How to Improve Your SEO with Strategic Keyword Mapping

If you want to utilize all the SEO value from a keyword, you need to create a map that tells you EXACTLY how to do it. Therefore, in this 5-step guide, I’ll let you know how to execute keyword mapping and improve your website’s SEO.

However, let’s start with understanding what keyword mapping means.

What is keyword mapping?

Keyword mapping refers to the process of discovering and assigning keywords to the webpage in your domain after conducting comprehensive keyword research. Keyword mapping is a key on-page optimization process that helps you plan:

• Which keywords to target
• What content to create
• Potential pages that can increase the traffic driven to your domain

Generally, webmasters map keywords in the initial stages of creating a website. They also execute this process while updating or revamping their site. You can’t avoid keyword mapping because then you’d be losing out on a lot of ranking opportunities. Besides, SERP rankings depend on how well-optimized a website and its associated webpages are for the target keywords. This helps the search engine crawlers to understand your content better.

Here’s a four-step guide to map keywords effectively across your entire website:

1. Conduct keyword research on a query and explore more variations

You need to begin with conducting keyword research and creating a database of numerous keywords that you wish to target. However, I’d advise you to exclude the keywords that you’re already ranking for.

When you’re researching keywords, remember to include both short tail and long tail ones. These will tell you the kind of answers or solutions your audience wants for their queries, and act as a foundation for your content.

There are several keyword research tools available in the market which you can use to expand your keyword database:

Popular Keyword Research Tools

Type in the query you want suggestions for, and these tools will provide you with a vast list of keyword variations in seconds:

1. Google Keyword Planner

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What better way to extract keyword data than Google?

Google keyword planner gives you tons of keyword suggestions along with their search volumes, competition, etc. for free. It also lists them separately under relevant categories. You can extract these keywords and add them to your database.

2. Answer the Public

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If you want a wide variety of question-based keyword suggestions, you can use Answer the Public. Enter a keyword, and the tool will start analyzing and gathering question-based ideas associated with it. Answer the Public lists keywords into what, when, why, who, how, are, can, etc.

3. Keyword Research Tool

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The Keyword Research Tool by RankWatch provides you with long tail and short tail keyword suggestions related to your entered keyword, including question-based keywords as well.

4. Keywords Everywhere

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Keywords Everywhere is an incredible plugin that you can install in your browser and discover related user queries associated with the ones you’ve entered. The plugin provides you with suggestions on Google and YouTube SERPs along with every keyword’s search volume.

IMPORTANT: Use Excel or Google Sheets to prepare a keyword database because they’re excellent for handling large chunks of data and make it easier to track as well.

2. Compile keywords targeting similar purposes

When you’ve finished creating a diverse keyword database, you should start grouping keywords based on intent. Categorizing keywords based on a purpose can help you prepare content that satisfies the user’s query while also making it search engine friendly.

For example, if you’re creating content for a domain authority checker tool, and you did a keyword research and came across these:

1. Website authority checker
2. Domain authority checker
3. Site authority checker
4. Domain authority score
5. Domain authority meaning
6. Domain authority definition
7. What is domain authority?

The first four keywords describe the tool, and the last three explain the meaning of domain authority. So, this results in the formation of two groups: “About The Tool” and “Definition”.

IMPORTANT: The categorizing process can take a significant amount of your time, but it will make the execution of the processes that follow easier.

3. Prepare URL variations and list keywords under them

Once the keywords have been grouped based on intent, you should focus on preparing the URLs. This will help you create a blueprint of your site’s structure, where each group that you’ve made will act as a subdirectory.

You need to examine every keyword listed under every group carefully to prepare a URL which is friendly to both search engines and users. This implies that the content for the URL (subdirectory) will be created using the keywords listed under it. Doing so can also increase the ranking potential of the subdirectory.

For example, here’s a potential URL (subdirectory): “/in/iphone/” and the keywords that fall under this group are:

1. Buy iPhone
2. Buy iPhone 11
3. Purchase iPhone 11 Pro

Now, while creating content for the /in/iphone/ subdirectory, you must include the keywords mentioned above.

If you have a live page already, check whether the keywords that best satisfy a user’s intent are optimized in it. If not, you can do so now with a fresh set of keywords.

4. Start piecing your website together

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After preparing the potential URLs, it’s time to start piecing your website together. You must structure the groups based on how your site will operate.

For instance, specify the homepage, its connecting subdirectories, and each subdirectory followed by its internal pages and content.

5. Creating content

This is the most integral part of keyword mapping.

After piecing together various subdirectories and the homepage, you should start preparing the content. You must start with the homepage and optimize its content with the keywords listed under that group. Remember to add keywords to the alt tags, heading tags, title and the URL organically for higher chances of ranking in the top SERPs.