What are secondary keywords?

Secondary keywords are phrases that are semantically or thematically linked to your primary keyword. They serve as an important part of a SEO strategy. They provide multiple pathways to reach your content and enhance your overall SEO performance. Secondary keywords are not just synonyms or close variations of your primary keyword, but could also be related terms, phrases, or questions that your target audience is likely to search for in relation to your primary keyword. They go hand-in-hand with your primary keyword to define your content in the eyes of the search engine algorithms. They enable you to reach out to a broader audience and attract more accurate clicks as users find exactly what they’re looking for.

Why are secondary keywords important?

Secondary keywords help enrich your content and improve your chances of ranking high on Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs). They explain the context of the content, making it easier for search engines to understand what your content is about, thereby enabling it to match your content to relevant user queries with a high degree of preciseness.

Stuffing your content with your primary keyword no longer gets the job done. Search engine algorithms have become smarter and are focusing more on the overall context of the page in determining its utility, relevance, and rank on search engines. This makes the role of secondary keywords particularly significant in the grand scheme of SEO.

Another major benefit of employing secondary keywords is to effectively capture long tail searches. These are more specific searches that users make, aiming to find specific information. While the instances of such searches might be less frequent, they are known to contribute to a significant amount of search-driven traffic.

Types of secondary keywords

Various types of secondary keywords can be implemented into your content to supercharge your SEO. Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) keywords, for example, are semantically related keywords that help search engines in understanding the context of your content. These could include synonyms, similar terms or related phrases that people usually use around your primary keyword.

Long-tail keywords are another type of secondary keywords. These are more specific and usually consist of three or more words. Since long-tail keywords are more explicit, they have a lower search volume but a higher conversion rate, making them a worthy addition to take your SEO efforts to the next level.

Lastly, Question keywords hold immense importance in voice-based search optimization. They frame the secondary keyword as a question that a reader might ask. By using question keywords, you not only grab the reader’s attention but also feed into voice searches that revolve largely around questions.

Examples of secondary keywords

LSI keywords

Imagine your primary keyword is “Apple”. In this context, LSI keywords could be terms like “iPhone”, “MacBook”, “Apple Store”, and so on – words that are related to Apple as a company.

Long-tail keywords

If your primary keyword is “Running Shoes”, then a long-tail variation could be “Best running shoes for marathons”.

Question keywords

If your primary keyword is “Cake Decorating”, a question variant could be “How to decorate a birthday cake?”.

Handy tips about secondary keywords

Research extensively

Use SEO tools like Google’s Keyword Planner, Answer The Public, or Ubersuggest, to collect a list of potential secondary keywords that you can include in your content.

Context matters

Make sure your secondary keywords complement your primary keyword. They should mesh well into your content and improve its overall contextuality.

Optimal incorporation

Do not stuff your content with secondary keywords. Use them wisely, striking a balance between SEO and readability.

Conclusion

Secondary keywords are undeniably crucial elements of successful SEO strategies. They help craft context, attract the right kind of traffic, capture long-tail searches, and even add depth to your SEO efforts by tapping into the potential of voice searches.

Whether it’s implementing LSI, long-tail, or question keywords, the right utilization of secondary keywords can make the difference between ordinary SEO efforts and a top-ranking SEO strategy. With adequate research and thoughtful implementation, secondary keywords can significantly boost your SEO performance.

While employing secondary keywords efficiently can take a bit of time and require a learning curve, the returns they bring are significant and long-lasting. Harness the power of secondary keywords and take your SEO game to new heights.