No matter how good the content is, no one will see it if you do not apply search engine optimization (SEO) techniques. SEO expert and blogger Neil Patel defines SEO as “the process of optimizing your online content so that a search engine likes to show it as a top result for searches of a certain keyword.”
The biggest takeaway here is ranking for searches of certain keywords.
Why should you take keywords seriously? The first five organic results on the first page of search engines account for 67.60% of all clicks.
Thus, your content should appear among the top five on the first page when users enter your target keywords in the search bar. Otherwise, your content is likely to go unnoticed by your target audience.
You might already be optimizing your content for your target keywords, but why are you not getting the results that you want?
Knowing keyword research is a significant factor. Propelrr, a digital marketing agency in the Philippines, came up with an ultimate guide to understanding SEO that you can explore. Using this guide can boost your content’s success and improve your keyword mapping expertise.
What is keyword mapping?
Keyword mapping is the process of matching keywords to content and pages on a website. So you have a list of your target keywords on the right column and all your content on your website on the left column. You need to know four major things:
- If you have keywords for every content;
- If you have content for all your target keywords;
- What keywords need to be added to your list to fit existing content; and
- What new content to be created for existing keywords.
Why should you map keywords?
Using target keywords in your content is part of the job. You have to get a clear picture of how you are distributing these across your website. Keyword mapping is important because:
- It gives search engines the opportunity to analyze the relevance of every page and place relevant content on top spots on their results pages.
- It can help structure internal links that you could use in building a powerful SEO strategy. These internal links connect similar pages on your website, focused on content relevancy.
- With keyword mapping, you will be able to spread your target keywords evenly on your webpages. This will prevent pages from competing against each other.
- This best practice can help you with topic ideation and avoid duplicate content. A keyword map will show keywords that have no existing content or pages yet and those that already have.
- Finally, this SEO technique can guide you in optimizing all pages on your website. If your target keywords are not found on a page, list down the on-page factors, and optimize the page.
To get started, you need to create a keyword map.
How do you create a keyword map?
A keyword map shows how your target keywords align with the content and pages of your website. This is typically a spreadsheet that maps out your keywords and website data and pages. You can create a keyword map manually or with a keyword mapping tool.
Here is a smart hack: organize your keywords in buckets.
Keyword buckets are categories based on virtually any standard that you find useful. These may be based on terms that mention your brand or the solutions you provide, keywords related to your niche, or keywords people use when searching for your competitors.
Create a keyword map manually with these easy-to-follow tips:
- Build a comprehensive keyword list that includes all terms and phrases that your audience might be searching. Your keyword list may be an enumeration of your products and services; terms used in your industry; the cities where your target audience live, etc.
- Analyze each keyword, and identify the exact phrase(s) people use to find it. You may use online tools such as Google Keyword Planner or Google Autocomplete.
Here are some points to consider when assessing keywords:
Analyze one or two priority keyword buckets. You may choose buckets with keywords that drive the most organic traffic or those with the most potential clicks.
Take note of the pages that:
- contain multiple target keywords;
- have no keyword targeting; and
- use keywords with the wrong search intent
Search intent answers the “why” behind a search. It is a person’s objective in doing a search online.
Cluster pages in the same keyword bucket. Then, structure the internal links by choosing a main page where all others will link to.
3. Organize your keyword list using a spreadsheet. As a tip, tag each keyword based on priority (low, medium or high), and use Google Keyword Planner to indicate the monthly searches they generate .
What is a keyword mapping document? This is commonly a spreadsheet where each row is a specific page on your website (Homepage, Service, About Us, etc.) and each column is an element for the optimization process (URL, page title, meta description, mapped keywords, etc.).
You may use this mapping document as a guide on the type of content to be published on each page.
Another way of doing keyword mapping is through research and mapping tools. Check out the following tools:
- Ahrefs
- Keywords Everywhere
- Google Search Query
- LSI Keywords
What is keyword intent mapping?
Another SEO technique you should employ is keyword intent mapping. This is the process of aligning the objectives of your target audience to your keywords. Keep in mind that Google prioritizes content that matches that intent of searchers. No matter how you distribute keywords in a piece of content, if such content will not help a searcher, it will not rank high on search results pages.
Typically, search intent keywords are grouped into three types: informational, navigational, and transactional. Under these are subgroups of keywords that offer a better picture of the intent of a searcher. These subgroups may be:
- Product which is composed of keywords that suggest that searcher is interested in a product or service you offer;
- Demographic which is composed of keywords that reveal the age, gender, occupation or location of the searcher; or
- Occasion which is made of keywords related to a specific event or purpose.
Out of these subgroups, you can create a seed list that you can further expand. Remember: the longer the list, the better.
Keyword intent mapping provides an in-depth look at factors that affect your interactions with a searcher/customer. You can use it to know about search volume, click volume, and cost per click, among others.
There is so much high-quality content that disappears on the Internet superhighway, forever to be forgotten. Articles published online are promoted differently from those published in newspapers, journals, and other printed media. Online content is optimized for search engines to rank better and create more visibility and reach a wider audience.
The goal is to stand out from the tens of thousands of other similar content on the Web. Let keyword mapping be your weapon.