Keywords are still crucial for ranking even though featured snippets are one of the most powerful tools to gain high visibility by surpassing the top ranks in search results. Now that many other methods of driving traffic are available, the debate is raging about how much it makes sense to give all-out efforts to earn the top spot in search rankings. As long as search engines remain the mainstay of digital marketing, keywords would never lose its importance because it forms the nucleus of the search process. Search rankings remain as crucial as before. But the problem for marketers is that it is getting very much challenging to identify keyword opportunities. This happens due to Google’s constant changes in the algorithm that often leave marketers struggling.
The social media platforms are also making changes in its algorithm, as Facebook did at the beginning of 2018 that are adding to the difficulties in ranking. Many marketers, influencers and brands as well as the Austin SEO consultants believe that the trend has just begun and there is likely to be more algorithm changes on the social media in the following months.
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Against the above backdrop, you have to learn the tricks of earning the top spot in SERPs by knowing the environment in the right perspective. On page, SEO has evolved with time as keyword stuffing and overcrowding of backlinks that worked well in the early days of SEO are of no use anymore. Today it is all about adequate quantity of quality backlinks together with unique and relevant content that helps to push up search rankings for changing the SEO fortunes. It is no longer remunerative to try to outsmart Google by using synonyms even though the technique works.
More than search rankings, dominating the real estate of Google featured snippets appear to be more attractive for gaining visibility and dominate SERP. However, this alone cannot help to reach the summit and retain the position for long.  To hold on to the top rank, you have to bank on keywords and identify the keyword opportunities for capitalizing on it. Some keywords might be evident as it demonstrates the close link top your business, but you can also include keywords that are easy to rank in your keyword strategy.
Get acquainted with SEO tools
Google Analytics is the most popular online tool for any marketer, and you must get a good grasp of it to monitor campaign performance. You have to be familiar with the different SEO metrics and be able to analyze reports to judge the performance of campaigns. For gaining valuable insights about SEO campaigns during its various phases, you have to be comfortable in using Google Analytics. However, other analytical tools like KWFinder and Ahrefs are also beneficial when used together with Google Analytics. Having many tools will only make you stronger and have better control over the campaign.
Know your product, industry as well as related topics
Suppose you are a startup and implementing SEO right from scratch. The primary goal is to drive traffic to the website and create a buzz in the industry that tells the world that you have arrived. But, before you can do it, you have to get familiar with the industry as well as the niche where you operate and even foresee the topics related to that niche. It needs some research to gain an idea about where you belong, what is going around and what kind of content should work for you. You have to know the audience and what it likes and dislikes so that you can ascertain their points of interest that goes beyond your products and services. This is essential because it will not only tell about the keywords but also how you could branch out based on the keywords that could maximize the keyword opportunities.
Find related keywords
Based on the prime keywords you have to learn the technique of identifying related keywords that help to serve exciting content to the audience that they find useful and valuable. You can choose topics that have a link to the products or services but instead of telling how good the products or services are, talk about many different aspects around it. If your product is a coffee machine, you can talk about coffee recipes, methods of brewing coffee and the relation between coffee and the environment. This results in creating unique and exciting content that is also appropriate.
Get the numbers by using keyword tools
Keyword identification is just the beginning, and you have to work for maximizing the impact of keywords while keeping costs at a minimum by undertaking keyword research that saves time. To achieve it you have to use some free keyword research tools, to begin with, and with funds permitting, you can upgrade to paid accounts. The fundamental purpose of the keyword tools like Ahrefs, WordStream, and KWFinder is to help you ascertain the search volumes and the difficulty levels. You have to strike a balance between the two to identify low-cost keywords that performs to your satisfaction. Try out the tools to select which the ones that meet your needs.
Judge keyword effectiveness by looking at SEO performance
To judge keyword performance, you have to analyze the data derived from various metrics of the SEO performance which you can do with the help of some analytical tool. From CTR to bounce rates and other SEO metrics gathered over a period you can assess the impact of keywords on the performance. You would know which keywords are doing well and which are under-performing. In addition, you can modify the content to make it more appealing to the audience so that you gain more extensive outreach and rope in new people who become your follower.
The secret of success is to use all weapons in your armory and go out all guns blazing for getting the best from the package of well-crafted content ingenious keywords. But do not lose sight of featured snippets that holds a lot of promise about sure success in SEO.
