Search engines are slowly evolving into tools that benefit both honest webmasters and users alike. By learning which content is genuinely good and which content is not, those who dedicate themselves to providing the best in content will increasingly have better chances at rising the ranks of search. In the past, only a couple of metrics really mattered in this area, leaving the system quite easily gamed. Keywords was one of these metrics, and some simple knowledge of what people search for was enough to make it to the number one position in search for countless webmasters. This is no longer the case, and while the future of SEO seems to be slowly pushing the old concept of keywords into the trash bin, keywords do still play a valuable role in assigning intent and value to your content. Below, we’ll talk about some simple solutions for finding ideal keywords for your site or blog.

Utilize Keyword Research Tools

Hopefully, you already have a blog or website and are writing niche pieces for a particular audience: this makes brainstorming for keywords much easier. A variety of keyword research tools exist on the web, which allow webmasters and content creators to create tons of keyword possibilities by pinging list after list of your major themes and topics. With just a few simple existing keywords, you can generate dozens – if not hundreds – of potentially new keywords to consider. Not all of these variations will actually be useful, but you’ll be able to easily eliminate any unnecessary variations from your initial list quite easily. Sites like WordTracker are great for doing preliminary keyword research, but upon completing this phase, know that the work has just begun.

Narrow Down the Possibilities

We never would recommend that you engage in what is known as “keyword stuffing”, which is where content creators try to cram in as many keyword variations as possible into a piece of content in order to improve SEO. Not only do search engines now keep an eye out for this, but it is practically impossible to generate readable, legitimate content for your audience while using this tactic. With your new list in hand, you’ll want to begin conducting research on which keyword phrases have the most potential. The number of search results for each entry along with the number of words in the phrase are both important elements to consider in how competitive and/or beneficial targeting this keyword will be for you.

Consistently Evaluate Your Choices

Performing a one-time assessment of a particular keyword you got from pinging lists in a keyword research tool is not the way to go when it comes to proper keyword optimization. In some cases, you’ll want to monitor the keyword for days or weeks on end before making any shift in your current keyword strategies. Sometimes, you’ll discover that there is too much competition in the niche over time, when you might have missed this from the start had you only evaluated the keyword once and immediately began writing for it. Even after you’ve deemed a keyword to be a legitimately good target, you’ll still want to track its performance on your website and keep an eye out for any shifts in the keyword’s overall performance on Google, Bing, and other applicable search engines.