Keyword optimization 101: basics and advanced techniques for 2024

Effective keyword optimization can make the difference between visibility and invisibility on the Internet.

Below we will show you which keywords you should use, how to place them optimally and how you can increase the relevance of your content with the help of semantic SEO.

How does keyword optimization work?

Keyword optimization is based on the analysis and use of keywords that users enter into the search. Keyword optimization requires a strategic and thoughtful approach to satisfy both readers and Google.

Nowadays, it is no longer enough to place a certain keyword as often as possible on a page.

On the contrary: search engines like Google recognize black hat SEO methods like keyword stuffing and penalize you with poor rankings.

The optimization of keywords is an important part of your SEO strategy and indispensable for a better ranking of your website.

So, how do you optimize your website for a better ranking? Here are the basic principles:

1. Relevance: Your keywords must match the content of your page and be relevant to your target group.
2. User intention: Understand what your target group is looking for and deliver exactly this content.
3. Quality of the content: High-quality content that offers added value is preferred by Google.

Types of keywords

Keywords can be divided into different categories based on their length. The two main types are short-tail keywords and long-tail keywords.

Examples of short-tail keywords:

• “Gravel Bike”
• “Buying a gravel bike”
• “Sporty bike”

Short-tail keywords are often generic, have a high search volume and generate a lot of traffic. At the same time, there is usually strong competition.

Examples of long-tail keywords:

• “Gravel bike for beginners”
• “Cycle routes for gravel bikes in NRW”
• “Equipment bike tour with gravel bike”

Long-tail keywords are more specific and have a lower search volume, i.e. less competition. However, they have a higher conversion rate as they better match the search intention.

For successful search engine optimization with keywords, it is important to find the right balance between short-tail and long-tail keywords.

• For example, a blog about cycling could use the keyword “best routes in NRW for beginners” to generate targeted traffic.
• An online store for gravel bikes could use “Gravel Bike 2024” to attract users with the intention to buy.

Finding the right search terms through keyword research

Keyword research is the first step towards successful keyword optimization. Here you identify the terms that your target group uses in searches. Use tools such as Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs or SEMrush to find relevant keywords.

How to create a keyword list:

1. Brainstorming: List all terms related to your topic to find relevant keywords. You can use ChatGPT for this.
2. Keyword tools: Use the tools mentioned above to analyze search volume, competition and related keywords.
3. Competitor analysis: Examine your competitors’ websites and identify their top search terms.
4. Search intent: Make sure you choose keywords that cover exactly what your target group is looking for.

Reading tip: “How to find the right keywords and increase your visibility“

5 tips: Place keywords correctly on the website

The correct placement of your keywords is crucial for successful search engine optimization. In general, the main keyword and synonyms for the relevant page should appear several times in the text. You can find out how often further down in the article.

However, there are specific areas of your website where you should also include keywords to improve your ranking:

1. keywords in the meta data

Metadata briefly summarizes the content of a page. This includes the URL, the page or post title (H1 or title) and a brief description of the content.

This data is used to make your page appear in the search results, which is called a snippet.

Title: Google also uses the title tag to calculate the ranking. This is often used as the title of the snippet on the search results page and is used to classify the relevance of the website. The page title must contain the main keyword.

For a bike store operator, it could look like this:“Gravel bike: The best models for 2024“.

Description: A good place for keywords, synonyms or other relevant terms is the meta description. This is not a direct ranking factor, but is used for the snippet and contains further information or a call-to-action.

For example: “Discover the best gravel bikes 2024 – guides, tests and buying recommendations. Everything you need to know about gravel bikes. “

2. headline structure and keywords

Use your keyword in the page or post title (H1) of the text as well as in the headings H2, H3, H4 etc. Mark the headings as such in the backend of your CMS to give the content a meaningful structure.

You can have several H2, H3 or H4 headings, but the H1 should only be used once.

Place your keywords as far forward as possible in the headings without impairing the reading flow. The user experience has priority. If possible, also use other relevant search terms.

3. image SEO: Use keywords in the alt tags

If you add images to your site, you should also optimize them for keywords. This will improve the ranking of your website, as Google considers image optimization to be part of page quality.

In addition, many users use image search to find products or inspiration. Optimized images can appear in these search results and increase your visibility.

This is how to optimize your images:

• Before you upload an image to your website, give the file a meaningful and descriptive name. Instead of a generic name such as “IMG1234.jpg”, the file name should contain relevant keywords, for example: “gravel-bike-2024.jpg”.
• The alt text (alternative text) describes the content of the image and helps search engines to understand the content of the image. for example: “Gravel Bike 2024 model off-road”.
• The title attribute of an image can provide additional information and often appears as a tooltip when a user hovers over the image. It should be short and concise and contain keywords.
• Captions are displayed directly below an image and provide context for the reader. A well-formulated caption can also contribute to search engine optimization.

4. internal and external links

Links are still relevant for SEO even after the Helpful Content Update 2023, but the focus has shifted more towards the quality and relevance of content.

Links continue to play an important role as they increase authority, improve the user experience and provide context for the search engine.

Internal links: These links connect different pages within your own website. They help users and search engines to find relevant content and understand the page structure.

For example: “In our comprehensive gravel bike buying guide you will find all the important information you need to find the perfect model.”

External links: These links lead to pages outside your website. They can point to trustworthy and relevant external sources and show search engines that your website is connected and provides high-quality information.

For example: “You can find more tips and trends in gravel biking at BikeRadar.”

For both types of linking, make sure that the linked text summarizes the content of the target page or briefly outlines the topic and contains the keyword of the target page, as in the examples given.

5. use keywords in the URL of your pages

An ideal place for keyword optimization is the URL, for example for subdomains, directories, pages or posts. Insert the keyword you want to optimize your content for into the URL.

Website blogs can usually be found at www.domain.de/blog. This lets people and search engines know that it is a blog where topic-relevant posts can be found. The URLs of the blog should ideally be structured like this:

www.domain.de/blog/artikeltitel, therefore: www.domain.de/blog/gravel-bike-kaufberatung

Such “speaking URLs” show readers and search engines exactly where you are located, which contributes to a positive user experience and is therefore essential for keyword optimization.

Important: Avoid keyword cannibalization or duplicate content

Only ever optimize one page of your domain for a specific keyword and avoid having multiple URLs for the same keyword. Otherwise, the search engine will not know which page you want to rank for the keyword.

This can lead to competition between your own pages in the search results or create duplicate content, which is known as keyword cannibalization or duplicate content.

If you have several pages for a keyword (e.g. product pages in stores), you must avoid duplicate content. Decide on one page and set a canonical tag on the remaining pages that refers to the URL of the original.

How often should keywords be used?

SEO experts call the frequency with which a search term is used keyword density. It is about finding the right balance between the number of a particular keyword and the number of words.

In my opinion, however, this key figure is outdated anyway. Take a look at our detailed article on keyword density to find out why.

Meaning of Semantic SEO

Traditional keyword optimization often focuses on individual, specific words and phrases. Semantic SEO goes one step further and focuses on topics and the meaning behind the keywords. It is all about context.

By focusing on semantic topics, you can ensure that your content is relevant not just for specific keywords, but for entire subject areas.

Advantages of semantic topics:

• Better user experience: Semantic SEO helps to better tailor content to the needs of users.
• Higher relevance: Search engines understand the context better and can categorize your page more relevantly.
• Long-term success: Semantic optimization supports sustainable growth and visibility.

How to use Semantic SEO

• Use thematic clusters to structure your content.
• Integrate related terms and synonyms to expand the context.
• Use structured data to provide Google with additional information.

Example: If you sell gravel bikes in your online store, you could write on your blog about “gravel bike riding as a beginner”, “equipment for cycling” and “gravel bike routes in Germany” to cover the topic of “gravel bikes” comprehensively and broaden the context.

Conclusion: Optimize for keywords for Google and users

Keyword optimization is a part of online marketing and SEO. Your website is a process that requires regular analysis and adaptation.

By finding the right keywords and placing them strategically in your content and other areas of your site, such as URLs, metadata and images, you can increase the visibility of your website and generate more organic traffic.

With semantic SEO, you focus not just on one keyword, but on an entire topic area, expanding the context of your content and increasing its relevance for Google.

Make sure that your content is of high quality and tailored to the needs of your users, then you will soon be playing in the top league with your website.