International SEO: using keywords
in page content

Our recent post on International SEO looked at the processes involved in international keyword research. Let’s now see what we can do with those carefully selected keywords, or more specifically, how to go about using keywords in page content.

Assign keywords

With your nice long list of keywords in front of you, you can begin to assign these keywords to each of the URLs of your site. Don’t go page by page; the keyword that seems relevant for one URL might be more relevant for a different URL. A comprehensive approach ensures that you are assigning the keywords that best describe the content of each page – in other words, that the person who is looking for those particular words lands on the most suitable page.

Place keywords

Ideally, you should have a primary and a secondary keyword for each URL. The primary keyword, at least, should be present in:

  • the URL slug (the address of a page: the words that follow your domain, separated by hyphens)
  • the headline (<h1> tag)
  • the title tag
  • the meta description
  • the text body

“Keyword density” in the body of the text is a SERP ranking factor; keywords have to be repeated a number of times depending on the text’s length. At least one keyword should appear in the first paragraph of your content, close to the start. In other words, ditch wordy introductions and get straight to the point.

But write for humans

Bear in mind that you are not writing content for search engines; these are only a means to get your audience’s attention, and your audience is human. And humans want to read content that is interesting and well-written. Don’t overuse your keywords, use synonyms, and write relevant content.

Keep your keywords in mind when writing new website content. It’s good practice to do international keyword research before translating your website; it will save time and ensure your website is optimised from the outset.

On our next post on International SEO, we will be talking about how to handle keywords specifically in title tags and meta descriptions.