Not all keywords are the same: some generate more traffic, others have clearer intentions, others may generate more profit for your business. The approach to optimising keywords should be differentiated based on some key factors, including:
- Search demand: the factor that determines how much interest it is generated by your keywords, both on an individual and aggregate level. The more people search for your keywords, the greater the traffic on your site. Remember that traffic must also be qualified and useful to bring you real benefits.
- User intent: is about determining what the user wants, and knowing how to meet this need. Behind every search there is a particular intent. A keyword may not be specific enough to arouse the interest of users: will your content be suitable for users' needs?
- Keyword Competition: another factor to take into consideration is competition. Who are your competitors, and above all how many are there? Sometimes, using less popular keywords, but also less used by the competition, could prove to be a winning strategy. Of course this also depends on the quality and importance of your service.
- Budget: establishing a basic investment will help you to define the priority of the keywords. A correct diagnosis of the situation will necessarily have to be based on how much you want to invest.
- Timeframe: how much time do you have? Using keywords in a field where there is a lot of competition can be poorly effective if you only have a few months. The less time you have, the more your strategy should be cautious and conservative.
- Client Goals: if you are working with clients, pay due attention to their expectations. Keep in mind how important every keyword is, to know how to prioritise properly.
- Profitability: the real goal of SEO is not a question of positioning or rankings, but of profits. Assign your last priority to profit, which may not always be tightly connected to ranking.
- Scalability: The final factor that should influence your approach to SEO priority is scalability. If you notice a high confluence of intents, questions, and highly lucrative keywords on a single URL, focus your efforts on these specific pages. By increasing the visibility of a single high-value URL, you will calibrate your efforts with your results.