<\/p>\n

In this guide, I\u2019ll cover in detail how to make the best use of keywords in three\u00a0steps:<\/p>\n

\n
1. Finding good keywords<\/strong>: keywords that are rankable and bring value to your\u00a0site.<\/li>\n
2. Using keywords in content and meta tags<\/strong>: how to use the target keyword to structure and write content that will satisfy readers and send relevance signals to search engines.<\/li>\n
3. Tracking keywords: <\/strong>monitoring your (and your competitors\u2019) performance.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

   There\u2019s really a lot you can do with just a single keyword, so at the end of the article, you\u2019ll find a few advanced SEO\u00a0tips.<\/p>\n

   \n

   How to find good keywords and build a keyword list<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

   Once you know how to find one good keyword, you will be able to create an entire list of keywords.<\/p>\n

   1. Pick relevant seed keywords to generate keyword ideas<\/h3>\n

   Seed keywords are words or phrases that you can use as the starting point in a keyword research<\/a> process to unlock more keywords. For example, for our site, these could be general terms like \u201cseo, organic traffic, digital marketing, keywords, backlinks\u201d, etc.<\/p>\n

   There are many good sources of seed keywords, and it\u2019s not a bad idea to try them\u00a0all:<\/p>\n

   \n
   • Brainstorming<\/strong>. This involves gathering a team or working solo to think deeply about the terms your potential customers might use when searching for your products or services.<\/li>\n
   • Your competitors\u2019 website navigation<\/strong>. The labels they use in their navigation menus, headers, and footers often highlight critical industry terms and popular products or services that you might also want to target.<\/li>\n
   • Your competitors\u2019 keywords<\/strong>. Tools like Ahrefs can help you discover which keywords your competitors are targeting in their SEO and paid ad campaigns. I\u2019ll cover that in a\u00a0bit.<\/li>\n
   • Your website and promo materials<\/strong>. Review your website\u2019s text, especially high-performing pages, as well as any promotional materials like brochures, ads, and press releases. These sources can reveal the terms that already resonate with your audience.<\/li>\n
   • Generative AI<\/strong>. AI tools can generate keyword ideas based on brief descriptions of your business, products, or industry (example below).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

     Here\u2019s what you can ask any generative AI for, whether that\u2019s Copilot, ChatGPT, Perplexity, etc.<\/p>\n

     <\/figure>\n

     Next, paste your seed keywords into a tool like Ahrefs Keywords Explorer<\/a> to generate keyword ideas. If you\u2019re using Ahrefs, you can go straight into Keywords Explorer<\/strong>, get AI suggestions there, and start researching right\u00a0away.<\/p>\n