The Importance of Keyword Consistency

No matter how many new products Google roll out then scale back, or shifts made in the algo; there are certain elements of the search marketing process that I can’t envisage changing any time soon.

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At the very beginning of every search project there is the task of including keywords in the relevant places in a website. And just because this method is ubiquitous doesn’t mean we should take it any less seriously.

Recently when providing training to small business owners trying to pick up the basics of SEO, I’ve been referring a lot to the concept of keyword consistency.

I think it’s really helpful as an idea to beginners, but I think even the more seasoned hands should have keyword consistency on their radar.

Once you’ve decided what keywords you are targeting on a particular page you need to ensure that you’re following through with your optimisation so you’ve got every box ticked.

I normally start with the title tag as that’s still the biggest signal websites send to the engines. Don’t rush the process as there will be a number of possibilities or sequence of words, and your job is to make the best selection.

Collaborate with your colleagues

By explaining and justifying your choices you will help to ensure you’ve made the best choices.

Follow through with your h1 header

The content will probably differ from the title tag but make sure there’s a strong similarity between the content in the h1 and title tag.

Then look at your first paragraph of the body copy

If it’s not possible to put your main phrases in the first paragraph I’d question whether you’re targeting the right term.

Work through the rest of the main body copy

Are there any opportunities to slightly tweak the syntax to match the content up with the title tag and Meta description?

Read through any sub headings

These really should be marked up as h2 or h3s. People will be skim-reading your content so including the keywords will help them quickly grasp what the page is about, but also shout loudly to the search engines that there is no question about the terms you are chasing.

Then we move to two more areas in which to consider keyword consistency away from the page.

Internal Anchor Text

Whenever you mention the keyword on other pages are you linking to the page targeting the term? Don’t underestimate the importance of internal anchor text, so spend some time getting it right.

External Anchor Text

Last, and definitely not least, try and get some external deep links to the internal pages of your site. If it’s a product page you may struggle to attract links so consider using some of the link building tactics under your direct control (press releases, articles, directories) to direct links at these pages. These tactics may not have a huge influence on your sites authority, but not every link has to achieve everything.

Related posts:

• How to do Negative Keyword Research (Part 1)
• New ‘Local Search Volume’ Addition to Google Adwords Keyword Tool
• Is Your Link Building Dealing With Your Anchor Text Deficiencies?

Kelvin Newman is SiteVisibility's Creative Director and is the editor of the UK's most listened to Marketing Podcast which is second biggest in the iTunes US. He also spends his time at conferences, tweeting too much and working on top secret research and development projects.