Keyword research helps you identify keywords that appeal to a target audience and expand the reach of your content. When you use keyword research tools, it helps you identitfy what kinds of content users are looking for on any given topic. Always make sure to prioritize time for keyword research. Don't make the mistake like many webmasters do in targeting one main keyword for the entire website. The smart approach to SEO and positioning is to target a list of low competition, moderate demand keywords and rank well for them. This would potentially drive more targeted traffic, than to blindly hit at one main keyword. There are many on-page elements that go into optimizing a piece of content for the search engines – such as title tags, keyword placement, using multiple content types, topic modeling, etc. A variety of studies support the idea that Google incorporate social signals when ranking a webpage.

Earning backlinks from multiple domains is invaluable

When building your content, you’ll want to include localized keywords so that the search engines know you have offices and operate in certain locations. when writing for the internet, break up your paragraphs as often as possible. Lots of white space makes reading text on mobile phones a heck of a lot easier (more than half of most websites’ traffic comes from mobile), and clearly formatted articles are used as a Google ranking signal. As smart and sophisticated as search engines have become, they still understand one thing above all else: content. Content is unique, original material you create and publish on your site. Links aren’t the only factor of importance; you also need to make sure your on-page SEO is up to scratch and that your keyword targeting is on-point.

Keyword research lessons to get you started

Aside from on-site optimization and content marketing, the most important element of your strategy is your link building campaign -- otherwise known as off-site optimization. Artificial intelligence will become more ubiquitous, so SEO specialists must grasp firsthand knowledge on machine learning and automation. You need to understand where you are now in order to accurately assess your future rankings. Doing a yearly review of the big changes in SEO and implementing them on your site is a good way to avoid spending resources on insignificant changes while still maintaining a high-quality website for the long term.

Increase the likelihood of visitors to your site returning again

Each webpage should have a single focus keyword and be included 1-3 times naturally in the page content. Make sure it’s also included in your page title, meta description, and H1 text assuming it fits within the parameters. If it doesn’t fit well, work towards a more general keyword. If you recently moved to HTTPS or you plan to do so, mixed content is something you’ll most likely have to deal with. Fundamental search engine optimization never changes. You only have three things to work with: content, links, and measurement. According to Gaz Hall, a UK SEO Consultant : "Right now, using structured data and rich snippets will allow information from your site to appear right in the SERPs. This way, if someone searches for a recipe, they’ll be able to see the ingredients for your version before they even click on your link!"

Don't over-do a particular element

Having links from more popular websites carry more weight than less popular sites. With for instance the rise of voice search, longer keyphrases become more and more common. Using a long keyphrase five times in your 300-word-article will look so unnatural, that it’s not a good practice at all, where using a certain keyword five times might fit there. Links have always been a valuable aspect of an SEOs strategy, and many SEO agencies focus on building relevant links to get first page search results on Google. The Internet is all about trends — what works phenomenally well to improve SEO one year, might fall flat the next. SEO isn’t a one-and-done type deal. It requires constant updating, tweaking, experimenting and testing. And with SEO being one of the highest returning investments you’ll make for your website, you’ll want to constantly measure its success to maintain powerful results.