Which is Better, Greater Keyword Diversity or Focussed Phrases?
For anybody looking to start implementing SEO on their site, one of the first things that you’ll need to define are the keywords. But how exactly do you go about this?
Keywords are all about creating a sharper focus; allowing search engines to easily understand what each page is about. So is it better to have a wide diversity of keywords, all of which have an association with the page, used in moderation; or just a few targeted phrases used more liberally.
There are certainly arguments for both. On the side of the greater number of keywords, you obviously can target further search phrases; thus giving you a far better opportunity to bring in visitors from all sorts of directions. But with the watering down you also stand the risk of not ranking as high for your page’s primary terms.
With a focussed strategy, perhaps just pinpointing two or three major phrases, you have the opportunity to provide real strength where you require. More likely than not, you will only have a few words that you really need to promote on any page, which is why this is often the preferred method of the SEO professional.
Diversity isn’t to be sniffed at though. Whilst it may not have the focus that many algorithmic search engines look for, you could gain more traffic from new avenues; not just your main terms through Google.
However you choose to approach keywords, the most important thing is to avoid overkill, often referred to as ‘keyword stuffing’. If you try to include too many keywords, not only will the search engines potentially discredit your site, but visitors will be left with copy that is baffling and difficult to read. Keep keyword density to below 5% of the total page copy to avoid any such issues.
With a greater number of individual targeted keywords though, you might need to have a far more reduced density. If you overuse six or more phrases, it will become obvious and may well deter visitors. The art of good SEO copywriting is in the subtlety ; if it reads well, gets noticed by the search engine spiders but isn’t discovered by your readers, then you’ve achieved your aim.
So which is better? Well, it’s probably down to personal taste and the requirements of your individual pages. As a rule of thumb, always try to keep as focussed as possible, it helps you to really target your site and ensure that more of your visitors convert.
