For a long time, optimizing web pages to rank for a single targeted keyword was a common SEO tactic.
Marketers would carefully select a high-value keyword and optimize their content and page elements to rank well for that term.
However, this hyper-focused keyword approach is now considered outdated in many cases.
Today, searcher behavior, query intent and the buyer’s journey are more important than targeting individual keywords.
Queries have become more conversational and users want relevant content that fits their true needs, not just pages filled with certain words. Ranking for a single popular keyword is also difficult and can attract the wrong audience.
That said, optimizing for specific keywords or topics isn’t always outdated. In some situations, concentrating on a focused area and demonstrating current knowledge can still be an effective strategy. Understanding when a broad and narrow approach aligns with your goals and audience is key.
This article will discuss scenarios where single keyword optimization is likely an outdated practice that should be avoided, as well as cases where a niche keyword approach is still valuable.
When is optimization for specific keywords considered obsolete?
When it’s literally a “unique” keyword or phrase.
Every now and then I still have conversations with brands and people who are just fixated on a specific keyword or phrase. They see this as the key to success as they believe that if they can only rank high during this term, they will get a lot of relevant website visitors.
But sometimes, this one-sentence approach is more about perception than actual results.
If you’re a local car dealership in a small town, it’s not very likely that you’ll get the number one ranking for the generic term “cars” on a large scale. Also, it’s not very helpful if 99.9999% of the people searching for that term (if not more) aren’t your target audience in your market, looking for what you have to sell.
If you could get exponentially more ROI targeting multiple keywords relevant to your core service offering, geo-located where you are, you’d have more realistic opportunities and results.
In some cases, ego played into the rationale for the single-term approach. Before I was a “CEO” myself, I used to call these “CEO keywords”. I guess I still do, but then and now, it was never intended to offend, just with the understanding that sometimes there is a brand reason behind it, a highly competitive motivation, or possibly a lack of research and understanding of what is needed. to get first place for a single sentence.
If the target keyword does not match the search intent
Context matters. It’s important for search engines to try to determine what subject matter you’re relevant to and what you’re an authority on – that’s step 1.
However, step 2 is convincing your target audience and those arriving via the SERPs to your site that you are the answer they are looking for.
Context is critical to understanding whether you’re focusing too much on a literal keyword phrase or looser terms and variations.
I had a client that was a high-end continuing care retirement community (CCRC). Like many, this client did not want the word “facility” associated with their brand or website. The same goes for the “nursing home”.
However, the data showed that most people searched for those words in their queries. We navigated this by creating a strong strategy that included enough context so that even without those words appearing in the page copy or HTML, we could rank at the top of Google anyway.
That’s the power of understanding and getting the right context and caring more about it than keywords. Finding the balance between what searchers want, what Google understands, and how to be relevant is a great first step.
Dig Deeper: There are more than 4 types of search intent
If you are leaving qualified traffic on the table
If you’re too narrowly focused, you may not be considering all the ways someone could search for your content. I love bottom of the funnel traffic (which is converting) as much as anyone.
But with the variety of ways people search (eg queries formatted as questions that are popular through voice search) and the variation in behavior from research to buy now , you could get lost.
You may also be losing some brand awareness and the opportunity to educate and convert earlier in the customer journey, or to get those first impressions in technical areas and those with longer sales cycles.
Considering quality and quantity is key to a sustainable long-term SEO strategy. If the long-tail terms are highly qualified, convert much better, and add decent volume compared to a single high-volume term, you need to consider where you want to invest. We want all conditions and traffic.
But if you’re more concerned about quality and conversions than impressions, you’ll likely want to shape your content and investment around a broader set of terms and a more diversified strategy.
When you expect to do a limited set of activities to get quick results
I’m not saying that quick wins don’t happen in SEO. I’ve been doing this for almost two decades and I’ve seen incredible things happen in short periods of time.
On the other hand, however, unfortunately I have also seen many situations with expectations that do not match what has developed.
If you’re aiming for a quick win by targeting a single term and speeding up the process, it’s not impossible. However, it is crucial to ask yourself if your strategy and tactics align with your desired results. Simply creating a landing page, stuffing it with keywords, directing links to it, and hoping for a quick or sustainable ranking can often lead to disappointment.
Yes, you can see things working in niche areas and with the right mix of strategy and tactics in no time. However, if you’re taking shortcuts and getting to the top of the SERPs, you may be in a risky position in the long run.
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When does keyword specific optimization work?
OK, let’s look at the other side of the argument. Let me be the first to openly share that my agency is a specialist and that we went through the process of downsizing and nicheing last year.
So on the “not obsolete” side of this argument, I can attest to the ways in which it can go well if you know what you’re getting into.
When it’s a niche or a single topic, not just a literal query
This is the other side of what I talked about before. If you agree and understand that context is more important than literal words, you can specialize and focus on a specific “keyword”. I’m talking loosely about a “keyword” and expanding it into a topic.
Having a specific topic, expertise and depth can work very well to beat out broader competitors and those who offer a more comprehensive service. The more quality content you have, the better you can focus, show your relevance to the topic, and attract links and signals to validate authority.
Plus, you have the opportunity to fully map your content to match search intent at every step of a customer journey and cover a range of ways someone might find your content and want to engage with it.
When you have a broader view of marketing and SEO
There are times to get granular with topics and subjects. This could include when you want to launch a new product or service and be the expert on it.
If you have a comprehensive SEO and marketing strategy and understand the depth of your focus on a specific topic, you will understand how that focus contributes to your overall efforts.
Knowing the benefits of digging deep and isolating data and variables can be a great place to test, move fast, and support a broader strategy overall.
When you know your market
If you know your market well, including potential customers, competitors, and even SERP features, you can tailor your laser-focused strategy and be confident in how it will return for you. No need to try so hard and waste sprints and cycles trying to learn as you go.
By leveraging your industry knowledge and experience, you can create content, build a niche platform, and optimize well in a way that slower, bloated competitors can’t. You can also reduce the waste of trying to answer questions that Google may be answering directly (not sending traffic) and trying to validate ideas and content.
As long as you have full control of the customer journey, conversion funnels or how you look at the whole picture of how you interact with your audience, the length of sales and consideration cycles and monetize as much of that journey as you can , you can leverage the narrow focus in a way that doesn’t leave potential ROI on the table.
When the reward is worth it
I usually talk about goals at the top of articles. However, I wanted to quickly dig into this topic.
You can definitely see success with a specific keyword or a very narrow focus if you’ve done your research and know the opportunity is big enough to reward you for the effort.
Maybe you only need one click to convert, which gives you 1,000 times the ROI. Or, maybe your ROI is in the #1 spot for that “CEO keyword” keyword. I won’t judge in any way.
You just need to know what you’re investing in and why you’re doing it. Get a complete picture of the potential and follow it if it fits your goals.
Rethink single keyword optimization in SEO
Optimizing for specific keywords or very limited topics is not always an outdated practice. Focusing your SEO efforts on niche areas and demonstrating expertise can be a winning strategy in certain situations.
The key is to understand when a narrow or broad keyword approach aligns with your business goals, industry, audience demands, and ability to comprehensively meet search intent.
Deeper: How to Target Highly Competitive Organic Keywords: An Advanced Approach
The views expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.
