A lot about SEO has changed since Google first came onto the scene. One thing that has not is the keyword. Google and its competitors still rely heavily on keywords to rank pages. Keywords are the most important factor of all. With that in mind, keyword variation is also a big deal in the 2020s.
If you and your SEO team are not putting any effort into keyword variation, you’re not getting the most out of your SEO efforts. Needless to say, keyword variation matters. It matters a lot. In fact, it matters even more with every new page added to the web.
Keyword Variation Basics
The concept of keyword variation is not hard to understand. This post provides a perfect example. As you may have guessed, the primary keyword phrase being emphasized here is ‘keyword variation’. But pay attention as you read, and you will discover that we have inserted variations of that keyword in key places. In fact, you just read one such instance.
You can practice keyword variation in one of two ways. The first is to choose a primary keyword and then one or two variations that are very similar. Let’s say you wanted to write a post about cell phone cases. With ‘cell phone cases’ as the primary keyword, we can easily think of two variations that are very similar: ‘iPhone cell phone cases’ and ‘Samsung cell phone cases’. You are taking the original keyword and adding variations by expanding on it.
The other option is to vary keywords by choosing variations that are not quite similar. Here are just a few suggestions using the previous example:
- Cell phone cases for sale
- Phone cases near me
- Phone case protection
You can be as creative as you need to be to vary keywords enough to improve page rankings. As always though, you need to do you research. Keyword research will tell you what types of keywords and variations are likely to work well for a particular type of content.
Why You Should Do It
Finally, we have made it to the money question: why put the effort into keyword variation? The answer is as simple as the word ‘volume’. There are now billions of pages on the web. How many millions will show up in an organic search for one of your site’s most prominent keywords? Run a search and see for yourself.
Webtek Digital Marketing, out of Salt Lake City, UT, recently ran a post discussing how customers can take maximum advantage of Google My Business (GMB). One of the things discussed was the importance of using keyword variations. If keyword variations are important to GMB, don’t you think they are equally important across the web?
Remember that Google has long been adjusting its algorithms to account for how people really speak and think. When it comes to real life conversations, people do not choose a single keyword and home in on it exclusively. People naturally vary the words they use to describe their thoughts and actions. Variation is a normal part of the way we speak.
Google Wants Happy Customers
Google makes money when web searchers are happy. Therefore, Google wants happy customers whose web searches return the most accurate results. Their algorithms actively look for keyword variations that mimic the way people truly speak. That’s what it boils down to.
Google algorithms want and expect keyword variation. That is really all you need to know about why you and your SEO team should be putting time and effort into it. If you are ignoring keyword variations, you are ignoring one of the fundamental principles of online search.