When you are considering how to add keywords to a website, there are a few things we can learn from the show Pee-wee’s Playhouse. What?! I know some of you remember this children’s show from way back in the late 80’s and you probably either laughed your way through each episode or begged your parents to make your little brother turn it off!
But if you have seen the show, you don’t forget it, and really, deep down, isn’t that one of the goals of internet marketing…to be unforgettable? We all want our website to be top of mind when someone has a need. And when you boil it down, SEO techniques like adding keywords to a website are all about getting found and increasing traffic to your website. This, combined with other internet marketing services, can help your website get noticed by Google and by your readers.
So watch this clip of a Pee-wee’s Playhouse live performance and notice a great strategy he uses - the Secret Word - (oh, see, some of you do remember!)
Now that your memory has been revived you are probably asking, “How in the world does Pee-wee’s Playhouse relate to how we add keywords to a website or internet marketing at all?”
Well, this show uses a few techniques that we can keep in mind when optimizing a website with keywords.
First of all, don’t forget why you are adding keywords to a website in the first place. You want your website to be optimized for search engines to find you, so you need to add keywords that can rank in the search engines and improve your internet marketing. While that’s a very noble cause, here at Half a Bubble Out we encourage you to write your website content for people first, and then write for search engines. This helps you stay focused on the goal of informing and serving your readers, as well as optimizing your website by adding keywords in strategic places.
Remember that you are using keywords because some real person is searching for information and has typed in that same (KEY)word in search of answers. Your goal is to be found by people who actually want what you offer, who want to read your content and be informed, not to read your content and think it was written for robots (or bots).
As part of your internet marketing strategy, you need to learn how to add keywords to a website to get noticed (or indexed) by Google and other search engines and ultimately by the customer. To do this we can all learn a few techniques from Pee-wee:
Pick one targeted keyword per page
Or like Pee-wee, one Secret Word of the Day. Notice that Pee-wee doesn’t pick 10 or 5 or even 2 secret words. He focuses on ONE per day. When you add keywords to your website, focus on ONE keyword per page. This is called a targeted keyword. Yes, there may be times when you ignore the guideline and focus on multiple keywords, but in general a good rule of thumb is to focus on ONE!
Make your keyword noticeable
Pee-wee makes the Secret Word very clear. He shows it to the audience and it will even flash on the screen. While you won’t want to shout out keywords or flash a sign on the side of your page, you do want to make sure the keyword that they searched with is included in your writing. If they search for a designated topic and land on a particular page, then the title and the content should clearly focus on that topic.
When you write with clear focus, you are giving Google a picture of exactly what you want to be found for, and what you have to offer people searching. Being specific and on topic is a good writing tactic that helps you educate and provide more detail on a subject.
Use your keyword naturally
Figuring out how to add keywords to a website in a natural, readable way is definitely an art and one that can take some practice. Think of it as a conversation that you are having with your audience. Write for them, write to inform them and write to bring solutions to their problems.
In Pee-wee’s Playhouse, the secret word shows up in conversation, hopefully in a natural way that doesn’t seem contrived. But when you keep a natural flow to your content your audience will enjoy reading it, find it helpful, and see the connections to what they are searching for. Now that’s how to add keywords to a website!
Don’t stuff keywords
Just as some of you got annoyed at Pee-wee’s use of the secret word and all the screaming that transpired, readers notice an over-use of keywords and frankly, search engines get annoyed too. When every sentence contains the keyword it sounds, well…not human. Some call this keyword stuffing and it is frowned upon and can actually hurt your SEO and your rankings.
A good keyword density guideline is 1-3%. Keyword density is calculated by counting the number of times your keyword occurs in your content, divided by the total word count. One example is this blog post. If the keyword is: keyword(s), it shows up 41 times in this blog post which is 1,204 words long - a keyword density of 3.4%. If the keyword is the long-tail: add keywords to a website - it has a .83% density. If you would rather not use the math side of your brain, there are free tools like keyworddensity.com to make life easier. Find a good balance in your writing and do not just write for the rankings.
Be intentional when adding keywords
Just as script writers for children’s shows are strategic and intentional, so are SEO experts. There are a few specific locations in your writing where it is essential to have keywords: Page Title, URL, Meta Description, Headers, Sub-headers, and dispersed through the body paragraphs of your writing. For specifics on exactly where and how to add keywords to a website, check out our blog: SEO Basics: How to add keywords to a website.
Take some time to review your internet marketing strategy and consider how you add keywords to your website pages. If you apply these tips you will see two main benefits:
#1 - Your readers will like and remember you because they will get better readability when you add keywords to a website naturally and strategically. Your message will be clear and the “searcher” will know they have found exactly what they are looking for.
#2 - Your website will rank higher in search results (AKA - get Google to notice you in all the right ways). One of the goals of any internet marketing strategy is to get noticed. Think about it, in 2007 Pee-wee’s Playhouse was listed in TV Guide as 12th in the top cult shows of all times. Someone sure noticed!
Now that you know how to add keywords to a website, what are you waiting for? Go for it - write naturally, keyword strategically, don’t overdo it, and your website will get noticed! And remember to have some…“fun” with internet marketing once in a while!
