Are keywords still important for SEO in 2022?

Last updated connected May 2, 2022.

Are keywords inactive important for SEO successful 2022? Keywords are inactive important for SEO, but not successful the mode they utilized to be. The thought of stuffing your tract with keywords oregon targeting a azygous keyword is nary longer effective. Google’s algorithms are present astute capable to fig retired what a idiosyncratic wants to cognize based connected their search.

👉 In this speedy SEO FAQ article, you volition larn however palmy and effectual SEOs look astatine keywords. No fluff. Just Olga’s insights and commentary.

Why Keywords Are Still Important For SEO

Keywords are inactive important for the pursuing reasons:

• Whether you similar it oregon not, keywords (words oregon cardinal phrases) are inactive what radical benignant into the hunt container (or talk successful the lawsuit of dependable searches) to find the answers to their questions.
• To conscionable the needs of your users, you inactive request to cognize what words they benignant into Google, and – successful astir cases – you privation to see them connected your website/web page.
• By placing keywords successful the “strategic” places, specified arsenic the title, H1 oregon different headings, copy, anchor substance of interior links, etc. (on-page SEO), you assistance Google recognize what your leafage is about. Without that, Google whitethorn oregon whitethorn not conjecture what your leafage is about.

How You – A Successful SEO – Should Approach Keywords

For a agelong time, keywords were the lone mode for a website to fertile successful hunt results. It would person been intolerable to get immoderate postulation without them. But Google has evolved and present keywords are overmuch much than conscionable words oregon phrases that radical benignant into hunt engines to find accusation astir a peculiar taxable connected the internet.

With the instauration of semantic search, keywords have little value connected a page’s ranking successful the SERPs. Semantic search refers to a hunt engine’s effort to recognize the searcher’s intent and supply them with much applicable results, alternatively than conscionable matching keywords successful a query to pages that incorporate those words.

Here is however you should attack keywords:

• When analyzing keywords, ever see the search intent down them. Your leafage volition ne'er fertile for a fixed keyword if it does not lucifer the hunt intent down it.
• The easiest mode to cheque the search intent of a fixed query is to simply benignant it into Google. What benignant of contented ranks successful apical positions? Informational content? List posts? Roundup reviews? E-commerce?
• Some tools, specified arsenic Semrush volition bash the hard enactment and bespeak the hunt intent of keywords for you.
• Note that determination are cases erstwhile Google is not definite astir the hunt intent and whitethorn show varied results, i.e. a premix of buying results with info content.
• Search intent whitethorn displacement implicit time. Keep that successful caput particularly erstwhile analyzing ranking drops.
• Forget astir LSI keywords.
• When reasoning astir keywords, ne'er look astatine them successful isolation, and don’t beryllium acrophobic to alteration the wording if it makes consciousness (i.e. adhd halt words if necessary). There is thing worse than placing a keyword unnaturally conscionable to marque definite it is precisely what your keyword instrumentality showed you.
• Think astir keywords arsenic topics and support successful caput that a palmy web leafage volition fertile for thousands of keywords, including the ones that are not contiguous successful the copy.
• Always look for questions that radical inquire astir that taxable (keyword) and reply them connected your web page. Tools, specified arsenic Answer the Public oregon AlsoAsked.com tin assistance you with that.
• Stick to the regularisation of 1 taxable per leafage to debar cannibalization.
• SEO scores successful SEO tools similar Rank Math oregon Yoast tin beryllium adjuvant but don’t connect to them excessively much. Use them arsenic a usher only. You don’t request each greenish to rank!
• Get funny successful semantic search and travel radical who speech astir it.

❓Submit A Question To The SEO FAQs connected SEOSLY

Do you person a question astir SEO that you privation Olga to answer? Feel escaped to taxable it to [email protected]. Thanks!

The SEO FAQs is simply a caller conception of SEOSLY aimed astatine answering the astir often asked questions astir SEO. Olga personally answers each question and offers her unsocial position and commentary. These articles are speedy and to-the-point truthful that you tin sorb the indispensable cognition successful nary time. Some oregon each of the articles volition soon person the video added to them arsenic well.

Olga Zarzeczna is a elder SEO specializer with 10+ years of experience. She has been doing SEO for some the biggest brands successful the satellite and tiny businesses. She has done 200+ SEO audits truthful far. Olga has completed SEO courses and degrees astatine universities, specified arsenic UC Davis, University of Michigan, and Johns Hopkins University. She besides completed Moz Academy! And, of course, has Google certifications. She keeps learning SEO and loves it. Olga is besides a Google Product Expert specializing successful areas, specified arsenic Google Search and Google Webmasters.