When researching the best keywords for SEO it can be hard to narrow down your choices. This is where Golden keywords come into play. They’re the Goldilocks pick: not too hard, not too niche – just right. Identifying Golden Keywords can be simple or a little more subjective. Read on to learn more about types of keywords, how to differentiate between them, and ultimately how to pick the golden keywords that will help your site rank quickly.
What are Golden Keywords?
Golden Keywords are the heroes of SEO. They have the exact right combination of a decent search volume and low competition. Targeting these words on your site can help you rank faster than more challenging keywords.
How To Identify Golden Keywords
With SEO – it’s all relative. You’re (usually) not competing with titans of the internet like Amazon – you’re competing with other websites in your line of business. When looking for keywords, or judging the SEO strength of your website it’s important to keep this in mind. SEO can’t consider just your website, you need to compare with your direct online competition and the specific keywords in your industry.
Because of this, we can’t say that a Golden Keyword has, for example, a competition of 10% and a search volume of 200/month no matter what. Your industry may have a much higher or much lower general search volume, which is why you need to remember that it’s all relative. To make things easier, test your keywords with the KGR!
The KGR Formula For Finding Golden Keywords
To simplify this process you can look at the Keyword Golden Ratio (KGR) – although it’s not perfect for every industry it gives a really great starting point for considering a keyword for your site.
The KGR formula is straightforward: it’s the number of Google search results with a keyword in the title divided by the keyword’s monthly search volume. When looking for golden keywords (that need to be easy to rank for) this formula is applied to keywords with a monthly search volume of 250 or less. Your ideal ratio should be .25 or less.
Why the seemingly low numbers? Because in the arena of SEO, less can often mean more when it comes to competition. Consider it this way: it’s better to get the majority of those 250 searchers to land on your website with well-optimized content than to optimize for a much more popular keyword and stay hidden on page 5 or 6.
KGR Example
Let’s put it into practice. For example, let’s say you own a small clothing boutique that is just starting to grow your website and e-commerce portion of your business. You are working on a blog post about the eco-friendly denim line you just brought to the store. If the keyword “ethically made jeans for women” has about 50 exact title search results and a search volume of 250 then the keyword ratio is .2. This means that your article has a very good chance of ranking on the first page of Google.
Other SEO Keyword Types & When You Should Use Them
Niche Keywords
Niche keywords play a crucial role in your SEO strategy. They will have lower search volumes and less competition. Their power instead lies in attracting a dedicated audience interested in very specific topics or products. Think of them as the targeted keywords in your SEO strategy hitting your hyper-focused clients. Use niche keywords to get some easy wins on the SERPs (search engine results pages).
Difficult Keywords
As your site gains SEO strength from your Golden Keywords and Niche keywords, you can start targeting difficult keywords. These keywords have higher search volumes but come with a catch – intense competition. Consider them the advanced level of your SEO game. Tackle them strategically, once you’ve established a foundation with golden and niche keywords.
Building your Keyword Strategy
Knowing the difference between keyword types makes building your SEO strategy easy. Begin by focusing on golden keywords to make a quick impact. Gradually incorporate niche keywords to build a dedicated audience. Save the challenging keywords for later, ensuring you have time to build the SEO strength of your site.
In Search Engine Optimization, it’s not just about the keywords you want to win. It’s about understanding there nuances between keywords, and strategically using them to build your website. Need a new SEO strategy? Our SEO Audit lists your golden keywords and suggests your first 3-4 pages.