How Do You Choose Primary Keywords For A Page?

Situation-Based Question

Let’s say you’ve just joined a small digital marketing agency that’s helping a local fitness studio increase its online presence. You’ve been tasked with optimizing the website for local SEO, and your first step is choosing the primary keyword for their home page. The studio specializes in yoga and personal training services. Your boss asks, “How do you choose the primary keyword for a page to ensure it ranks well and attracts the right audience?”

Exact Answer

To choose a primary keyword for a page, research terms relevant to your content, consider search volume and competition, focus on user intent, and select a keyword that aligns with your page’s goal.

Explanation

Selecting the right primary keyword is one of the most crucial steps in On-Page SEO. It’s about finding the keyword that will not only drive traffic but also attract the right audience who are likely to engage with your content. The keyword should accurately reflect the topic of your page and match what your target audience is searching for.

Here’s how you can go about choosing that keyword:

1. Research Relevant Keywords:
   • Start by understanding what your page is about. For the fitness studio, it could be services like yoga classes, personal training, or fitness programs.
   • Use keyword research tools (like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs) to find potential keywords related to your topic. For example, terms like “yoga near me,” “personal training in [city],” or “best yoga studio” might come up.
2. Check Search Volume and Competition:
   • Look for keywords with good search volume—meaning enough people are searching for them—but also evaluate how competitive they are. A highly competitive keyword might be harder to rank for, so you might want to focus on something more specific (known as a long-tail keyword). For example, “yoga classes for beginners in [city]” might be less competitive and highly targeted.
3. Focus on Search Intent:
   • Understand the intent behind the keyword. Is the user looking to buy a service, learn something, or find something nearby? The primary keyword should align with the intent of your page.
   • For instance, if your page is about yoga classes, focus on keywords with transactional intent, like “sign up for yoga classes” or “yoga classes in [city].” These are likely to lead to conversions.
4. Consider Keyword Relevance to the Page Goal:
   • Make sure the keyword fits naturally within your page’s content and supports the page’s goal. If you’re optimizing the home page for the fitness studio, a keyword like “fitness studio in [city]” might be appropriate since it helps the studio show up in local searches.

Example

Let’s say you are optimizing the home page of the fitness studio. Here’s how you’d apply these steps:

1. Research Relevant Keywords:
   • You start by entering the term “yoga classes” into Google Keyword Planner and SEMrush. You come across several relevant options like:
     • “Yoga near me”
     • “Best yoga studio in [city]”
     • “Yoga classes for beginners in [city]”
2. Check Search Volume and Competition:
   • You notice that “Yoga near me” has a high search volume but also a lot of competition. “Yoga classes for beginners in [city]” has lower search volume but could be easier to rank for, especially since the studio offers beginner classes.
   • You decide to target the keyword “Yoga classes for beginners in [city]” because it’s specific, relevant, and not as competitive.
3. Focus on Search Intent:
   • You analyze the intent behind the keywords. “Yoga near me” has informational intent, meaning people may just be searching for nearby options. “Yoga classes for beginners in [city]” has transactional intent, which means people are more likely to be looking to book or sign up for classes. This aligns with the studio’s goal of converting visitors into clients.
4. Consider Keyword Relevance to the Page Goal:
   • Since the studio wants to attract beginners, targeting “Yoga classes for beginners in [city]” fits perfectly with the content on the home page and supports the goal of getting people to sign up for classes.

After this analysis, you decide that the primary keyword for the home page will be “Yoga classes for beginners in [city]”.