting:
- Conduct Keyword Research: Use tools to find relevant keywords that your audience is searching for.
- Analyze Search Intent: Understand why users are searching for specific terms.
- Choose Relevant Keywords: Select keywords that match your content and audience needs.
- Incorporate Keywords Naturally: Add keywords to your titles, headers, and content without overstuffing.
- Monitor Performance: Track how your keywords are performing and adjust as needed.
Strategies to Implement Keyword Targeting
Create Keyword-Rich Content
Getting content to rank high does not happen overnight. You need a lot of high-quality keyword-rich content to make this happen.
So once you have a good list of keywords, make sure you start incorporating them within your content. But make sure to insert keywords sparingly. It is important that the keywords are not only relevant but also read naturally within your content. This prevents keyword stuffing, which may lead to penalties from Google.
But beyond this, remember that it is the quality and relevance of your content that will matter most. Make sure that you focus on creating content that not only answers common queries on the internet but provides value to your target audience.
Optimise Meta Tags
Meta tags determine how a page within your website appears on search engine results pages (SERPs). With that, you need to have well-written meta descriptions that can capture your audience’s attention and generate organic clicks.
Ideally, your meta titles and meta descriptions should closely match the search queries of your target audience. It should also contain relevant keywords and a call to action to attract more organic traffic.
Optimise for Local Search
One of the key reasons you want to rank in local search is that it makes your business easier to find. For example, instead of only targeting keywords about “restaurants”, you will focus on adding location into your keyword. So it should now be “[location] + restaurants” or “restaurants in + [location].
Understanding Link Building
Link building is an SEO strategy that involves getting other websites to link to yours. The goal is to make search engines, such as Google, view your website as authoritative and rank it highly in the SERPs.
Take note that backlinks are an important ranking factor for Google. Why are backlinks so important? This is because backlinks are essentially endorsements. Thus, the more backlinks you have, the more trustworthy and authoritative you appear.
Effective Link-Building Strategies
Guest Blogging
According to SEMRush, about 53% of marketers claim that guest blogging is one of the most effective link-building strategy.
Guest blogging involves writing content for other reputable websites in your industry in exchange for backlinks. These backlinks are included in the author bio or within the content itself. It helps drive traffic back to your site and, at the same time, improves your search engine rankings.
While guest blogging is a powerful tactic for acquiring backlinks, it’s essential to consider how it compares to other strategies such as influencer outreach, broken link building, and content partnerships — which are also gaining momentum. To ensure sustained success, marketers should adapt their guest blogging efforts to align with current trends by focusing on high-authority sites and providing genuinely valuable content.
Leverage Social Media
Sharing your content across social channels increases its online visibility and may encourage others to link back to it. Engaging with your audience through comments, shares, and likes can also lead to more organic backlinks as users discover and share your content.
Use Directories
Submitting your website to reputable online directories is an easy way to build links. These directories categorize and list businesses which makes it easier for users to find companies in specific industries. High-quality, niche-specific directories also provide valuable backlinks that enhance your site’s authority and search engine rankings.
Broken Link Building
Broken link building is a strategy that involves finding broken or dead links on other websites and suggesting your content as a replacement. This technique helps webmasters fix issues on their site while also providing you with a valuable backlink.
To implement this strategy, use tools such as Ahrefs or Moz to identify broken links on relevant sites. Once you find a suitable broken link, reach out to the site owner and suggest replacing the broken link with a link to your content.
Conclusion
Keyword targeting and link building are two crucial pillars of a successful SEO strategy, especially for small businesses looking to boost their online presence. Carefully incorporating relevant keywords and building quality backlinks strengthens your website’s authority and drives more organic traffic.
When used together, these strategies not only improve your search engine rankings but also establish your brand as a trusted resource in your industry. Remember, SEO is a long-term investment. Continuously monitor your progress, adapt to changes, and refine your approach to grow your online presence.
