There’s a lot of speculation going around that keywords are no longer critical as part of SEO. A good SEO agency in Inverness will disagree with this statement, as keywords are essential for your digital marketing strategy. If you are not aware of what keywords are, they are those that increase the relevance and visibility of your website’s content on organic search results. At our SEO company in Chicago, we value the impact of keywords, and we include them in all SEO plans. Let’s dive into the reasons why keywords are still crucial to SEO.
Keywords’ availability changed
It is one of the reasons why you might find people saying that keywords in SEO are dead. On the contrary, only their accessibility changed, as you will no longer find them on analytics platforms such as Adobe Omniture or Google Analytics. Google started removing keyword data in 2010, and you can no longer access them directly like before. Therefore, it is up to you or an SEO agency you hired to conduct a keyword research and figure out what keywords will best suit your content. Search engine algorithms are constantly changing to fit user behavior and structural changes, for example, to fit image and location searches. Therefore, the best way to now choose keywords depends on your content and target audience.
Natural language processing (NLP) and artificial intelligence (AI) changed keyword perception
Google is constantly changing its algorithms, and AI with NLP plays a significant part. The changes are meant to reflect human behavior, for example, how they search for what they need. Therefore, the search engine, more or less, reformulates user searchers behind the scenes. Any SEO agency in Inverness should tell you how Google started using RankBrain, an AI tool, to better interpret searches on the engine. The tool helps the search engine understand more about what users need and helps it interpret data more accurately to provide more relevant results.
Voice search changed the game
Users no longer need to type in phrases to search for anything through virtual assistants, such as Cortana, Siri, or Google Assistant. They can swiftly talk to the assistant about their search needs, affecting the interpretation of keywords. When individuals talk, their way of asking things is different from when they type. Thanks to the keyword planner, it does not need to be that complicated. It explains the 15% unique daily searches on Google. It does not mean that keywords do not apply, but it only complicates choosing which ones to use.
The keyword planner showed that most keywords are not unique
The tools group similar keywords, and the results showed that most of them are similar as they target the same thing. For example, two users might be searching for a similar thing, but they type the word differently. One might think that the keyword planner helps Google eliminate specific keywords, but it is quite the opposite. It is helpful to understand the users, and it helps drive relevant traffic to the most appropriate sites. It’s good to know you can use Google Search Console as a keyword ranking tool.
Wrapping up
Keywords are essential to any SEO campaign. They are useful to drive your content to users as part of organic search results. If you have a hard time choosing keywords for your campaign, you can consult an SEO agency in Inverness. Schedule a call with us today if you need SEO services, and we’ll create an effective plan for your website.
Despite the misinformation on the relevance of keywords in SEO, if you follow the guide on the changes made on search engines, then you will understand their importance. Keywords allow you to target your content to fit user searches. They provide direction on what you should focus on in your content and target audience.
