The “Keyword Relevance” Myth
Keyword research is one of the most critical aspects of SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Online businesses rely on targeted keywords to drive traffic, boost sales, and improve search engine rankings. However, not all keywords are created equal, and some are more relevant than others.
Keyword relevance is a hot topic among SEO professionals, and many believe that it is key to ranking higher in search results. Some even go as far as to say that keyword relevance is the most important ranking factor. However, recent studies and insights have shown that this is nothing but a myth.
The concept of keyword relevance refers to how well your website content matches the search queries of your target audience. If you optimize your content for the right keywords, it will be more relevant to them, and search engines will rank it higher in SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).
For instance, if you are optimizing your website for the keyword “best pizzas in New York” and your content talks about the top pizza joints in NYC, then your content is considered relevant to that query. Hence, search engines like Google consider your website to be a more reliable source of information for users searching for that keyword.
But here’s the catch: keyword relevance is overrated. Why? Firstly, search engines have significantly evolved over the years to overcome keyword stuffing and to prioritize content that provides a great user experience. This means that search algorithms are much smarter and more reliable, enabling them to match user search queries with relevant content more effectively.
Secondly, search engines do not only rely on keyword relevance as a ranking factor. The days of keyword stuffing are long gone. Instead, the focus is now on high-quality content based on relevance, authority, and user experience.
Content relevance relates to how well your content answers the intent behind the user search query. It is not only about matching a specific keyword or phrase. If your content provides a satisfactory answer to the user’s query, search engines will consider it highly relevant, even if it doesn’t use an exact keyword match.
Content authority, on the other hand, relates to how well your content is regarded as a trustworthy source of information. Factors such as backlinks, user engagement, and social signals contribute to your website’s authority and affect its ranking on SERPs.
User experience is also critical in today’s SEO landscape, with a focus on providing fast and accessible content. Website speed, mobile-friendliness, and ease of navigation are some of the many factors that have an impact on user experience. Websites that run smoothly and provide valuable information tend to rank higher, irrespective of specific keywords.
Therefore, it is essential to focus on providing high-quality content that answers user queries accurately and satisfactorily, and enhances user experience.
So, does keyword relevance matter at all? Yes, it does. However, its importance has diminished significantly, and it is no longer the most crucial ranking factor in the SEO landscape. This is evident in Google's latest search algorithm update, 'BERT' (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers). BERT improves natural language processing and enhances the way Google understands user queries, with the ultimate focus on providing better search results based on user intent.
BERT enables Google to provide more accurate answers to users who use natural language queries, including voice searches. With voice search becoming increasingly popular, there is a need to focus on natural language queries that are likely to be spoken by users.
Therefore, the focus should no longer be on specific keywords but rather on topics and phrases used by target audiences. Natural language queries tend to be conversational, and you should focus on providing content that aligns with the language that your audience uses.
How can you optimize your content for natural language queries? Here are some tips:
1. Understand your audience and their language: Identify the phrases, words, and language used by your target audience in their search queries. Use those phrases and words throughout your content.
2. Use long-tail keywords: Long-tail keywords tend to be more specific and are likely to match natural language search queries. Focus on using long-tail keywords throughout your content.
3. Structure your content logically: Structuring your content into sections and subsections enables users to navigate your content easily. Use headings and subheadings to group related content and make it more user-friendly.
4. Write quality content: Focus on providing valuable and informative content that provides great user experience and satisfies user intent. Use multimedia such as images and videos to enhance user engagement.
5. Optimize for mobile: With the increase in voice searches, mobile users are expected to drive more search queries. Optimize your website for mobile users and ensure that it provides fast and easy-to-use content.
In conclusion, keyword relevance is not as crucial a ranking factor as it used to be. The focus has shifted to high-quality content that provides great user experience, is authoritative, and answers user queries satisfactorily. Natural language queries have also become more important, and it is essential to align with the language used by your target audience. While keyword relevance is still an essential aspect of SEO, it is essential to focus on providing valuable content that enhances user experience and satisfies user intent. Focus on quality content, and the rest will follow.