When you’re an online business, it’s important to use the right type of SEO keywords.
Going for keywords that are too generic can make it harder to rank on the coveted first page of Google. Alternatively, using keywords that are too obscure can lead to you not getting the web traffic you have worked so hard for.
So, how can you find the right type of SEO keywords for your website and ensure you appear on the first page of Google? Here’s a guide to boosting the keywords you use on your website.
How SEO keywords can help your business to grow
When people use search engines like Google and Bing, they look for specific keywords. You need to optimise the content on your website for as many of these keywords as possible.
Your website is more likely to rank on the first few pages of the search engine results if you do this.
Ranking as high as possible for certain keywords can make the difference between people clicking on a link to your website, and choosing a competitor. One in four people click on the top Google search result, meaning the higher you can get your website, the better.
You can also use your SEO keywords in other ways too. For example, you can use them in your blog creation strategy or as keywords in your upcoming pay per click (PPC) advertising campaign.
How to find the right type of SEO keywords
You will need to do some work to find the right SEO keywords for your site, but investing some time into research will be worth it.
Write your keywords down
The first step in keyword research is to put together a list of words in a spreadsheet. Think about all the words and phrases that relate to your business, and the products you sell.
For example, if you sell shoes, you may want to include the different types of shoes you sell (‘trainers’, ‘high heels,’ ‘brogues’), colours (‘white trainers’, ‘blue trainers’) and sizes (‘white trainers size six’, ‘white trainers size 7’)
If you’re stuck for ideas, look at the enquiries you get from customers.
Don’t be afraid to write everything that comes to mind.

Fill in the gaps
You should now have an extensive list of seed keywords. The next step… is to add to the list!
- Take some of the keywords you have found and enter them into Google. This will bring up similar keywords that you may not have thought of
- Use keyword research tools to come up with additional ideas. Sites like Answer the Public and Keyword Tool are free to use and provide great results
- Look at your competitors’ websites. What keywords are they using to get people to buy?
After this stage, you may have hundreds of keywords – that’s perfectly normal!
Edit your keywords down
The final stage is to pick the SEO keywords that will bring the most traffic to your site. You want keywords that are frequently searched for in Google, but will also lead to the most conversions.
Here are some ways to choose the right words.
- Opt for what are known as ‘long-tail keywords.’ 70% of search queries contain at least four words. As these keywords are more specific, they are more likely to result in a sale. Let’s go back to the shoe example from before. Rather than using ‘brogues’ you could opt for ‘men’s brown lace-up brogues’ instead
- See where you currently rank for your keywords in Google, or your search engine of choice. If your site currently ranks on the third page of the search engine results, a little extra on-page optimisation could lead to a higher result
- Use a tool like Ahrefs or Moz to see how many people search for a specific keyword. This will help you see which keywords customers are looking for
Customers frequently ask us how many SEO keywords they should use?
We recommend about three to five primary keywords per page, depending on how long the page is.
Having a good balance of keywords on each page makes it easier to add them in without the content sounding too robotic.
Discovering user intent when it comes to Google SEO keywords
So you’ve decided on which SEO keywords to use on your site… what next?
It’s essential to check the intent of the keywords before using them on your pages.

What do we mean by intent?
The goal that a website user has when they enter their search term into their search engine of choice.
For example, someone searching for ‘what is boarding school like’ may be doing some research or want to find images for a project they are doing.
However, a web user searching for ‘boarding schools’ is likely to be looking to register or at the very least enquire. This is a transactional keyword, one that either leads to the customer making a purchase or making an enquiry.

This means that you need to match the content of your web page to the intent of the person doing the searching.
Once you have your keywords, we recommend getting a list of your existing website pages and mapping your transactional keywords to the current pages on your site. If any keywords don’t fit any of your existing pages, you can create a brand new one.
How to optimise your website content for your chosen keywords
The next step is to optimise your chosen webpage for your keyword (or keywords) of choice.
Here are some of the ways you can do this.
- Adding your keyword into the content of your page. Do this so keywords seem natural and in context with the rest of the content – don’t shoehorn them in
- Including your keyword in title tags and alt text
- Updating your page URL to include the keyword
- Using your primary keywords as anchor text links. For example: Google SEO services
- Adding links to your page from other sections of your website. This helps make it easier for users to navigate your website and helps make other pages more SEO-friendly
Take care not to use your keywords too much. This is known as ‘keyword stuffing’ and can lead to your page being demoted in the search engine results.
It’s recommended you use your keyword once or twice every 100-150 words.
Don’t forget, if you need a little extra assistance to find the right keywords for your business, a good SEO agency will be able to help.
An SEO agency like Bubblegum Search will not only be able to choose keywords that are a perfect match for you, but add them to your website too.
Contact us today and see how we can help save your business time and increase your online revenue with the right types of SEO keywords.