WTF Are Keywords?

I can understand why most people just kind of shut down when they hear SEO jargon. It sounds complicated, it does! I made it my mission to simplify SEO strategies, and today we will break down what keywords are and how you can start using them to book more clients.

Keywords are a little bit like hashtags in that they are used to shelf and group content. With a good keyword strategy, you can rank on Google and book dream clients passively. Doesn't that sound amazing? it's my reality and I am all about teaching you how to do the same.

Let's break down what keywords are all about in SEO, shall we?

Keywords vs Long Tail Keywords:

If you type a simple keyword into Google search, "home" for example - you will get a plethora of results. Google will not understand what it is that you need, so it will give you a little bit of everything: home decor, home improvement, home sweet home quotes, etc. 

If you get more specific and type "home buying process", the results will be a lot more targeted to what you actually need. And so on. Someone living in Sacramento, CA, for example might type in "home buying process in Sacramento".

Can you see that if you are in real estate in that area, how valuable it would be for your business to be listed for that last set of keywords? 

A set of keywords (a phrase someone searches for) is referred to as a 'long-tail keyword'. Knowing which long-tail keywords your dream client is typing into Google is gold for someone wanting to rank and have tons of new eyes on their business on repeat.

Can you think of a set of keywords (long-tail keyword) that you would want to rank for right off the bat? 

Starting a Keyword Bank:

I had you think of a long-tail keyword that would be beneficial for your business. You might want to save this. It's likely your starting or 'seed long-tail keyword'. 

I suggest starting a keyword bank. FYI: my freebie includes a Notion template to house keywords and many more free resources. You can start to accumulate keywords which can be used throughout your site copy to start ranking on Google.

Another way to discover potential keywords for your service based business is by going directly to Google and beginning a search with part or most of your long-tail keyword and noting Google's suggestions. Add these to your bank.

Once you finish a search, scroll down on the results page and find the "People also ask" section. Grab these long-tail keywords as well. 

Competition:

As you search, notice who comes up on top of the search engine results page (SERP). The candidates in the top ten spots (but right below the sponsored ads) are your direct competition. I like to pay attention to what my competitors are doing so I can do it even better.

I like to go through their websites and see how they are structured and what seems to be working for them. Do they have a lot of keywords throughout their website copy? Are they serving clients with well written blogs? Is it easy to find their booking information? Is their site pleasant to look at?

BONUS: I use the free extension called Ubersuggest, running it on my competitor's websites to see which long-tail keywords they are currently ranking for to add these to my existing list.

Yes, it's really FREE! And that's not all you are going to use it for, so make sure you download it!

What Keywords Should You Try Ranking For First?

In general, it's best to start incorporating plenty of niche long-tail keywords into your website copy even if you want to rank for broad phrases too.

In the world of SEO, it's best to rank for a lower difficulty set of long tail keywords first, keeping in mind the volume of searches this set gets. Once you rank for one, it will be easier to rank for many more long-tail keywords.

This can get fairly confusing, so let me show you how you can use the Ubersuggest app (FYI, this is a different link than their extension) to help you figure out what to try and rank for first and discover even more keywords to add to your bank.

Using Ubersuggest Extension To Find Keywords Ideas:

Once you have your free account, click Keyword Research > Keyword Ideas and start with a seed (see example below).

Pay attention to the VOLUME numbers (aka how often do people search for them), and to SD - SEO difficulty score.

The higher the score, the harder it will be for you to rank as a newbie. Pick a green number at first, yellow as you get the hang of it, and red if you're daring and you feel like you've got this!

Using Keywords To Optimize Your Website For Search Engines (SEO):

Now you are ready to spring into action. Take the keywords you got now and start weaving them into your site content in a human manner. Meaning, do NOT keyword stuff. Sprinkle keywords throughout site copy in a way that is readable.

This is why it is highly recommended to have more than a couple hundred words on your pages. In fact, I tell my students to have at least 2000 words of search engine optimized (remember your keywords!) copy on their homepage alone. 

Don't forget to grab my free 30-Day comprehensive SEO guide where I walk you through getting started with SEO as a newbie, with strategies like the one you learned today. My freebie is not some toss out useless piece of nothing. It is so good, I had a student print it out and check things off as she went.

Get serious about your website if you want to book clients on repeat with a passive strategy completely outside social media platforms using Google and Pinterest search engines!

What Is Even SEO and Why Should You Prioritize Your Website To Come Up in Google Search?

I take it you already know how important SEO is for business owners which is why you are here.

Having a magnetic website that speaks to your dream clients and gets you ranking at the top of Google's search results means your business is there when a potential dream client is searching for the exact services you provide.

These types of clients are primed & ready to book right now. They have their cards out and ready to pay. Google is a highly trusted source and has the reputation of providing their searchers with what they need. Naturally, having your business listed, gets you paid.

If you made it this far, I also want to tell you about my own story:

IT WASN'T ALWAYS EASY. 🥴

My own personal "I'm done" moment was when my social media engagement dropped overnight because I took a 3-week break and I couldn’t make ends meet. It never recovered.

That’s when I realized I had all my eggs in one basket, so I focused on becoming visible on Google, Pinterest and growing a community instead … and in LESS THAN A YEAR I made 120 K in my business with 90% of my clients booking me outside social media.

I cry from joy knowing that I NOW bring in 20K a month in just 1 of my 2 businesses consistently and couldn’t care less what the algorithm is doing.

You may be wondering: WHAT'S THE MAGIC? There is actually no magic: WHEN YOU DO THE WORK …THE STRATEGY JUST WORKS. IT IS A WAY FOR YOUR IDEAL CLIENTS TO FIND YOU AT THE TOP OF THEIR RESULTS PAGE, TO FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU AND WHAT YOU DO … AND TO BOOK YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE EVERYTHING THEY SEARCHED FOR.

WHAT MY LIFE LOOKS LIKE TODAY. 💣

My website has 3.2K visitors per month. My Pinterest has 72K monthly views and I receive 20-40 new inquiries from IDEAL clients per month CONSISTENTLY and completely passively outside social media platforms.

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN

I help fempreneurs in the service business connect with and book dream clients for high cash months without relying solely on social media! Using, you guessed it...SEO strategy.

• Check out my courses on SEO - Magnetic Website, Pinterest and other strategies.
• See what I am all about, start with the free guide

Cheers to putting together that list of keywords and beginning to rank on Google!