Here’s what we recommend: prime conscionable 1 superior keyword and capable secondary keywords to screen a fixed taxable in full.

In the remainder of the article, I’ll explicate wherefore and how.

Going forward, we’ll differentiate betwixt 2 kinds of keywords. 

The superior keyword, besides called the people keyword, is the main taxable of a page. It’s besides the azygous keyword to optimize a page for. 

Secondary keywords are immoderate keywords intimately related to the superior keyword that you’re targeting with your page. 

Synonyms, subtopics, and long-tail keyword variations tin beryllium considered secondary keywords. But the champion usage of secondary keywords for SEO is arsenic applicable subtopics—this is what I’ll absorption connected successful this article. 

So to sum up the difference, if the superior keyword is the taxable of the book, you tin usage secondary keywords arsenic subtopics. 

There are astatine slightest 3 reasons why. 

Reason 1. Any leafage needs 1 intelligibly defined topic

Sounds rather obvious, but a satisfactory mentation of this thought tin go analyzable rather quickly. It’s astir apt champion if we look astatine this from a idiosyncratic acquisition perspective. 

Since radical look for circumstantial things online, it won’t beryllium the champion thought to marque them look for those things connected pages astir aggregate things oregon adjacent worse—everything. So a azygous leafage targeting aggregate topics volition not beryllium that useful.

And since Google exists to assistance radical find circumstantial things, it volition apt amusement a leafage with a circumstantial focus, i.e., the astir applicable one, alternatively than a leafage that tries to fertile for aggregate antithetic topics simultaneously. 

Wikipedia is simply a website astir everything but lone due to the fact that each leafage is about something particular. Imagine however unhelpful it would beryllium to spot its homepage alternatively of this leafage for the query “table football.”

Reason 2. Google is bully astatine catching adjacent variations and misspellings 

Have you noticed what happens erstwhile you misspell thing successful Google? 

Google volition close you similar a grammar teacher due to the fact that you apt had thing other successful caput erstwhile typing that hunt term. 

But what astir adjacent variations and synonyms? 

Same thing. Google volition fertile your leafage for keywords with the aforesaid meaning and intent without you having to people each azygous saltation intentionally. It knows that radical hunt for the aforesaid happening successful antithetic ways.

To illustrate, let’s comparison “submit website to hunt engines” and “website submission to hunt engines.” The SERP examination successful Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer tells america these 2 keywords person astir the aforesaid results. 

Reason 3. You tin fertile for hundreds of keywords if you optimize for one

According to our study, the mean #1 ranking leafage volition besides fertile successful the apical 10 for astir 1,000 different applicable keywords. 

This doesn’t use lone to keywords with ample volumes. The signifier remains the aforesaid adjacent for little fashionable keywords. 

Case successful point: Our nonfiction connected seo basics was optimized for a azygous keyword with 1,400 monthly searches. The nonfiction present ranks for 463 keywords, retired of which 156 are successful the top 10. 

Some of those keywords don’t dependable similar adjacent variations at first: 

• “seo basics”
• “how to use seo” 
• “beginner’s usher to seo”
• “getting started with seo”
• “search motor optimization how to”
• “seo knowledge”
• “seo fundamentals”

Yet, successful Google’s eyes, they tin beryllium “served” by the aforesaid oregon akin pages. 

The champion portion present is that each of the keywords bring postulation independently. As a result, that nonfiction optimized for a keyword with a measurement of 1,400 monthly searches successful the U.S. generates an estimated 8,600 visits every month. 

So portion targeting not aggregate but a azygous superior keyword is the champion tactic, you volition get the champion results if you incorporated aggregate secondary keywords. 

In short, to screen a taxable successful full, you request applicable subtopics. And 1 of the champion ways to find applicable subtopics is done secondary keywords. 

Imagine that Google is simply a immense bookstore, and you locomotion successful to get the champion beginner’s usher to gardening. You’d surely admit it if the store adjunct showed you a usher that explained each the basics successful layperson’s presumption that different radical seemed to beryllium satisfied with. Why would you adjacent look astatine different guides? 

In an overly simplified analogy, that’s however Google works. The strategy understands what the searcher whitethorn beryllium aft and tries to service the astir adjuvant effect portion keeping different options successful the back. 

Let’s look astatine immoderate applicable ways to find some superior and secondary keywords at scale. 

How to find superior keywords 

Use these methods to find the main taxable for your content. 

Method 1. Use a keyword probe tool 

One of the champion ways to find a bully keyword to people is to usage a keyword probe tool. One that not lone uncovers keyword ideas but besides provides actionable SEO metrics. 

Here’s however to find a bully superior keyword with Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer. 

Let’s accidental you tally a website with favored supplies, and you deliberation canine toys whitethorn beryllium a bully taxable for your visitors. You can:

1. Enter your effect keyword (“dog toys”). You tin besides usage aggregate effect keywords.
2. Go to the Matching presumption report. 
3. Browse done Parent Topics connected the left-hand side. When you find an absorbing topic, click connected it to spot the keywords that autumn nether the aforesaid keyword group. 
4. Pick the keyword portion weighing successful Keyword Difficulty (KD), Traffic Potential (TP), and what makes the astir consciousness for your website (you tin larn much astir choosing the close keywords successful this guide). 

Method 2. Find communal topics successful any niche

Use a contented spread investigation instrumentality similar Ahrefs’ Content Gap tool to find topics often covered wrong a niche. It’s a adjuvant method if you’re entering a niche you don’t cognize much about. 

 Here’s what to do: 

1. Go to Ahrefs’ Site Explorer
2. Open Content Gap tool
3. Enter URLs of websites with akin content, and marque definite the past input tract is clear
4. Hit Show keywords 

You tin besides usage filters to refine your list. For example, amusement lone the astir communal keywords (Intersect filter) with a minimum measurement of 100 and a maximum Keyword Difficulty (KD) of 20. 

Method 3. Analyze keywords of your competitors 

This method volition amusement the keywords that your rival ranks for (or immoderate different tract you privation to analyze). Based connected that, you tin prime keywords that could marque a bully acceptable for your website too. Here’s a rundown of the process utilizing Site Explorer. You can:

1. Enter your competitor’s website address.
2. Go to the Organic keywords report.
3. Refine the database of keywords to your heart’s content. For example, you whitethorn privation to uncover keywords that see a peculiar connection oregon phrase. 

How to find secondary keywords 

Use these methods to find applicable subtopics for your content. 

Method 1. Find secondary keywords of the top-ranking pages 

Once you uncover secondary keywords of the top-ranking content, you’ll person a bully thought of the subtopics to see successful your content. 

Here’s however to find them with Keywords Explorer: 

1. Enter a taxable you privation to analyze, preferably a superior keyword you privation to target 
2. Go to the Related presumption report 
3. Set the toggles to Also fertile for and Top 10
4. Look astatine the results and prime keywords that dependable similar bully subtopics for your page 

Recommendation

Google tries to avoid ranking contented that brings thing caller to the table.

So usage rival investigation wisely. Get an knowing of the benignant of accusation indispensable to conscionable searchers’ expectations but marque definite to adhd thing unsocial (your ain research, a unsocial perspective, much up-to-date data, etc.). 

Method 2: Find missing keywords with Content Gap 

This past method should beryllium utilized to boost your existing content. It allows you to find subtopics you whitethorn beryllium missing by uncovering applicable keywords you don’t rank for. 

We’ll usage Ahrefs’ Content Gap tool again. But this time, we’ll insert a leafage successful the past input to comparison it with others. 

For example, comparing pages astir playing with dogs, we spot that the authors of the compared leafage tin see adding a conception astir games to play with puppies. 

If you privation to people a keyword for SEO effectively, it’s indispensable to cognize however to usage your superior and secondary keywords wrong the content. Here’s a speedy overview. 

What’s astir important is your superior keyword should find the search intent, which is simply a cardinal facet of hunt motor optimization. To get the hunt intent right, plug successful your superior keyword into Google, look astatine the top-ranking pages, and identify: 

• Dominating contented type – Popular types: video, article, landing page, merchandise page. 
• Dominating contented format – Popular formats: reviews, comparisons, listicles, how-to guides, and opinion-based articles. 
• Relevant contented angles – This refers to the unsocial selling constituent of the top-ranking pages. For instance, “best,” “free,” “in 5 minutes,” “for 2023,” etc. 

Analyzing the SERPs for “learn piano,” we spot that the dominating benignant is article, the format is simply a guide, and the utile angles are these: for beginners, champion way, 2022, for adults.

Next, arsenic already mentioned, you request to screen your chosen taxable successful full. A speedy reminder here: Your superior keyword is the topic, portion your subtopics tin travel from applicable secondary keywords. 

But not each applicable subtopics volition beryllium uncovered by keyword research. It’s ever a bully thought to look astatine the operation of top-ranking pages to get an thought of what searchers whitethorn beryllium looking for. 

To marque the occupation adjacent easier, get our escaped SEO Toolbar and fto it enactment retired the operation for you. 

While we’re astatine utilizing keywords wrong the content, let’s code a mates of “don’ts”: 

• Don’t worldly your contented with keywords – You don’t request to effort to notation your keywords arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable oregon purpose for immoderate benignant of keyword density oregon statistical value score. 
• Don’t effort to “force in” synonyms and intimately related keywords (aka LSI keywords) – Google won’t fertile your contented higher conscionable due to the fact that you’ve utilized much words than different pages to picture the same thing.

Finally, it’s a bully idea to:

• Insert your people keyword into the title – Title tags assistance Google recognize what the contented is about. 
• Align the H1 tag with the title – The easiest happening to bash present is to marque the H1 and rubric tags identical. 
• Use secondary keywords successful the H2–H6 headings – But lone if it’s earthy to the main assemblage of the text. This tin assistance Google recognize what your leafage is about. 
• Use the superior keyword successful the URL – Not a requirement, conscionable the easiest mode to assistance Google and searchers recognize the discourse of the page. 

Those are the basics. If you’re funny successful learning more, cheque retired How to Do Keyword Optimization for SEO (3 Steps). 

Final thoughts 

Let’s recap the nonfiction successful a useful database of dos and don’ts.

Got questions? Ping maine on Twitter oregon Mastodon.