Keywords: how to make your website more searchable
Written by Simon Cox
Rachael in a white linen shirt on a photo shoot with brand feeling words stuck to her face!
In this article:
What are keywords and why do they matter?
What keywords should I be using on my website?
Three ways to include keywords on your website
Mistakes to avoid when using keywords in your website content
Not sure where to begin with keywords on your site?
Today we’re looking at keywords, which are an important part of SEO and making your website moresearchable. The more searchable your website is the more visitors you’ll attract and that increases the likelihood of enquiries or sales.
This article is the latest in our series where we answer any and all of your website questions; it’s a weekly Q&A series designed to help you keep your website in shape, connect with your audience and attract more of the right visitors.
Each week, Simon tackles your website questions - from decoding tech jargon and refining visual aesthetics, to improving SEO or knowing when it’s time for a website redesign and how to go about it.
This week’s topic: How do I get keywords into my website? Let’s jump in!
Wildings is a website designer for small business. We are based in Torquay and offer website design for interior designers and garden designers. We work from Devon with small businesses across the UK. This is our series in which we answer all your website questions, with weekly tips and advice on how to get the best out of your website, specifically developing blog content that attracts visitors and helps you get found by search engines.
1. What are keywords and why do they matter?
A keyword at its simplest (website and Google aside) is a word or concept of great significance. In the context of making your website more searchable, keywords (or key phrases) are short strings of words - typically two to four - that reflect what someone might type into Google or another search engine when looking for a product, service, or piece of information.
The aim of including keywords on your website is simple: the more closely your content matches what people are searching for, the more likely your site is to appear in their search results. If we do this well, we drive more traffic and increase the likelihood of leads and sales.
That said, we don’t want to go overboard with keywords. Google’s own SEO guidance is clear: use important keywords in your content - especially in titles, headings and sub-headings - but avoid anything that feels forced. Google will penalise you for spam, so keyword stuffing (cramming your content with keywords) can actually hurt your rankings. If your content becomes unreadable you just end up pushing away the actual humans you want to interact with you.
Google’s key best practices for appearing in Search results says:
"Use words that people would use to look for your content, and place those words in prominent locations on the page, such as the title and main heading of a page, and other descriptive locations such as alt text and link text."
Read more: What is an anchor link & why is it helpful for SEO?
2. What keywords should I be using on my website?
One of the biggest obstacles people encounter is knowing what keywords to use, as this requires you to know what people are searching for. Given that we don’t have access to the inner workings of search engines, this can seem like an impossible undertaking or a bit chicken and egg.
However, with a bit of research and awareness of your business and its services, you can zone in on relevant and right keywords for your business. The right keywords will depend on your business, your services and the kind of audience you're trying to attract. Be aware too that there’s not necessarily a right or wrong answer here, plus the keywords you focus on may change over time.
Here are a few examples from our own work:
branding for business (says what we do and for whom succinctly)
website design Devon (as above, but focusses on the location)
red in branding (an interesting topic plus mentions one of our services)
blog images best practices (addresses a common question people put in Google)
Some search terms might even be complete questions or longer phrases, like:
best website design companies for small business (indicates someone is in the market and on a purchasing journey)
As you can see, keyword length and format can vary, but what matters most is relevance: choose keywords that align with what your ideal client is actually looking for.
Read more: How to structure a blog post for better SEO & engagement
3. Three ways to include keywords on your website
Here are a small handful of ways you can include keywords on your website. Before we get into them, be aware that the most effective way to produce web content that is eligible to appear and perform well on Google Search is to produce what’s helpful and reliable to your ideal visitors first and foremost (not Google or an algorithm). If your content is helpful, reliable and written with people first, the rest will follow.
1. Create content that answers real search queries
Blogging is one of the best ways to target keywords. Write posts that address specific questions or needs your audience has—ideally based on what you can see on Google Search or insights in Google Search Console
2. Incorporate naturally keywords into your writing
Sprinkle relevant keywords throughout your content, but keep it natural. Focus on readability first—keywords should fit comfortably into your sentences. Don’t even try and game the algorithm - it won’t work and you’ll just end up harming your chances!
3. Use a boilerplate with location and services
If you’re struggling to find a way to incorporate keywords naturally, try including a brief section mid-way or at the end of your posts or pages that mentions your business name, your location and the service relevant to the blog itself. This helps search engines connect your site with local or niche searches
Read more: How content adjacent blogging can revolutionise your SEO
4. Mistakes to avoid when using keywords in your website content
Two common pitfalls we see all the time:
1. Being too vague or generic
If you’re not blogging about topics your clients are searching for, your content won’t gain traction. You may think it’s interesting, but if it doesn’t address a felt need and people aren’t looking for it, it’s a waste of your time
2. Overlooking your titles and headings
Titles and headings within your blogs and webpages are prime spots for keywords. Make sure they’re working hard for you. Remember what Google says above in its search essentials best practice:
“… place those [key]words in prominent locations on the page such as the title and main heading of a page”
Read more: What's the minimum word count for an SEO-performing blog?
5. Not sure where to begin with keywords on your site?
Start by thinking like your ideal customer. What would they search for on Google? Type it in and see what comes up. Pay attention to blog topics others are writing about and use that as a guide as to what could work.
Don’t forget, Google is your friend: explore the ‘People also ask’ (PAA) section in search results. PAA is Google’s mini FAQ built in to each search result and is an absolute goldmine for content ideas. As a rule of thumb, if you see lots of suggestions coming up in PAA, it’s likely your search term is in the right ballpark. If you can’t see a PAA or it’s very sparkly populated, it’s an indication you need to be more relevant and specific with your search term.
If you’re ready to dive deeper, tools like Google Search Console can show you exactly which search terms are already bringing traffic to your site. Start by consulting the Search Console Insights page which gives you a helpful overview, rather than trying to plough through all the raw data. You can also subscribe to get it as a handy e-mail each month, which is also a reminder to do some work on your SEO.
Read more: How to write brilliant blogs for better website SEO
Final thoughts on keywords
Hopefully that’s helped demystify keywords a little and shown you how doable it is to start making your website more searchable. The trick is to stay curious about what your ideal clients are actually searching for, then shape your content to genuinely help them.
You don’t need to be an SEO expert to make progress—just focus on being helpful, writing with your audience in mind, and using your keywords in a natural, thoughtful way. That’s what Google rewards, and it’s what builds trust with real people too.
If you want more no-nonsense tips like this, you can explore the rest of our website Q&A series, or follow us, Wildings Studio on Instagram, if you'd like more tips and inspiration on making your website work harder for your business.
