Why are keyphrases now so important?

Keywords have historically been the backbone of optimisation; the thing that brings it all together. However, keywords are becoming dated, slightly old fashioned, and have recently been replaced in most SEOs dictionaries with the new kid on the block: the keyphrase! Listed below are the 3 main reasons why keyphrases are the future of optimisation, and keywords are a thing of the past:

1) Competition
At the beginning of the internet, when keywords became common place, there were less websites around, and this meant a lot less competition. Deciding the basis of website optimisation was relatively straightforward; you found the broadest words relating to your subject, the ones that would drive the most traffic. These would became your keywords.

This has all changed, most generic keyword ranking positions are already occupied by a website with years of backlinks to protect its position. This is why beginners have to focus on keyphrases; slightly longer variants of a keyword, maybe 2 or 3 keywords combined. They are often more specific to a niche, and this combined with lower competition, increases the chances of ranking well and attracting traffic.

2) Cost
As the old adage goes ‘time is money’ and optimisation is no different. What do you think is easier to rank for ‘pizza’ or ‘takeaway pizza Watford’? With the keyphrase (takeaway pizza Watford), there are likely to be at most 2 or 3 competitors targeting it, and in all probability less than that. This should reduce the time taken to optimise for the keyphrases, therefore making the optimisation process a lot more profitable and deliver a better return on investment (ROI)

3) Relevancy
Focusing on keyphrases rather than keywords will establish in your own mind the core activity of your business and where you are most competitive. This is in turn should feed to the rest of your business and help create a really targeted offering that focuses on your customers needs. Keyphrases also tend to drive more targeted traffic, and therefore traffic that is more likely to convert into custom. It’s much better to target ‘pink ballet shoes’ if that’s what you sell, rather than a more generic option such as ‘shoes’

In conclusion, although keyphrases may take slightly longer to research in the short term, they will save you a lot of time over the long term, generating a much more attractive ROI.