What are Organic Keywords?
If you’ve been in the world of online marketing and website optimization for a while, you may have heard a pretty common joke: the best place to hide a dead body is on the second page of the search results. Pretty morbid joke but it's so accurate!
Research shows that the second page of the search results gets hardly any traffic. The lowest results on page one have a click-through rate of 2.5% or lower!
In other words, it’s pretty hard to overstate the power of a high ranking in the search results—which means you need to find the right organic keywords. After all, strategic keywords can mean the difference between high visibility and being hidden out of sight.
Wondering how you’ll find those optimal keywords? Our team at Your WP Guy has you covered! Let’s take a look at what organic keywords are, how to find them, and where to use them.
What Are Organic Keywords?
Organic keywords are a type of keyword that attracts traffic through a search engine anytime someone enters a query. In the search results, sites using organic keywords will show up below any other search items. Such as: paid ads, featured snippets, knowledge panels, or map interfaces.
In other words, organic searches let users click through to your website without pay-per-click (PPC) ads. All while boosting your visibility online.
On your website, organic keywords are what you use to tell search engines what a page is about. A search engine’s ranking algorithm will recognize these keywords when crawling your page. This may prompt it to show your page to interested searchers looking for those keywords.
This is why it’s important to use optimal keywords. They will connect you to your target audience seeking the very same solutions you provide!
Why Use Organic Keywords Over PPC Keywords?
First off, no one’s saying you shouldn’t use PPC keywords. In our intro to PPC, we pointed out a few huge advantages these ads have over traditional advertising, and we think they’re a key strategy for brands of any size when paired with SEO.
But organic search has several advantages to add to PPC. The most obvious? It is incredibly cost-effective! When someone clicks on an organic search result, you won’t pay a cent for the privilege. (Lets be honest here, you spent time and potentially money for the SEO setup, so it isn't truly free.)
Beyond that, SEO is a great way to target multiple stages of the buyer’s journey. PPC ads tend to be more effective for searchers looking to buy right away. Plus, the work you put in for organic search can offer long-term results, unlike PPC ads that vanish as soon as you stop paying.
Last—but not least—organic listings can help your brand build online trust and authority. High organic rankings signal to Google that you have valuable, high-quality content searchers want. Who doesn’t want to be valued?
In addition, many searchers are more willing to trust an organic result over an ad, and we've already mentioned the perks of snaring the top rankings of the search results for a given keyword.
How Do You Find Organic Keywords?
Finding the right keywords takes time, effort, and special tools. It also requires you to have a grasp of your target audience and where they are in the buyer’s journey.
Consider Your Target Audience
Think about who you want to reach, what they might be searching for, and how your offerings solve their problems. If you haven’t done so already, consider creating buyer personas to help with this. Think of it like playing The Sims only you can make money from it!
From there, decide where your target customers are in their buyer’s journey. A customer still researching possible solutions will search different keywords from someone who’s ready to buy.
Use the Right Keyword Tools
A few of Google's free tools can make organic keyword research much easier.
Google Analytics can help you figure out which keywords already drive traffic to your site. This lets you decide where to leverage existing keywords or tweak your keyword use.
Google Search Console allows you to see the average ranking position of keywords you’re considering. This can be a great way to check for a high monthly search volume before you use a keyword to optimize your site.
Google Keyword Planner is another free keyword tool that can help. Plus, it’s free to use as long as you have a Google Ads account. Use it to discover new keywords, track search volume, and more.
Note that many major sites, like SEMrush and Wordstream, offer free alternatives to this tool if you want to venture outside Google’s ecosystem.
Where Should You Use Organic Keywords?
When using your organic keywords on your target page, it’s important to use ideal placements for both readers and search engines.
Ideal places for organic keyword use include the following:
- Page titles, H1s, and subheadings
- Meta descriptions
- Image titles, file names, and alt text
- URLs
- Link anchor text
Obviously, you’ll also want to scatter your keywords throughout your content in natural places as well. The key term here is “natural”: the last thing you want is for searchers or Google’s crawlers to decide you’re resorting to spammy keyword stuffing, which can lower trust.
A good rule of thumb is to use a single primary keyword placed a few times throughout your copy. Usually no more than once for every hundred words. You’ll also want to use a few varied secondary keywords that you’ll scatter once for every two hundred words.
Any of this leaving you confused? Don't worry its a lot to take in, just take a breath and keep going, it will all click together.
Why Are Organic Keywords Important to Your Small Business?
Of course, small business owners are always looking for ways to increase their website traffic and attract more customers. By identifying and optimizing your website and content around organic keywords, you can improve your visibility in search engine rankings, attract more targeted traffic to your site, and ultimately drive more sales.
By strategically targeting the right organic keywords, you can direct the right customers to your site. By creating quality content that resonates with searchers' needs and interests, you can establish authority in your niche and build long-lasting relationships with your audience.
Get Help With Your Organic Keywords
Organic search can be a powerful tool in the right hands, and smart keyword usage tactics can even give small businesses a huge leg up over the competition.
Of course, optimizing for organic keywords may be “free,” but your time is money—which is why it’s smart to get help. If you’re a small brand, WP Guy can help you get more out of your keywords with less effort and stress. Our expert strategies can help you streamline your SEO campaign fast!
To learn more, request an appointment with us today.
What are Organic Keywords? Summary
• Search engines prioritize organic keywords when evaluating websites for ranking.
• Organic keywords are cost effective and drive traffic with no additional cost, as opposed to PPC ads.
• To find organic keywords, consider an audience's needs and use keyword-finding tools like Google Analytics, Keyword Planner, and SEMrush.
• Ideal places to include organic keywords include page titles, headings, URLs, meta descriptions, image titles & alt text.
• Hiring a digital marketing professional can help maximize results of organic keyword usage.
