Joyful SEO

How Many Keywords for SEO Should I Use?

These SEO articles are designed to be short and concise. Their focus is to answer your Qs right away. So, if you are here to find out how many keywords for SEO should be added to your content to charm Google and your audience, then let’s dive right in.

Keywords are important for Search Engine Optimization. They explain the content of your webpage, improve visibility, and help bring in visitors. 

How many keywords do you need for SEO?

The answer is simple. You only need to select one primary keyword and one or two secondary ones to complement and support it. 

If the content is lengthy, you can add one more secondary keyword. I wouldn’t recommend going any further. Additionally, you can also use LSI keywords – more on that later. 

Now, let me elaborate a bit more.

What are primary keywords and secondary keywords in SEO? 

It’s all about FOCUS and CLARITY.

A primary keyword is a short phrase that quickly and clearly describes the content on a page. 

Most of the time, one page will cover a single topic or address one main question. This phrase – known in SEO as “long tail keyword” – will help your webpage appear in the search results as the answer to a relevant query.

Moreover, once you pick and use a primary keyword for a page, you should avoid using the exact same word combination anywhere else on your site. This is one of the reasons why we stick to just one primary keyword.

Then, select a couple of SEO keywords that are variations of the primary keyword or that provide a bit more context, like, for example, a question. Secondary keywords help you map out subtopics too. 

How to find the ideal primary keyword? 

When researching keywords, select one that best explains the content on the page while paying attention to the search volume and competition. 

In an ideal world, you’d find keywords with high search volume and low competition. But! In reality, there’s much more to it. And chances are that, if you are just getting started with SEO, you are not too sure how to research for competition and search volume. So, for now, let’s keep focused on the main premise:

Select one keyword phrase as your primary and roll with it. As long as grammar allows, add it to your main title, your text (every 100 words), title tags, meta description, and images. Remember! DON’T OVERDO IT. Your content needs to be clear, focused, and easy to read.

Although you’ll optimize your webpage for one main keyword, it will likely still rank for similar variations. So, your job is to focus on a broad yet focused term, and the search engine will do the rest, considering the quality of your content. It will also help you structure content around a single subject. 

What are LSI Keywords?

In addition to the number of keywords I mentioned earlier, you can use supporting SEO keywords known as LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords. 

These keywords are semantically relevant to the primary and secondary keywords and help search engines understand the context of the content. Synonyms and phrases that provide background for your page’s topic come under this.

For example, if the primary keyword is cheap flight tickets, a few LSI keywords could be “airline, fares, plane, ticket.” 

How will you use your keywords in SEO? 

As much as you focus on how many SEO keywords should I use, you must also pay attention to the keyword density. 

Search engines scoff at keyword stuffing, and you don’t want to fall into that category. Use the primary keyword sufficiently and the secondary keywords sparingly. Include them and the LSI keywords in a way your content flows naturally.

Are you wondering how on earth do I can find LSI keywords? A quick tip is to go to your google search bar, start typing your content’s topic and see what comes up in the autocomplete and the people also ask box. 

Resources to find SEO keywords

There are heaps of tools for researching keywords! I personally use and love Keysearch. For free resources, you can check Ubbersuggest, Google keyword planner, and the kw research tool from Semrush – which allows for a couple of free searches a day. 

Let’s wrap up with an example

Before I leave you, I want to share the keywords I picked for this article:

“How many keywords for SEO” is the primary. And “How many SEO keywords should I use” is the secondary.

Some of the LSIs you can find on this blog are:

search engines“, “seo keyword“, “search volume“, “focus.”

Feeling a bit overwhelmed around what SEO is and how you can apply it to your website? Then reach out and book an SEO Coaching session with me. If you are ready to commit, are looking to redirect some ads’ money, or want to leap into this powerful customer acquisition tool, check our SEO packages.

Joyful SEO is an SEO marketing agency working with small and mid-sized businesses in New Zealand, Australia, UK, and the United States. Talk soon!

Martina Grossi