50 of the Best WordPress Tips and Tricks for Beginners – Part 1

Optimising content with focus keywords is a crucial part of improving your WordPress website’s SEO and making your content more visible in search engine results.

Focus keywords are the primary search terms that you want a specific page or post to rank for, and incorporating them strategically into your content helps search engines understand its relevance.

Steps to Optimise Content with Focus Keywords:

1. Research the Right Focus Keywords:

   • Start by using tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, or Ahrefs to find relevant keywords that your audience is searching for.
   • Choose focus keywords with a balance of decent search volume and lower competition to maximise your chances of ranking.

2. Include the Focus Keyword in Key Locations:

   • Title: Make sure the focus keyword is naturally included in your page or post title. This is one of the most critical places for keyword optimisation.
   • Meta Description: Insert the focus keyword into your meta description to help search engines understand the page’s relevance and improve click-through rates.
   • URL/Slug: Use the focus keyword in the URL slug (e.g., yourwebsite.com/seo-tips), keeping the URL short and descriptive.
   • Introduction: Place the keyword early in the introduction or first paragraph, as this signals relevance to both search engines and users.
   • Headings (H2, H3): Include the keyword in at least one heading (e.g., H2 or H3) to further emphasise its importance in the content.

3. Optimise the Body Content:

   • Natural Keyword Usage: Use your focus keyword naturally throughout the content, but avoid overstuffing. Aim for a keyword density of about 1-2%, meaning the keyword should appear about once every 100–200 words.
   • LSI Keywords: Include related keywords (latent semantic indexing, or LSI keywords) to provide context and cover different variations of the main keyword. This can help your page rank for multiple relevant search queries.

4. Image Alt Text:

   • Include the focus keyword in the alt text of at least one image on the page. This helps search engines understand the image content and improves SEO for image search results.

5. Internal and External Links:

   • Use the focus keyword in anchor text when linking internally to related pages or externally to authoritative sources. This reinforces the relevance of your content and helps with keyword optimisation.

6. Content-Length and Quality:

   • Create content that thoroughly addresses the topic associated with your focus keyword. Longer, more comprehensive posts (typically 1,000+ words) tend to rank better, but ensure that the content remains high-quality and informative.

7. SEO Plugins for Keyword Optimisation:

   • Plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math help you optimise for focus keywords by providing real-time feedback and suggestions. They analyse keyword placement in titles, headings, meta descriptions, and content, ensuring you don’t miss any critical opportunities for optimisation.

Why Focus Keyword Optimisation is Important:

• Improved Search Engine Rankings: By strategically placing your focus keyword throughout your content, search engines understand what the page is about, improving its chances of ranking for that term.
• Increased Organic Traffic: Ranking higher for relevant keywords means more potential visitors will find your website when searching for those terms.
• Better Content Relevance: When you optimise content around a specific keyword, it ensures that the content stays focused and delivers the information your audience is seeking.

By optimising your content with focus keywords, you enhance the relevance of your pages, making it easier for search engines to rank them and helping your target audience discover your content more easily.

Free Keyword Research Tools

Here’s a list of 10 free keyword research tools to help optimise content and improve SEO strategy:

1. Google Keyword Planner

   • Offers insights into keyword search volume, competition, and suggested bid for paid advertising.

2. Ubersuggest

   • Provides keyword ideas, search volume, competition, and CPC data, plus SEO metrics like backlink information.

3. Answer the Public

   • Visualizes keyword data to show common questions and search queries related to a particular topic.

4. Keyword Surfer

   • A Chrome extension that provides search volume data directly in Google search results, along with related keyword suggestions.

5. Google Trends

   • Allows for the exploration of trending topics and seasonal interest in keywords over time, with regional breakdowns.

6. WordStream Free Keyword Tool

   • Generates keywords with associated metrics and provides insight on long-tail keyword opportunities.

7. Keyword Sheeter

   • Scrapes Google autocomplete suggestions to generate thousands of keyword ideas quickly.

8. Moz Keyword Explorer

   • Offers 10 free searches per month, providing keyword suggestions, SERP analysis, and volume data.

9. Soovle

   • Aggregates autocomplete suggestions from search engines like Google, Bing, YouTube, Amazon, and more for keyword inspiration.

10. Keyworddit

• Extracts keywords from Reddit subreddits, making it helpful for niche topics and audience-targeted keyword research.

Each tool has unique features that make it valuable for different aspects of keyword research. These can help you discover high-impact keywords, long-tail phrases, and trending topics.