lanfirst.me
11/09/2025
A keyword strategy is a plan for which search terms you want to show up for and how you will do that. It’s not just “pick a random word and put it everywhere.” It’s about figuring out what people are really searching for on Google and then making content that meets that need.
If you own a bakery in Austin, for instance, you probably don’t want to try to rank for the word “bread” because it’s too broad, too competitive, and not specific to your audience. You could also try “Austin’s best sourdough bread” or “Austin’s gluten-free cupcakes.”
There is also a balance between long-tail keywords (like “best running shoes for flat feet 2025”) and short-tail keywords (like “running shoes”). There are a lot of searches for short-tail keywords, but the competition is crazy. Long-tail keywords get fewer searches, but they are easier to rank for and often bring in more targeted visitors.
Research tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMrush are often the first step in a smart keyword strategy. But really, some of the best keyword ideas come from just paying attention to what customers are asking or looking at the “People Also Ask” box on Google.
Keyword strategy is about “what words to go after,” but SEO strategy is the bigger plan for how you’re going to make your site more visible.
Keyword strategy is like picking the map, and SEO strategy is like picking the route, the car, and the snacks for the trip.
An SEO strategy usually covers:
Title tags—Making sure that search engines can easily crawl your site, that it loads quickly, that it works well on mobile devices, and that there are no broken links or messy code.
Meta descriptions—Making articles, videos, or product pages that really answer what the searcher is looking for.
Headings (H1, H2, etc.)—Using keywords in the right places, making content easy to read, and making pages easy to use.
Keyword placement – Link building is when you get other trustworthy sites to link to you. Google sees this as a “vote” for your site’s authority.
Internal linking – Tracking and improvement:Use Google Analytics or Search Console to see how well your efforts are working and make changes as needed.
The most important thing to remember is that SEO is not a one-time thing; it’s more like gardening. You plant seeds (make content), water them (promote and update), pull weeds (fix problems), and wait for them to grow.
These are the main things that make SEO work. The most important ones are
You could compare it to running a café. If your shop is hard to find (poor site visibility), the menu is hard to read (bad UX), or nobody recommends you (low authority), you’re going to have a hard time even if you have the best coffee (quality content).
On-page SEO is what you do to your website itself to make it easier for search engines to find. This is where the keyword strategy comes into play.
Here are some important on-page elements:
Title tags: The blue headlines in search results that you can click on. It needs to be clear, relevant, and include your keyword if possible.
Meta descriptions: The short bits of text that show up under the title in search results. It doesn’t directly affect rankings, but it can make someone click.
Headings (H1, H2, etc.): These help you organize your content and make it easier for people and search engines to read.
Keyword placement: Putting your keywords in headings, body text, and the alt text for images.
Internal linking: Linking to other pages on your site that are related to the one you’re on to help users find their way around and help Google understand how your site is set up.
If you have a page called “Best Hiking Trails in Colorado,” you could use an H1 for the main title, H2 subheadings for different areas, and the phrase “hiking trails in Colorado” in a way that sounds natural in the text. You could also link to a post about “Best Hiking Gear for Beginners.”
The key is to make it sound real. Too much optimization can make your content sound robotic and even hurt your rankings.
Everything that happens outside of your site that affects your rankings is called off-page SEO. Link building, or getting other sites to link to yours, is the most important part of this.
But it’s not just about how many. One link from a well-known, busy site in your niche is worth more than ten links from shady, unrelated sites. If Lonely Planet links to your travel blog post, for example, that’s a big win.
Things like these are also part of off-page SEO:
Activity on social media: Even though social shares don’t directly improve rankings, they can help your content reach more people who might link to it.
Brand mentions: Even if people don’t link to your brand, they can still help people learn about it and trust it.
Guest posting: writing articles for other sites in exchange for a link back to your site.
It’s mostly about improving your reputation on the internet as a whole, not just your own site.
Keyword strategy, SEO strategy, on-page SEO, and off-page SEO are all linked to each other. Your content plan is part of your SEO strategy, and your keyword strategy is part of that. Your off-page work builds authority and reach, while your on-page work makes sure your content is clear and optimized.
In short, SEO is all about making it easier for search engines to find you. And that means knowing what people want, making content that meets their needs, and making sure your site is technically sound and has a good reputation online.
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