Keyword Usage

Why It Matters

• It tells search engines what your page is about. When your target keyword appears in high-weight positions — the title tag, the main heading, and early in the body text — search engines get a clear signal about your page's topic.
• It helps readers confirm they are in the right place. A visitor who searched for "email marketing strategy" should see that phrase reflected in your page's title and heading. It confirms they found what they were looking for.
• Placement is more important than frequency. One mention of your keyword in the page title carries more weight than ten mentions buried in body text. Strategic placement in key positions maximizes impact with minimal repetition.
• It supports related rankings. When you use your primary keyword naturally alongside related terms and synonyms, you signal topical depth. Search engines reward pages that demonstrate comprehensive coverage of a subject.

How to Do It Right

1. Put it in the page title. The title tag is the single most important on-page position for your keyword. It appears in search results and browser tabs, signaling relevance to both users and search engines.
2. Include it in your main heading. Your <h1> heading should contain or closely reflect your target keyword. This reinforces the topic and helps visitors understand the page at a glance.
3. Use it early in the body content. Mention your keyword naturally in the first paragraph or two. This confirms the topic immediately — readers and search engines both benefit from early topic establishment.
4. Use it in at least one subheading. Including your keyword or a close variation in an <h2> or <h3> reinforces your page's structure and topical focus without feeling forced.
5. Use variations throughout the body. Instead of repeating the exact keyword, use synonyms, related phrases, and natural variations. This reads better, covers more search queries, and signals genuine topical expertise.

Common Mistakes

• Prioritizing frequency over placement. Repeating a keyword twenty times in body text while leaving it out of the title and heading is backward. Focus on placing it in positions that carry the most weight.
• Making sentences awkward to include a keyword. If you have to restructure a sentence unnaturally to fit a keyword, the sentence is better without it. Readability should never suffer for keyword placement.
• Using the same exact phrase everywhere. If every heading, image alt text, and paragraph uses the identical phrase, it looks mechanical. Vary your language naturally while staying on topic.
• Forgetting about the meta description. While the meta description is not a ranking factor, it appears in search results. Including your keyword naturally in the meta description helps users see that your page matches their query.