What is a Primary Keyword?
A primary keyword is the main term or phrase you want your content to rank for. It is the content for which your content is optimized and is also called the focus keyword.
The primary keyword is crucial to the content creation process. Typically, it determines what subtopics will be covered in the content. The primary keyword differs from the secondary keyword, which refers to the other keywords for which content is optimized. These secondary keywords are usually related to the primary keyword.
A piece of content typically has one primary keyword and multiple secondary keywords. For example, a webpage with the primary keyword “yoga poses” may have secondary keywords like “yoga poses for beginners” and “yoga poses for stress relief.”
Importance of Primary Keywords
The primary keyword serves as the foundation of your content’s SEO strategy. It helps search engines understand the main topic of your webpage, which makes it easier for them to index and rank your content appropriately.
When your primary keyword aligns with what users are searching for, your content becomes more visible in search results and drives organic traffic to your site. Without a primary keyword, your content may struggle to rank, no matter how well-written or informative it is, search engines will struggle to understand what it is about.
In addition to improving your visibility on search results pages, the primary keyword acts as a guide for structuring and optimizing your content. It influences where and how often the keyword appears in elements like post titles, headings, meta descriptions, and visible text.
It also guides you on creating content that resonates with your target audience. Specifically, it guides you to create content that matches your visitor’s hakutarkoitus. It should address their needs, questions, and problems.
For example, if your primary keyword is “yoga tips for beginners,” your content should provide actionable advice for those new to yoga. It should give them tips, advice, and best practices on how to get the most out of yoga.
How to Find Primary Keywords
There are multiple methods of finding primary keywords to include in your content. You may use one of the methods or even combine them. However, you should make sure to run your keywords through a keyword research tool if you find them using other methods other than a keyword research tool.
1 Use Keyword Research Tools
Keyword research tools like Google Avainsanojen suunnittelija, Ahrefs, and SEMrush are helpful for identifying primary keywords to include in a piece of content.
These tools also typically provide helpful data about the keyword including its search volume, cost-per-click, related terms, and keyword difficulty. Some will even provide secondary keywords that you can include in the content.
2 Analyze Your Competitor’s Primary Keywords
Instead of starting your keyword research from scratch, you can study your competitors’ content to uncover the primary keywords they rank for and then optimize your content for the same keyword.
Multiple keyword research tools have options for identifying your competitor’s keywords. You just have to enter their URL into the tool and it will return with the primary and secondary keywords the content ranks for.
3 Use Google Autocomplete
Googlen automaattinen täydennys is a great keyword research tool as it shows you queries people actually searched for. To get started, type a seed keyword into Google and see what keywords it comes up with. You may continue to add modifiers to the keyword until it becomes a short-tail tai long-tail keyword.
4 Use People Also Ask and Related Searches
The Ihmiset myös kysyvät section on Google provides additional questions and phrases related to your initial search query. These questions often reflect user intent and can help you identify a primary keyword that addresses a specific need.
After making a search, scroll to the People Also Ask field to see what other keywords that visitors also searched for. You can copy these keywords into your keyword research tool to uncover more insights into them.
You should also scroll down to the Aiheeseen liittyvät haut (also called People also search for) field at the bottom of the page. They usually contain searches related to your keyword.
Some Google results pages also include a People search next field. These are also excellent sources of primary keywords.
5 Brainstorm Topics in Your Niche and Expertise
Brainstorming is a great way to come up with primary keywords. Most times, it is even the simplest way to find the primary keywords to include in your content.
To get started, think about the general categories and themes your blog covers and list out relevant terms. For example, if you run a tech blog, your list might include “AI tools,” “cloud computing,” or “cybersecurity.”
Primary Keyword Best Practices
The primary keyword is crucial for ranking on search results pages. To get the most out of it and ensure that your content ranks, make sure to follow the primary keyword best practices listed below.
1 Include the Primary Keyword in the Title
The title is one of the most important places to include your primary keyword. It improves your click through rates (CTR) and helps your content rank higher on search results pages.
However, make sure to include it in your content organically without making it sound forced. It should also be compelling and not confuse visitors and search engines about what the content is about.
2 Use the Primary Keyword in the First 100 Words
Include your primary keyword in the first 100 words of your content. This assures visitors and search engines that your content is relevant to your title and primary keyword.
3 Add the Primary Keyword Into Your Headings and Subheadings
Include your primary keyword in your headings and subheadings. Specifically, they should be present in your H1 tag. You should also include them in your H2, H3, and H4 tags. However, make sure to mix them with synonyms, related keywords, and secondary keywords so that it does not sound unusual or appear to be over-optimized.
4 Sprinkle the Primary Keyword Throughout the Content
Sprinkle the primary keyword naturally throughout the body of your content. However, make sure to include it naturally so that it flows with the rest of your content. You should also use variations and synonyms to avoid repetition and keep the content engaging.
5 Add the Primary Keyword in Your Meta Title and Description
The meta title is the title that appears on search results pages. The meta description is a brief summary displayed with the title. You should include your primary keyword in both as they can improve your click-through rates.
However, make sure to keep them natural and use synonyms and secondary keywords if the primary keyword cannot fit in.
6 Use the Primary Keyword in the URL Slug
Visitors and search engines should be able to determine what your content is about by just looking at your URL. So, make sure to use a relevant URL structure that is easy for visitors and search engines to understand.
7 Include the Primary Keyword in Your Image Titles and Alt Texts
Search engines review your image title and alt text to understand the purpose of your images. It is great SEO practice to optimize them for your primary keyword. However, you should only include primary keyword if the image is relevant to the content and not added for decorative purposes.
8 Avoid Keyword Stuffing
It is easy to over-optimize your content for your primary keywords. This, however, can lead to keyword stuffing, which is considered a black hat SEO technique and can get search engines to penalize you.
Make sure to avoid keyword stuffing. Instead, aim for a natural keyword density between one and two percent to avoid penalties. If your primary keywords appear more times than that, replace them with synonyms, related keywords, and secondary keywords.
9 Use Relevant Schema Markup
The Schema markup is a form of structured data that helps search engines understand your content better. They are also a requirement for content you want search engines to display as rich results.
Make sure to include your primary keywords in your Schema markup. You should also use relevant Schema markup where applicable. For example, if your primary keyword is “recipe,” use recipe schema to highlight ingredients, cooking time, and ratings.