Should I use the Same Keywords for SEO as I do for PPC?
PPC can be a great source of knowledge for building your SEO strategy, but it's important to understand when and where SEO and PPC complement each other versus where they should be used for different purposes.
1. Replicate success: Using the same keywords for both strategies can provide consistent messaging and branding. If a keyword performs exceptionally well in PPC, it might be a good candidate for SEO efforts and vice versa.
2. Test, learn and apply: PPC offers the advantage of immediate feedback. You can test keyword performance and apply these insights to your longer-term SEO strategy.
3. Differing Intent: With SEO, you can target broader, informational keywords to draw organic traffic and establish authority. In contrast, PPC campaigns tend to focus on more specific, transactional keywords, aiming for immediate conversions. Learn from PPC what works and then apply to SEO.
4. Use both to reach more customers: Some high-competition keywords might be expensive in PPC but could be worth targeting organically through SEO. Conversely, long-tail keywords that don't have much organic search volume could be valuable in a niche PPC campaign. Use them together to target a wider range of keywords and therefore reach a wider breadth of customers.
Also remember to Understand Keyword Cannibalization
In the ever-evolving world of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), one concept that often bewilders website owners is 'keyword cannibalization.' This term might sound ominous, but it simply refers to a situation where multiple pages on your website compete for the same keyword or phrase in search engine rankings. Rather than being beneficial, this internal competition can dilute your SEO efforts and hinder your website's performance in search results.
How Keyword Cannibalization Affects Your SEO
When more than one page on your site targets the same keyword, search engines struggle to determine which page is most relevant for a particular query. This can lead to several adverse effects:
Lower page rank - Instead of having one strong page ranking for a keyword, you spread the potential across several weaker pages.
Diluted authority - Each page competes for authority, which can prevent any single page from being perceived as the definitive source on the topic.
Confusing user experience - Visitors may not find the most relevant or comprehensive content, leading to poor engagement metrics.
Identifying Potential Cannibalization on Your Site
Spotting keyword cannibalization requires a bit of detective work. Here's how you can start:
Keyword audit - Look at all the keywords for which your website ranks and note which pages appear in the search results for each term.
Analyze content - Check if multiple pages target the same keyword intentionally or inadvertently.
Check Keyword Sitemap - Check to see if you’ve assigned similar keywords to different pages in your Keyword Sitemap.
Check Actions - If the platform detects cannibalization, it will provide actions to remove certain words or links to combat it.
Analyze Keywords - By coming to ‘Reporting’ and then ‘Keywords’, you can view all of your tracked keywords. Those marked with a yellow exclamation mark may be cannibalized.
Resolving Keyword Cannibalization
Once you've identified the issue, it's time to rectify it:
Consolidate content: Merge similar pages or posts that target the same keyword or deoptimize the least relevant page to create one authoritative page on the subject.
Revise your SEO strategy - Assign unique and relevant primary keywords to the most relevant page and that page only so you prevent overlap.
Use 301 redirects - If you have redundant pages, use 301 redirects to guide users and search engines to the most relevant page.
Update internal links: Ensure that internal links point to the most authoritative page for a given keyword.
Prevention is Better Than Cure
The best way to deal with keyword cannibalization is to avoid it from the start. You can do this through:
Strategic planning - Have a clear strategy that outlines specific keywords for each page or post.
Regular audits - Conduct periodic SEO audits to catch any unintentional cannibalization as your website grows.
Continuous learning - Stay informed about SEO best practices to adapt your strategies proactively.
If you need help with SEO or PPC Ads, let us know!
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