SEO: Keywords or Key Topics?

04 Oct SEO: Keywords or Key Topics?

Posted at 12:25h in Marketing Consulting, Search Engine Optimization by

SEO: Keywords or Key Topics?

Everything you know about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and keywords is wrong. No, wait – everything you know about SEO and keywords is absolutely correct. Keywords

Confusion is King Regarding SEO & Content

The gurus of online marketing have been contradicting themselves since SEO became a thing;

  • SEO is dead
  • SEO is alive and kicking
  • Content is king, and SEO is out
  • Content is king, and SEO works well with quality content

The question is, who is correct?

The answer is equally confusing – No one is right, and everyone is correct. How can that be? Supporters of SEO and supporters of content can point to results that prove their point of view. They claim, “cause and effect” but are unable to prove this is so.

So, how do you get your content noticed for the rest of 2017 and through 2018?

The Case for Key Content

A few years ago, Google started using a new algorithm called Hummingbird. According to Google, Hummingbird is designed to offer users a better search experience by understanding the meaning of your words. For example, before Hummingbird, the Google algorithm if you Key Topicssearched for the Serrano Hotel reservations in San Francisco, you were directed to the home page. Once there, you clicked on the appropriate tab for reservations. With Hummingbird, the same search brings you directly to the reservations page. Many elements of Hummingbird were part of Google’s old algorithm, only Hummingbird is smarter.

Key Content is Also Known as Content Marketing

The main difference between keyword and key content is that key content drills down to a more exact search. Since Hummingbird’s release in 2013, key content is text, videos, images, and news. It is crucial that each of these content types is optimized so that search engine ranking is as high as possible.

The old way of optimizing for SEO was to do a keyword search. The more popular a search term is, the more likely it would end up as part of your content.

If we go back to our hotel example, keywords might be:

  • San Francisco
  • Hotels
  • Union Square
  • Reservations
  • Pet-friendly

No one involved in internet marketing would suggest eliminating keywords from websites, but better searches for users requires sites to develop key content too.

Key Topics for our hotel could include:

  • Weekend Adventures in San Francisco
  • Union Square Hotels in San Francisco
  • Pet-Friendly Hotels in San Francisco

The Hummingbird algorithm pushes site owners to write content that naturally includes keywords – this is the antithesis of keyword stuffing. In fact, site owners who engage in keyword stuffing might find they incurred the wrath of Google and not show in search engine results (SER) at all.

While Hummingbird is supposed to make searches on the internet more user-friendly, it makes it far more difficult for internet site owners.

Till next time
Joe Mediate
Digital Marketing Consultant

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