There is a new term floating around in the world of web design and search engine optimization: keyword clustering. More than a few business owners and marketing managers are wondering what it means, and more importantly, how it fits into their search and conversion strategy.
Today, we want to shed some light on this emerging SEO practice. Here’s what you need to know about keyword clustering and how it could affect your website and blog going forward…
An Overview of Keyword Clustering
You are probably aware that search engine optimization is getting more complex and competitive. There are more websites being crawled than ever, and advanced computers (in some cases even artificially intelligent machines) are using complex algorithms to sort through them. At the same time, searchers are getting more and more precise with their queries.
All of this takes us away from a single or simple keyword focus. It’s hard to type one or two words into Google’s search box, for example, and get exactly what you’re looking for. That’s leading us to a “long tail” of search, where multiple terms and complete phrases are thrown together to either signify or decipher the intent behind a query.
One way to give yourself an edge in SEO, then, is to target longer search terms with your site. That can be helpful, if you know your customers are looking for a very exact term or phrase. However, keyword clustering goes a step further. It involves having the right kinds of words in close proximity to one another, and sprinkled repeatedly through your website, to help create both keyword exact matches and context for your site.
In other words, a website like ours might have the phrase “business web design” used plenty of times. However, we might also sprinkle in terms like ROI, digital advertising, search engine optimization, etc., in the same paragraphs so it’s easy for Google’s spiders—and real searchers—to understand what our content refers to beyond the specific target phrases. That’s the power of keyword clustering, and it’s becoming a bigger part of the SEO process.
Using Keyword Clusters is Good for Both SEO and Branding
The great thing about using keyword clusters is that you aren’t just improving your search engine visibility (although many business owners and marketers will undoubtedly use it for that purpose). It’s also a way to think about your branding and positioning.
After all, when you’re forced to think about the context of your web pages, your attention naturally turns to things like target audience, searcher intent, and conversion strategies. You need to know who is coming to your site, what they want, and what you can do for them. In that way, using keyword clusters can help you tighten up your content and be sure you aren’t just attracting search traffic, but doing all you can to convert visitors into buyers.
The first step towards creating strong keyword clusters is to engage a proven web design and search engine optimization partner. Taking that step will prevent you from moving too far from your business goals or working with a team that isn’t going to get you the right long-term results.
Like most things in SEO, business owners tend to think of keyword clustering in terms of how many hits they can bring to a website, or how many places they can jump on Google. The real value, though, is in the way it can help the right buyers find you and take the next step.
Want to stay on the cutting edge of search engine optimization and online marketing? Contact our team today to schedule a free consultation and see what we can do to help you take your business to the next level!