In layman's terms, Local SEO is the practice of increasing the search visibility of your businesses in local search results on Google. Local SEO techniques are most beneficial for businesses that have a physical location or serve a geographic area. By using the local SEO technique, businesses can drive more people towards brick-and-mortar stores. This article will help you with ten actionable local SEO tips and tricks to help you stay at the top of your local SEO game.

### Before we move forward, let's see some stats first

As per the latest stats, <a href="https://seotribunal.com/blog/stats-to-understand-seo/#local-seo-facts" target="blank">46% of all Google searches</a> are local, and over 50% of 'near me' searches result in a physical store visit. Another report reveals that <a href="https://seotribunal.com/blog/stats-to-understand-seo/#local-seo-facts" target="blank">97% of people</a> learn about a local business by online means than anywhere else.

![local SEO statistics](//images.contentful.com/z8uwv83tofbw/7JWSu8JpSqGQsTXnGcCby2/3c51a98e9af3beb894a2e0d84f2adcfc/photo-1548345680-f5475ea5df84.jfif)

## Here are ten actionable local SEO tips and tricks in 2021

### 1. Create A Google My Business (GMB) Listing

When it comes to local SEO search visibility, Google My Business listings are the most influential component. Because Google is paying more weight to social media presence, please share these posts on social media. If you receive visitors to your Google Posts page, Google will see that you provide valuable information and updates. You can also write mini-posts for your clients to demonstrate that you are actively managing your listing.

### 2. List Your Business in Other Directories

It would help if you listed your firm in various online directories in addition to having a Google My Business account. You can find this suggestion in practically any <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Local-SEO-Handbook-basics-marketing/dp/1720029075" target="blank">local SEO handbook</a> because it is a powerful SEO component.

You can target the following directories:
- Yelp
- FourSquare
- Angie’s List
- Bing Places
- HotFrog
- Best of the Web
- About Us

In addition to these national and worldwide directories, you should check to see any online business directories in your area. Listings on these sites will offer additional local SEO signals to Google.

### 3. Keep Your NAP Information Correct

If feasible, keep your <a href="https://www.google.com/intl/en_in/business/" target="blank">Google My Business (GMB)</a> information up to date. If there are differences, Google has no means of determining which information is correct. If your company relocates, you should update this across all platforms as soon as possible. Consumers can now recommend modifications to a company's profile information, and Google may act on them.

### 4. Target Local Keywords

Targeting local keywords is one of the fundamentals of local SEO. Local keywords are self-explanatory. However, it would help if you still looked at long-tail local keywords for your business.

Suppose you operate a plumbing business in New York City, for example. In that case, you should examine <a href="https://www.thegratifiedblog.com/search-visibility/" target="blank">search visibility</a> for different variations of search phrases like "plumber, New York City," "plumber, NYC," and so on. You might also wish to look for hyper-local keywords like "plumbing services, Manhattan."

![local SEO Google](//images.contentful.com/z8uwv83tofbw/5UnD7TuEIoxbB46sIVOfrb/f096aa721a36b1caedf179ec34d67fc9/photo-1616469829718-0faf16324280.jfif)

### 5. Optimize Your Site with Local Keywords

The next step is to optimize your site for the local keywords for which you wish to rank. Again, it is a tried-and-true <a href="https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/mobile-search-trends-consumers-to-stores/" target="blank">local SEO tip</a> that will be just as relevant in 2021 as it was five years ago. 
Site optimization is a separate topic, but here are some onsite local SEO fundamentals.

To begin, ensure that your home page and any service pages include the local keywords you want to rank for in the:
- Headings
- Title tags
- Meta description
- Body
- Footer

When feasible, you should also strive to add your core local keyword within the URL.
When incorporating keywords, be sure you employ them naturally rather than keyword stuffing.

### 6. Create Local Content

If you want to maximize your content marketing efforts for increased lead generation, you must also provide local content. By inserting local keywords into the blog article, you may connect local content to your offerings. In addition, it allows you to add local keywords and events into your text naturally.

### 7. Optimize for Mobile

Optimizing your site for mobile is another of the top local SEO suggestions for 2021.
Making your website mobile-friendly is critical for overall SEO success. It is, nevertheless, especially vital for local SEO. It is why.

According to statistics, <a href="https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/mobile-search-trends-consumers-to-stores/" target="blank">30% of all smartphone searches</a> are location-based. It is a large amount, implying that many customers who find you through local search are likely using a mobile device.

Potential clients will be put off if your site does not display well on mobile devices or navigation challenges. As a result, customers will most likely abandon your site in favor of one of your competitors who has a more professional online presence.

### 8. Optimize for Voice

It would help if you optimized for voice searches in addition to smartphone searches. According to research, mobile voice searches are 300% more likely to have local intent than text searches.
Because the voice search era is still in its early stages, many businesses have yet to optimize their website and content for speech. As a result, it provides you with an excellent opportunity to stay ahead of the competition.

### 9. Take Time to Build Inbound Links

<a href="https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/inbound-links-faqs" target="blank">Inbound links</a> are a critical ranking component that can help both traditional and local SEO.
Begin by compiling a list of these companies. Then, optimize your process by looking for pages on their websites to place a contextual link. You can then contact the businesses on your list and recommend link positions.

Guest posting is another approach to build contextual inbound links for increasing your search visibility. For example, if any of the companies on your list have a blog, you may offer to write content for them that includes a link to your site.

In some situations, you may also want to consider obtaining backlinks from major websites such as Forbes.

### 10. Look Into Location Pages

Does your company have many locations? Make sure you're showing up in local searches for each of these locations.

You can accomplish search visibility by <a href="https://www.rialtomarketing.com/location-pages/" target="blank">creating location pages</a>. For example, assume you provide services in Houston, San Antonio, and Austin. Instead of having a single service page that lists all of these locations, make one for each city.

## Conclusion

Optimizing your site for a specific local area will increase your revenue and drive more people towards your store. Now that we've covered many actionable SEO tips here, we recommend you get started with a local SEO strategy before your firm falls behind. 


photo-1548345680-f5475ea5df84

Local SEO is super important for businesses that have physical locations or serve specific geographic areas. Here are 10 actionable SEO tips to help you stay on top of your local SEO game.

Stay on top of your game with these 10 local SEO tips

10 Actionable Local SEO Tips & Tricks In 2021

10 Local SEO Tips - Rank for Local Keywords

SEO tactics and strategies are constantly evolving due to ongoing advancements in Google’s algorithm and machine learning drastically changing how search results appear. eCommerce enterprise sites especially, have an even bigger challenge understanding which terms are seeing the biggest fluctuations and more importantly, why they are seeing fluctuations. 

For example, when we looked at the term “one piece swimsuit” over a 7 month period, the websites that ranked on page one of Google fluctuated week to week. We know seasonality, location, personalization and numerous other factors play into what will show up for each person, however, we wanted to see how a search engine results page (SERP) for a specific 
search query changed over time.    

Here is what that result looks like when comparing September 2019 (average results that showed up on page one compared to March 2020). The image below shows what that looked like over time.   

![Sept. 2019 Page 1 Ranking Image 1 URL](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/7Kw5UOXm43vdx6cVclgMc7/c1691c33b1b4f8ead6a5b3556b3e4521/Sept._2019_Page_1_Ranking_Image_1_URL.png)

Nearly all of the results saw a drastic shift in ranking over a seven month period. The websites that remained relatively untouched were pacsun.com, macys.com, swimoutlet and nordstromrack.com. Three sites (victoriasecret.com, roxy.com and ae.com) are now ranking on page one of Google. 

Tracking a single term doesn’t take much, but when you multiply that by thousands of search terms on page one it becomes overwhelming. Take the massive eCommerce site macys.com. Macys as of June 2020, has 416K+ keywords the entire site ranks for just in position 1-3. They have another 964K+ terms ranking in position 4-10. 

![Enterprise SEO keyword traffic](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/6o2GYmeBWOVocAKx5CjqV/69e87be57e54e33468ceb1e5bb6df90b/nozzle_image_2.png)

With all this change comes a need to have a robust enterprise SEO strategy that helps you to not only maintain but grow search visibility 

We will walk you through our top enterprise SEO strategies designed to <a href="https://www.stryde.com/ecommerce-seo-guide-rankings-google/" target="blank">improve your ecommerce Google rankings</a>. Keep reading to learn how to succeed in 2020.

## Increase Your Focus on Second Page Keywords

Keywords that rank on the second page of Google (rankings 11-20) are often coined as keywords in “striking distance.” These keywords are low-hanging fruit and have the potential to give your site a needed boost with a little SEO optimization. 

How do you find the keywords that are in striking distance? The process is quite simple.

![organic SEO keyword research](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/3HQUWsqDJyIjIB7RZFQotF/27f49f7e2edde7e071d094b857f28c9c/nozzle_image_3.png)

1. Enter your domain in the Organic Research Bar of a tool like SEMRush.
2. Select the Positions Tab.
3. Filter by selecting 11-20 in the Organic Keywords Trend graph.

It is likely the data set is too large so you will need to filter down more and look at a specific bucket of keywords. Sticking with macys.com as an example, they have 5,002 terms on page two that contain the word “swim” in them. 

![Enterprise SEO strategy page rank](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/6Xr9r84kXziRvELi5ghN0I/97931c0e505d61be555bf206962c3a91/nozzle_image_4.png)

Or you can look at your focused keyword set in Nozzle and get more granular to know how many phrases are in the 7-10, 11-15, and 16-20 buckets.

![Number of Phrases within Striking Distance](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/rkGnLm8URFEFDbVYGFSaF/fb7f567cac40ad12a860de48fa1e486c/Number_of_Phrases_within_Striking_Distance.JPG)

1. Go to the Single Domain dashboard
2. Add a filter to show rankings between 7 and 20
3. Add a filter to display results for only one specific keyword group

![Number of Phrases within Striking Distance filtered to one keyword group](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/7uJN9mzrVnlyAQnA3b55p0/80a09ef2646916599f0a5dcdf15e2788/Number_of_Phrases_within_Striking_Distance_filtered_to_one_keyword_group.JPG)

__Main Goal:__

Keywords sitting on page two of search results have the best opportunity to make the jump to the first page with the least amount of effort. Second page results have proven they are relevant to the selected search query, reviewing how the keyword relates to the ranking page and optimizing the landing page for the selected keywords along with synonyms  can provide that needed boost to make it on the first page. 

Focus on reviewing how the keyword is being used on the ranking page. Make sure the keyword is in the title tag,  H1 tag, used throughout the copy and has internal links with the keyword as anchor text pointing back to the ranking page. These small adjustments can greatly improve your ranking. 

__Key Benefit:__
- Increased Traffic
- Potential Boost in Revenue
- Increased Brand Visibility 

## Improve Content on Ranking Pages

After you have identified striking distance keywords that you would like to focus on improving, you will want to look at what content you can create and expand to not only meet your end-users expectations but exceed them. 

This tactic will be extremely beneficial to sites that have thin copy or no content on their pages. Why? Google search bots are not able to see visuals while they crawl sites for ranking purposes. Instead they look for words that describe what each page is about and rank sites based on how well they answer an end-users question. Using the example above, macys ranks on page 2 for the term “swim shorts”. Both the mens and womens pages rank but neither are on page one. In this example, the search results seem to be more geared toward womens swim shorts rather than mens as shown by the sponsored product listings, even though mens do show up in the organic listings. 

![improving SEO content on ranking pages](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/PvH6Nqg0gTMv8EeTPk6n1/568db7f779826863ec5fbf39582f5d19/nozzle_image_5_Screen_Shot_2020-06-17_at_10.07.50_AM.png)

The page that ranks is the following: 
https://www.macys.com/shop/b/womens-swim-shorts?id=72487 but they link to a similar page (https://www.macys.com/shop/b/swim-shorts-for-women?id=73380) using internal links with the text “swim shorts”. No bueno.  

![SEO strategy content examples ](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/2Fay7Furvg95ElJZS32Unl/e7bad7cb1a6575ed901113b01b974afa/nozzle_image_womens_shorts_13.png)

There are a number of issues with the content above, but we recommend they could make some small tweaks to include things like:
- Activities the swimwear is good for such as jogging, paddle boarding, etc. 
- Include similar terms in the content such as board shorts, swim bottoms, etc. 

## How do you find pages with thin content?

- Review your domain with an SEO tool such as DeepCrawl, ScreamingFrog, or Botify.
- If using DeepCrawl you can use the following process:
  - Once the crawl is complete, navigate to the Content section and select Body Content > Thin Pages.

![SEO tool instructions within DeepCrawl](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/3aELkorLJWcCfo1OiUOvKt/9a28e9915cdcdbc14901f093e9efafb0/nozzle_image_6.png)

- Export the list of URLs into an Excel file or Google sheets (if the amount of pages is less than 500.) Large data sets are not good for using Google sheets. They will crash when trying to run filters and formulas when the data set is large. 
- Run an SEMRush pages report in the Organic Research section to see how many keywords each URL ranks for. Export those URLs and match them up with your DeepCrawl data set to see how many  keywords your thin pages rank for. 

![Enterprise SEO strategy organic research](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/6VoGu0uAhvcJlnUQD5fwS4/a57d530cadb833e6907b288fb04f2c76/nozzle_image_7_Screen_Shot_2020-06-18_at_1.30.15_PM.png)

- In Nozzle below, you can then analyze each thin page separately to see which keywords are in striking distance and should be considered when improving upon, and adding to, the content of that page.

![single URL keyword rankings](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/6klCgbfGBDKHp9KxzfCrEH/606bb6b78615c9c00ebec949d1fb52d1/single_URL_keyword_rankings.JPG)

- Note keywords that are relevant and in striking distance to rank for page one search results. 

__Main Goal__
Google’s algorithm rewards websites that provide end-users with expertise, authority and trustworthy content. Recent Google algorithm updates have been targeting websites with thin content and reduced their rank. 

<a href="https://digitalmarketersworld.com/content-marketing-guide/" target="blank">Quality content</a> provides users with a satisfying experience. Brands that work to provide a one-stop shop to answer all questions a user might have pertaining to the subject will be most rewarded. Content that provides little insight neither ranks well or provides your end user with a satisfying experience. 

This concept boils down to one simple thought: Focus on support and let the sale follow. 

__Key Benefits:__
- Increased traffic to websites. 
- Increased session durations.
- Stronger domain authority.
- Positive end-user experience.

## Increase Content to Support Current Pages

SEO strategists will be first to tell you content plays a significant role in rankings and brand awareness. Many prospects begin their customer journey by researching a solution to their problem. This means it's crucial your website not only focuses on building transactional content but educational content as well. 

Brands that want to rank on the first page or have content pulled as the featured snippet on Google must continue to create and expand their content library to include pieces that speak to a customer at each stage of the buyer's journey. 

Enterprise SEO looks to create all types of content. Content goes well beyond a blog post, it also can be images, videos, polls, infographics and webinars. All pieces of content you create should be built with the purpose to answer a user’s questions. 

Let’s take a look at a specific example:

![SEO tips on how to increase page content ](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/4t96GdxUH3GAv4m8bfvsap/2de0e0d9d164ffca3351a9c7ad569187/nozzle_image_8_pasted_image_0.png)

![Enterprise SEO content creation](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/2Q07t9CUROzK8BuiAvuxtc/a9f52f5f7985992d826354ae71b3c1ab/nozzle_image_9_pasted_image_0.png)

![Enterprise SEO video content creation](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/2uvytcuGdIANUtOtoftTSi/d8dde2e5435cdeb942c82200f414d7c4/nozzle_image_10.png)

Immediately upon searching how to clean cloth diapers, you are flooded with resources to walk you through your question. You are immediately struck by a featured snippet that contains a detailed step-by-step process. As you scroll down you will see additional questions that commonly appear with the query and videos to walk you through the washing process. 

Long-form content consisting of approximately 1,500 words consistently <a href="https://searchengineland.com/seo-user-science-behind-long-form-content-230721" target="blank">rank higher than short-form content</a>. Long-form content has the ability to get to the bottom of multiple questions and provide deeper insight into the topic at hand. 

However, short-form content has the ability to provide resourceful information. Testing long-form and short-form content on your website will provide you deeper insight into what your audience better responds to. 

A simple take away is to focus on user-experience. 

  __Key Benefits:__
      - Improved user experience. 
      - Increase in session duration.
      - Increase ranking opportunities.
      - Increased brand awareness.
      - Attract top-of-funnel prospects in the research phase.

## Featured Snippet Optimization

Enterprise SEO strategies must include featured snippet strategies if they want to be most effective. Featured snippets are the text boxes that are not only attached to voice search queries but they also appear at the top of organic search page results. Pulling up as the featured article gives your brand maximum exposure and traffic. 

![Enterprise SEO strategy using featured snippet](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/JXx7IkT2f9ujmQiQefQgM/d2a226ff206c2e7e31be2ed02988e2f2/nozzle_image_11_pasted_image_0.png)

__Featured Snippet Recommendations:__

There are two things you can do to best optimize your content to be considered for a featured snippet: Immediately answer the end-users question in the first H1 tag and mold your content to your end-users preferred format. 

Ask yourself if your content is specifically answering your prospects question. Are your headers clearly guiding your users throughout the article? Is the solution front and center? 

Using SEMrush you can review queries that have featured snippets. You will be able to see what article is being rewarded the top spot, and you will be able to see if lists, tables or paragraphs are specifically ranking. 

This knowledge can lead you to audit your content to see if your message is formatted in the way end-users prefer. If the featured snippet contains a bullet-point list that is concise and to the point, you may want to adjust your content to mimic the rewarded format. 

__Key Benefits:__
- Maximum exposure to brand content.
- Rank for voice assisted search queries.
- Increased brand exposure.

## Optimize website for voice-search

As of 2019, there are <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/973815/worldwide-digital-voice-assistant-in-use/" target="blank">approximately 3.25 billion voice assisted devices</a> in homes around the world. This innovation has introduced a new way for users to search and get connected with your brand. 

Organizations should add voice-search optimization to their enterprise SEO strategy. Voice search goes beyond implementing keywords; it focuses on adding content around conversational questions.

![Enterprise SEO strategy to Optimize website for voice-search](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/WwM9GWsyXB4XQYNoNi8zT/1e5d1f78c3a4d06dffea9e7f5c37cc8f/nozzle_image_12.png)

Source: <a href="https://moz.com/blog/how-voice-search-will-change-digital-marketing-for-the-better" target="blank">https://moz.com/blog/how-voice-search-will-change-digital-marketing-for-the-better</a>

If you have a smart device in your home, you have likely asked Alexa a long-winded question instead of two concise keywords pieced together. 

An example may include: 

When we search on our mobile phone or desktop, we might type, “make homemade facemask.” 

When we use a voice assistant we might ask, “Hey Google, what do I need to make a homemade facemask?”

These queries are focused on obtaining the same information, yet their structure is different in nature. Incorporating more conversational keywords into your website copy will greatly benefit your business as voice search is constantly increasing. 

__Key Benefits:__
- Increased brand visibility through voice assisted search.
- Rank for voice assisted search queries.
- Increased brand exposure.

## __Internal Link Building__

SEO strategists should continue to focus on yielding the power of internal linking. 

As you continue to build and improve content, linking pages that relate to one another will improve the SEO health of each page by passing link equity to multiple pages on your site. 

Websites that take advantage of internal linking make it significantly easier for Google search bots to crawl, understand and properly rank your site for relevant search queries. Links can direct bots to crawl through multiple pages on your website giving you a better chance to rank for additional keywords. 

Companies should also take advantage of internal link building because they have the ability to dictate where the link is directed to and what anchor text they will use for the link. 

__Key Benefits:__
- Improves user-experience through descriptive anchor-texts.
- Distributes link authority.
- Internal linking can increase the number of pages a user visits.
- Internal linking helps with search bot crawling and indexing.
- Internal linking can help increase page rank.

### __Conclusion__  

Search engine algorithms are constantly evolving and keeping SEO strategists on their toes. This means ranking on page one requires an in-depth and well thought out enterprise SEO strategy that will help them remain competitive in the changing landscape. 

While there are several elements that go into an effective SEO strategy, these are recommended strategies that will help boost enterprise brands. 

<a href="https://www.stryde.com/" target="blank">Stryde</a> is an Enterprise SEO Agency helping businesses perfect their eCommerce SEO and content marketing strategy. See how you stack up with a free analysis of your business.

Number of Phrases within Striking Distance filtered to one keyword group

While there are several elements that go into an effective SEO strategy, these are recommended strategies that will help boost enterprise brands. 

Enterprise SEO Strategies for eCommerce Sites

Once upon a time, the search engine was like a fishing rod that would pull content up based on how keyword-dense it was.

Website owners were more focused on writing content that included lots of keywords that they inserted everywhere they could. This meant that a reader was greeted with the same key phrase in the title of the article as well as in the first line, the first heading, and repeatedly throughout the content.

However, in the past few years, Google has made it increasingly clear that it has grown smarter with age. It no longer rewards a higher position based on how many keywords you’re sprinkling throughout your content.

Starting with Panda, Google takes into account content quality ranking factors to position your content in the search engine results pages (SERPs). For instance, content gets ranked based on how reader-friendly and useful it is.

The days of inserting a keyword that doesn’t make much grammatical sense are over. Writers have to make sure they write content that pleases humans to attract Google’s attention. And they also have to play smarter – insert relevant keywords more strategically than just follow a laid-out formula.

## What most websites get wrong

Consider John. He has recently created a new business website and has a blog page for it. John sets out to find writers who can write him SEO-friendly posts for his site with the hopes to attract more traffic to his business. But, because he’s so desperate for success and he’s not up to date with the latest Google guidelines, his focus is on creating keyword-rich posts.

Question is, even if John’s writer adds the correct keywords and uses them wisely throughout the content, do John’s blog posts have a chance of ranking immediately?

Not really. Even if John’s content contains a good load of keywords placed in a 2500-word guide, Google still wouldn’t tug it up to the first or even seventh page. 

This is because the algorithm also looks at other factors than just how detailed and keyword enriched a content piece is. You see, there are more than <a href="https://backlinko.com/google-ranking-factors" target="blank">200 ranking factors</a> that Google looks at to determine where it should place your page in the results.

Majorly, it looks at the authority and credibility of a site. Therefore, if a website has <a href="https://nozzle.io/blog/building-backlinks-should-be-building-your-brand" target="blank">more links from authoritative sites</a> pointing toward it, the higher its spot will be in the SERPs. Furthermore, you want as many links as possible to each piece of content on your site to build up your website’s authority.

Now, building authority and credibility takes time. And this process requires you to write unique, evidence-based, and worthy content that speaks to humans. After all, other high-quality sites will only give you backlinks when they find your content to be a helpful, educational resource.

Put simply, don’t merely focus on keywords when you start out. Write conversationally and provide value in your posts. Most importantly, have a proper, well-thought-out content plan to crawl your way up in the SERPs.

As for other ranking factors, here’s a look at the <a href="https://ahrefs.com/blog/google-ranking-factors/" target="blank">top 10 Google ranking factors</a> that you shouldn’t ignore.

## So, you should write for your readers. But how to go about that?

Think of it like this – how do you, as a reader, react to content that chokes your throat with its obvious keyword volume? You roll your eyes and leave the page to go to another that serves you with an in-depth solution to your query. Even better if the article packs in some additional tips.

If you understand what you, as a reader, expect from the content you come across on the web, then you’d be able to nail what Google (and your readers) want from it. But content that is filled with jargon, difficult words, and hasn’t been structured well repels you.

Google gets this which is why it positions content that is authoritative, valuable, and readable at the top. Put simply, your content should be:

-  __Well researched and full of value__ – readers should leave with actionable takeaways from what you’ve written.
-  __Easy to read__ – write in simple language and shorter paragraphs. Also, use bullet points + headings, and structure your content properly.
-   __Interesting__ – add relevant images such as graphics and screenshots to explain your point and make your content clearer and more interesting.
-   __Conversational__ – speak to your audience by addressing them and be natural in your writing.
-   __Properly edited__ – cut out fluff and make sure your piece <a href="https://alafiyamemon.com/2020/04/13/how-to-edit-your-writing/" target="blank">doesn’t include any grammatical or other errors.</a>

Look at how properly structured this Evernote blog post is. It has short paragraphs, uses heading tags, bullet points, and simple language:

![ Should you write for your readers or the search engine?](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/3pFD1BLQWYYOCW9tdqnjWX/82aa5009c151cbe0d1a5ff2198f7d0b8/PICTURE_1_Should_you_write_for_your_readers_or_the_search_engine)

<a href="https://evernote.com/blog/capture-ideas-accomplish-more/" target="blank">source</a>

## Don’t forget to optimize for the search engine too

Yes, you should write for humans and Google bots are adapting more to measuring your article based on how reader-friendly it is. But this doesn’t translate to completely forgetting about keywords and other algorithm-attracting guidelines.

Google wants you to write content that answers people’s queries in-depth, which is often better achieved with longer content. It also appreciates if you use relevant and applicable keywords at the right places. Moreover, you get brownie points for adding internal and high-quality external links.

So, along with writing for your readers, also make sure you pay heed to the following SEO factors:

- __Content length__ – as per HubSpot’s latest data, your blog post should ideally be 2,100 to 2,400 words long. The length of your article can vary depending on whether you are writing a how-to guide or a listicle. <a href="https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-long-should-your-blog-posts-be-faq" target="blank">Here’s what HubSpot has to say</a> regarding the length of your blog post. 

- __Links__ – make your article more resourceful or evidence-based by adding outbound links to credible sources. Also, link internally to other relevant, informative blog posts you’ve written.

- __Focus keyword__ – use tools like <a href="https://www.semrush.com/" target="blank">SEMrush</a> or <a href="https://neilpatel.com/ubersuggest/" target="blank">Ubersuggest</a> to find your keywords and then <a href="https://nozzle.io/blog/where-to-add-keywords-in-your-content-to-improve-your-ranking" target="blank">place these keywords naturally</a> in your title, image tags, URL, and meta description. Keep in mind finding the right keywords isn’t easy. Consider using long-tail keywords too and ponder over a reader’s search intent before finalizing which keywords to include.

Take a look at how strategically the focus keyword has been used in this Visme blog post that also happens to be conversational and easy-to-read.

![Choosing the right infographic for your blog post](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/n1dAJeIRmKbFtTLRqxxWp/246035f2211ccc63008c4206952ad9f2/PICTURE_3_Should_you_write_for_your_readers_or_the_search_engine)

<a href="https://visme.co/blog/infographic-dimensions/" target="blank">source</a>

## Summing Up – user and Google friendly writing practices can go hand in hand

Once you get the hang of it, it won’t be challenging to create content that is pleasing to both your readers and search engines. If anything, Google wants you to write for your readers, which is why it insists you use keywords intelligently rather than forcefully.

The only reason Google favors long-form content is that people want more detailed solutions when they enter a query. You’re unlikely to be able to jam in all the value and information that cover a topic within just 250 words, isn’t it? It also wants you to add links for offering further value to readers – they should be able to dive deeper into a topic with just a click. In short, write for both your readers and the search engine. 


Choosing the right infographic for your blog post

Once you get the hang of it, it won’t be challenging to create content that is pleasing to both your readers and search engines. If anything, Google wants you to write for your readers, which is why it insists you use keywords intelligently rather than forcefully.

Important tips on how to write an SEO optimized blog post.

Should You Write For Your Readers Or The Search Engines?

How to write an SEO optimized blog post

Are you wondering how to use keywords for search engine optimization (SEO)? Do you find yourself at a loss when figuring out where to put keywords in your content? Then you’re at the right place because we’ve dedicated this guide to telling you exactly where you need to use keywords for SEO so Google can rank your pages higher for those keywords.

Before we dive in any further though, let’s get this right off the bat – you need to use keywords in your content. Organic search is responsible for over half of website traffic, <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/seo-101/seo-statistics/" target="blank">51% to be specific.</a> So it makes sense to conclude that your business is losing out on potential traffic, leads, and sales when you aren’t paying attention to adding keywords in your content. I suggest using a <a href="https://nozzle.io/" target="blank">rank tracker</a> to organize your keywords and monitor their performance. 

Now that we’re on the same page regarding the importance of keywords for better ranking, let’s talk key placement.

By the end of this guide, we’re hopeful you’ll learn exactly how to use keywords in your content naturally and strategically.

Let’s get started:

## Where to use keywords in your content: 7 different places to pop your KWs in

Here’s a handy infographic showing you the exact places you need to add keywords for SEO, followed by a detailed look at why you need include keywords in the places identified:

![Where to add keywords in your content for on page optimization](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/6hXVqixeCkvxI8474uQyvq/977e623a117e00bf01e25c161e74b52e/Where_to_add_keywords_in_your_content_for_on_page_optimization.jpg)

### 1. Use keywords in your title tag

Your title tag is the first thing Google looks at when determining what your page covers. It’s also an invite for your readers, which helps them decide whether they’ll find what they’re looking for on your page.

As is common practice, invites are better off when they’re direct, which is why you need to add your keyword to your title tag.

Here are two proven tips for you to correctly use keywords in the title tag:

Use the keyword in the beginning of your title

- Although a title is worth a 100 characters, Google truncates the last 35 characters when displaying it.

![Use keywords in title tag for Keyword optimization - SERP screenshot](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/716KNvNEzzHOTgzkB2g1Vw/6caf9ea4d396a934475327da6e59954b/Use_Keywords_in_Title_Tag_-_SERP_screenshot_with_truncated_title_tag.png)

This means you need to add your keywords within the first 65 characters of your title so it shows up in search.

One good way of doing so is using the keyword right away. This is why you’ll find the following headline style common:

__Example keyword:__ Content repurposing

__Example title tag:__ Content Repurposing 101: Your Guide to Reusing Your Content for Maximum Reach

- Use the Yoast SEO plugin to differentiate your title tag and headline
You also need to know that there's a difference between the title tag and headline. The title tag is the title that displays on a search engine results page (SERPs). A headline, on the flip side, is your content’s title, displayed on your web page, and you can make both different using Yoast.

### 2. Add the SEO keyword in your meta description

The meta description is the small snippet that shows up below your title tag on a search results page.

![SERP Screenshot - Add the keyword in your meta description for on-page optimization](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/7diSOZSr2ZeUFBOOkQpchu/df73551d2aecaf9944ddc1046b1d1130/On_page_optimization_-_Add_the_keyword_in_your_meta_description_-_SERP_Screenshot.png)

I like to think of it as a couple of enticing words that support the invite (your title tag), encouraging people to read your content. That’s what it technically does too.

Come to think of it – how many times have you found yourself reading the meta description to get a sense of what the content includes? In the example above, the meta descriptions give a quick idea of what’s included, like calendar, noting taking, and to-do lists apps in the piece by CNET.

You’ll find yourself clicking on the result with the meta description that speaks to you the most. This is also the exact reason why you need to add your keyword in the meta description – for the reader – encouraging him to click.

Of course, the more the clicks, the better your chances of ranking.

On a side note, Google does not pay attention to keywords in meta descriptions for ranking purposes. You’ll be adding your keyword here for the humans, not the bots that crawl the content for ranking.

Always keep the following trick in mind when adding keyword in meta description:

- Use keyword in the beginning of your meta description
You have between 55-160 characters in a meta description before it’s chopped off by Google like a title tag. Therefore, a keyword toward the start of your meta description is a better idea.

### 3. Include your keyword in the URL

The URL is another important place Google looks at when figuring out what your page talks about. From a reader’s lens, the URL needs to be simple so it’s easy to recall.

Think of it like this – a visitor enjoys your content, even remembers your site, but not the exact title of your content. He has two options. Either he heads back to your site and does a site search or he remembers your URL and types it in.

Even typing the basics like “Visme how to make an infographic,” for example, can instantly spit out your piece (because how to make an infographic is what’s in the URL)

![SERP screenshot showing keyword in the url for keyword optimization](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/7Gfn6xjEXZAr6T2tFZHaX6/7fc1ac42ae2bc83f357d2d07da61162f/SERP_screenshot_showing_keyword_in_the_url_for_keyword_optimization.png)

Makes sense, doesn’t it?

Plus, here are your tips for adding keywords for SEO in your URL:

- Add nothing but the keywords in your URL
- Remove any extra hyphens or punctuation marks so it’s clean and crisp – ideal to remember

Note the difference between an SEO-optimized URL and one that’s not tended to:

❌  __Bad URL example:__

https://xyz.com/content-marketing-tips-that-will-blow-your-mind-away-in-2020

✔  __Good example:__ 

https://contently.com/2020/01/08/content-marketing-2020-tips/

### 4. Don’t forget to include keywords to your content headings

Heading tags like the H1, H2, H3, and other tags guide Google regarding what’s on your page.

As for the reader, headings and subheading improve reading experience. How, you ask? One, by dividing the piece into readable blocks of text so readers don’t run into an ugly, I’d-rather-not-read wall of text (remember, you’re writing for the web – not an essay for your English teacher). And, two, by showing readers what’s covered on the page. This way, your reader can scan and tell if your piece is worth reading or not.

Here’s how to play with keyword placement when it comes to headings:

- Add your keywords in the H1 heading
You have two options here. Either include your keyword-packed H1 heading straightaway. Note how Fingerprint for Success does that:

![How to use keywords for SEO - Keywords in heading tags](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/542nWo3NCkSVrIhsq7mYB6/36033752eb806192bc4f29c0d7374e05/How_to_use_keywords_for_SEO_-_Keywords_in_heading_tags.png)
<center><a href="https://www.fingerprintforsuccess.com/blog/defeatist-attitude" target="blank">Source</a></center>

Or, include your H1 after the intro just as G2 Learning Hub here:

![On page optimization in SEO - keywords in H1 tag](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/1dIfENgGMpQ5YZmIgoPACN/2868cd99913068912d04ba71674ac03f/On_page_optimization_in_SEO_-_keywords_in_H1_tag.png)
<center><a href="https://learn.g2.com/graphic-design-mistakes" target='blank'>Source</a></center>

- Keywords in your subheadings H2, H3, and so on
This one’s important because keywords in your subheadings can show up in Google’s answer boxes or featured snippets like here:

![How to use long tail keywords - keywords in subheading H2, H3, H4](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/54xCFziep3qttrClmgI652/786173230a96e45440645f5c0ea6f1b8/How_to_use_long_tail_keywords_-_keywords_in_subheading_H2__H3__H4.png)

__Tip:__ Make sure you add keywords in your subheadings at least 2-3 times.

### 5. Sprinkle in keywords throughout the content

But don’t be a douchebag about it. Meaning: use them naturally + subtly. Here’s where your keywords will go:

- First paragraph
This requires you to be creative to get the keyword in the first line. If not, keep it to the first paragraph. 

- Throughout your content
It’s best to use keyword variations and long-tail keywords here. One quick way to find these is to conduct a quick Google search and see what results show in the search box:

![Using long tail keywords for seo within content - Find them in Google search dropdown](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/76xWtVDuMa33aU3I8xq4IB/95858f0dbd8d45ddb62ec57673241590/Using_long_tail_keywords_for_seo_within_content_-_Find_them_on_Google_search_dropdown.png)

Also look at the related searches and use them as your keywords variations. Find these at the bottom of the SERP:

![Search engine optimization keywords - Screenshot of bottom of SERP](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/7u8tVTju20cjHkJYaEef5u/952420773b05de518be6e89f4deb05e0/Search_engine_optimization_keywords_-_Screenshot_of_bottom_of_SERP.png)

- Last paragraph
Bonus points for slipping your keywords in your last subheading too.

__Tip:__ Don’t be spammy and overstuff keywords. Remember you’re writing mostly for humans while ensuring the bots see your page too.

### 6. Include keywords with images too

Google indexes images. So when a reader clicks on the ‘images’ search option, he finds all the images with the keywords. Naturally, this makes your content more findable.

Here’s an example: My featured image for ‘email writing tips’ is ranking among Google’s images, but not in the SERPs. 😀 See the difference using keywords in your images can make?

![SEO keyword optimization - Use keywords in alt text and image file names](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/3OQFcDwMMhIwnUTtTAvGgg/5c71d86bd417f57361ad027188156482/SEO_keyword_optimization_-_Use_keywords_in_alt_text_and_image_file_names.png)

You have two places to work your keywords with images:

- Image file name
This helps you get your images indexed on Google. A handy way to go about doing this is naming your image files and screenshots with the keyword or its variations as you save them.

- Alt text
Keywords in alt text play another important role – they make your content accessible. Wait, what? Yep. Alt text are small tags that pop up when you hover your mouse over an image. This is, particularly, helpful for those with visual impairments. Alt text is also great for making content readable for those who block images.

__Tip:__ Don’t use the main keyword only. Use variations and synonyms so people and search engines can better understand what your image talks about.

### 7. Last on how to use keywords: add them to links

Links? Yes, you heard that right. This applies to both incoming and outgoing links.

Let’s elaborate. Incoming links are links that come to your site. Of course, you have little control over these. But, when you’re consciously building links, say using any of the <a href="https://nozzle.io/blog/5-proven-off-page-seo-tactics-to-help-you-build-powerful-links-in-no-time/" target='blank'>off-page SEO tactics</a> like guest posting, you can have a say.

In that case, request the site linking to you to use your keyword phrase to link to your page. The keyword-packed text used here is the anchor text and it’s <a href="https://www.wordstream.com/anchor-text" target='blank'>an important signal Google uses to determine</a> what a web page covers. Don’t forget to make sure the linked page talks about the keyword. Otherwise, you’d be linking to the wrong page – misleading readers. That’s a big no-no.

On the other hand, outgoing links are links that go from your page to another one of your pages. Hence, when you’re internally linking content (just as I did above with off-page SEO tactics), make sure you use the right keyword too.

But here’s an important __tip__: always vary the keyword text linking to you. Using the same text for every internal link sends the wrong signal to Google, which can get you penalized.

### How to use keywords for SEO: Best practices

The truth is – an important difference between good content and poor content is that the former uses keywords as naturally as possible. Poor content, on the flip side, adds a chock-full of keywords in the content and throws it to their reader. How well do you think a reader will receive it? Pretty bad, if you ask me.

So here’s what you need to do:

- Always use keywords natural and subtly. This way your readers learn your content is answering their questions and isn’t written to please the search engine solely.

- Write for humans. Ultimately, Google appreciates and rewards in ranking the content that its users click, spend most time on, and link to. So if your post doesn’t satisfy them, it won’t be long before your ranking tanks. Or, like Wendy Piersall says, “Google only loves you when everyone else loves you first.”

- Stick with using keyword variations, synonyms, and long-tail keywords. These are different versions of your primary keyword. Using them comes with a serious advantage – you don’t sound repetitive and unnatural with your keyword usage.

### Go on and use keywords in your content

So what are you waiting for? Now that you know where it’s best to use keywords in your content, you’re in a better place to create content that ranks. Remember, keywords go into your title tag, meta description, URL, headings, and images. Slip them into the rest of the content and add keywords to anchor texts too.

Where to add keywords in your content for on page optimization

Are you wondering how to use keywords for SEO? Nozzle presents a comprehnsive on page optimization guide plus infographic. Optimize your pages today to get more traffic tomorrow.

Keyword placement guide for on page optimization. Get optimizing!

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