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Keyword strategy might sound a bit alien for some webmasters, especially those just getting into search engine optimization, and may seem a bit simplistic. After all, isn’t SEO all about just finding a few keywords that sound good and putting them in your content?
Not quite. Keyword strategy is how you select and implement your keywords in the most effective and efficient manner possible. It’s a far cry from merely coming up with keywords that look good. This article will talk about how you can generate significant traffic for your site through well crafted keyword strategies.
Understanding Competition in Keyword Strategy
Competition is out there for just about every worthwhile keyword and phrase. This is because the market is heavily saturated and will continue to grow as the internet flourishes and expands. Understanding how competition relates to your SEO strategy and keywords is important.
Generally speaking, you want as little competition as possible when it comes to your keywords. There is one notable exception: When a keyword is just so wildly popular – and profitable – that passing it up is a mistake. For the most part, though, you want to use key phrases that are narrow enough to cut out a lot of competition.
Of course, a keyword that has little to no competition means one of two things:
1. The keyword or phrase is worthwhile, but no one knows about it – which means you’ve found a diamond in the rough;
2. The keyword isn’t any good.
Unfortunately, most of the time in this scenario the second option will be what is going on. So, strike a middle path between the two extremes - find a keyword that is popular and relevant, but not so unique that hardly anyone uses it.
Carving Out and Implementing a Niche
A big part of keyword strategy is finding a niche – a specialized topic that appeals to an audience over a broader topic. For example, if “pottery” is a topic, then “affordable pottery”, or “Southwestern pottery” would be more of a niche. You can go even further and say “affordable Southwestern pottery”.
You can use keyword research services or tools to check the interest level of a keyword. Once you have settled on your phrase, you can implement your niche. Try localizing your keywords whenever possible. Come up with a different primary keyword for each page, complete with secondary keywords that complement them.
Adhere to the standard rules of keyword strategy – such as proper keyword density and usage – and you will have the beginnings of a strong keyword blueprint for your website or blog.
Finally, track and analyze your initial results. Don’t be afraid to fine-tune your keyword strategy as you go – that is how your strategy will improve.



