Want to Rank on the First Page on Google? Don’t Overuse Your Focus Keyphrase!

If you’ve been working with Search Engine Optimization for a while, you’ll know a focus keyphrase is the one you want to rank for. You’ll add it to your SEO title, meta description, on subheadings and even repeat it a few times on your post or page. It’ll become the darling of your copy, and you’ll want nothing more than having it rank up on Google. So, you’ll naturally feel tempted to add it to every page of your website as well as a few blog posts.

You must fight this urge! Focus keyphrases should only be used once, even if it seems contradictory. But why is that?

You Don’t Want to Compete Against Yourself

Each separate page ranks on its own on Google; you won’t rank your website as a whole. If you use the same focus keyword time and again, you’ll have whatever number of pages or blog posts competing against each other. Ranking on the first page of Google if tough enough for one page, and it’s even more challenging to do so with several.

• Focus all your energy on your best and most relevant post. To rank two different pages with the same keyword, you’ll need to be an authority on the subject already. For example, the keyword “instant camera,” might have several rankings from expert brands like Polaroid or Instax. If you have a small blog, that’s the kind of competition you’ll have. Take it slowly!
• Build a reputation with Google and then consider using a focus keyphrase a second time. We highly discourage websites that are just starting out from using the same keyword more than once. Once your page is already ranking high on Google, it might be good to add a second page or post with the same focus keyphrase.

Work the SEO on future related posts to rank for similar keywords. Cover all your bases!

So, How Can I Rank for My Chosen Focus Keyphrase?

The first thing you should always do is perform some thorough keyword research. While you’ll want to rank for significant keywords from the get-go, this isn’t the best strategy for an up-and-coming website. You’ll want to look for more extended and specific keywords that will make ranking easier.

Here are some of the things you should do to rank for your chosen keyphrase.

Blog Away

Blogging is the cornerstone to great SEO. Keeping a blog to post great original content will let Google know you’re an expert on the subject. We highly recommend blogging, and doing so regularly!

• Use specific keywords. Following the “instant camera” example, you might not want to use a keyword that’s that generic. By adding a word or two, you could make your post more enticing for Google. One example would be writing a post on “cheap instant cameras.”
• Create a cornerstone post on your chosen keyword. You should write a long and excellent article about “cheap instant cameras” and optimize it for SEO through Yoast. You can then mark it as cornerstone content on the WordPress plugin and work around it for future posts.
• Write a series of posts related to your cornerstone article, switching up the keywords. You can then write about “instant cameras for weddings” or “instant cameras for kids.” These related phrases are called long tail keywords, and they’re an essential part of SEO. You should be linking these new blog posts to your “head term” piece, thus telling Google which is the most important of your articles.

This strategy is a win in every aspect: you’ll have more content, making you an expert; you’ll help rank your main post; and, you’ll attract traffic to your smaller articles!

To learn more about a solid writing strategy check out: "What is Cornerstone SEO ".

Optimize Your eCommerce Store

If you have a lot of product pages for instant cameras or accessories, there’s a way to optimize it all nicely. Instead of wasting time optimizing each product page for instant cameras, the best idea is to do so by category page. You’ll rank up and won’t spend precious time optimizing each page one by one.

See our latest post "New to eCommerce? These 6 Tips Will Make Your Brand Look Trustworthy! "

In Conclusion

Unless you’re already a prominent authority on your industry, the best practice is to steer away from repeating focus keyphrases. Write one fantastic article about it and then many smaller pieces around it, and you’re set for business. Remember you also need to have an incredible website altogether!

Bright Vessel specializes in online solutions, creating custom campaigns for brands of any industry. We don’t do copy-and-paste campaigns, and we firmly believe that each website should be treated differently. Contact us to find out more about how we could work together!

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6 Common SEO Mistakes Keeping Your Website from Ranking No. 1