How to Choose a Focus Keyword for Your Blog

Picking valuable blog topics is great, but how will your target audience find your posts unless you choose the perfect keyword to go with it? A focus keyword will drive high-quality traffic to your website for YEARS to come. That’s one of the best things about blogging – it doesn’t go away after a few days, like your social media posts. It can rank in search results for years. The effort you put in now will pay off later on! 

But sometimes, it’s hard to know how to choose a focus keyword that’s perfect for your topic and your audience. Well, don’t worry – that’s exactly what I’m talking about today. Plus, you’ll get an inside look into my thought process when picking a focus keyword for a blog.

What is a Focus Keyword?

Let’s take it back to the beginning. A focus keyword is the one term or phrase you want a page to rank for. The page will naturally appear in search results for synonyms of your keyword, but the focus keyword should control how the page is optimized for SEO. 

There are two main types of keywords:

• Short-tail keywords: 1-3 words and typically more broad. These keywords are competitive and harder to rank for.
• Long-tail keywords: More than three words and more niche with less search volume. However, the traffic is usually more qualified.

Steps to Choose the Perfect Focus Keyword for a Blog

Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of how to choose a focus keyword for your blog (or, really, any page on your website.)

1. Brainstorm Keyword Ideas

Let’s assume you already have a blog topic picked out. Think of a few words or phrases that best describe your topic. Don’t think about if they are short-tail or long-tail yet – just brain dump! We aren’t worrying about analytics yet; we just want to see what you come up with on your own first.

2. Conduct Keyword Research for Your Ideas

Now it’s time to see if your keyword ideas are actually good ideas 😜 Use a keyword research tool like Ubersuggest to find out the:

• Search Volume: How many times per month this keyword is searched.
• Search Difficulty (SD): How hard it is to rank for this keyword.

Ideally, you want to find a keyword with high volume and low search difficulty. This means that a lot of people are searching for that keyword, but not many companies are trying to rank for it. These keywords are sometimes unicorns to find. 

If you aren’t finding anything with high volume and low competition, I recommend looking at how niche your keyword is. If it’s super niche and has low volume but low competition, that’s totally okay to use. It means people know exactly what they’re searching for; it’s just not searched all that often. They’ll be highly qualified for that keyword. If the keyword isn’t that niche and has low volume and high competition, I recommend skipping it and looking for something else. It isn’t worth trying to compete for something that won’t earn you much (if any) traffic.

3. Review Suggested Keywords

I love that keyword research tools offer suggestions based on the keyword ideas you enter. You might have never thought of phrasing something a certain way, but it earns way more volume than the one you originally thought of. Look over what the tool suggests and see if there are better options than the keywords you brainstormed.

4. Consider Search Intent

Finally, think about what the audience wants from their search. Why are they searching for this keyword? What do they hope to find? Understanding search intent helps you align your content and focus keywords with user expectations. 

There are four types of search intent:

• Informational: Individuals are seeking information or answers to questions.
• Navigational: People are looking for a specific website, brand, or page.
• Transactional: Someone is ready to take an action, such as making a purchase, signing up, or downloading.
• Commercial Investigation: A user is researching products or services before making a decision.

Mastering how to choose a focus keyword can make the difference between a blog post that ranks on page one and one that gets zero clicks. Then, once you find the perfect keyword, it’s time to place it strategically in your blog post!

Keyword Research Examples

These are a few examples to show you what I’m talkin’ about! This is literally what I do every time I write a blog. You’re getting an inside look at my thought process for how to choose a focus keyword right here!

Topic Idea: The Best Wedding Venues in New York City

Keyword Ideas: 

• best wedding venues
• wedding venues in NYC
• New York wedding venues
• small wedding venues
• outdoor venues in New York

Keyword Research:

Analysis:

These are actually all pretty good! It’s interesting that ‘best wedding venues’ has less volume than the other two options because it’s more broad. But I’m not mad that the more specific keywords have more search volume. The suggested ideas are great, too. These are both good options if you want to be more specific on the location.

Chosen Focus Keyword: wedding venues in NYC

#1 and #3 have the same volume but different levels of competition. I would choose #1 because it’s the same volume but lower competition.

Topic Idea: 10 Steps to Redesign Your Website

Keyword Ideas:

• redesign a website
• website redesign
• website redesign tips
• how to redesign a website

Keyword Research:

Analysis: 

I’m immediately ruling out #2 because the volume is too low for the competition. The ideas from Ubersuggest don’t fit my topic, so I’m not considering those. Now for the debate – is higher volume and higher competition better than lower volume and lower competition?

Chosen Focus Keyword: How to redesign a website

I ultimately decided to go with this one because the keyword is very clear about the search intent. I know for sure someone wants to know HOW to redesign a website. They aren’t looking for services, what that means, etc., as keyword #1 might suggest.

Topic Idea: How to Decorate Your House for Christmas

Keyword Ideas:

• Christmas decor checklist
• decorating for Christmas
• Christmas decor tips
• tips for decorating
• interior holiday decorating
• where to get decor inspiration

Keyword Research:

Analysis: 

I’m not loving any of my ideas… #1 has too low of volume for the competition. #2 is okay, but I’d like to see less competition. #3 doesn’t have as much volume as I would like. But the keyword ideas came through! These are both amazing options. Even though ‘decorating for Christmas DIY’ has higher competition than I’d like, the volume is AMAZING. The second suggestion is great, too, but I would have to adjust my topic idea to fit this keyword (which is totally okay, and I literally do all the time.)

Chosen Focus Keyword: decoration for Christmas table

I’m fine editing my topic idea to fit this keyword. This is the unicorn of all keywords: high volume and low competition. It’s specific, and the search intent is clear. We have a winner!

Wrap Up: How to Choose a Focus Keyword

Well, that was fun! I love looking at keyword analytics and strategizing the best keyword for each blog I write. I hope you learned how to choose a focus keyword for your next article! 

If you need help with this part of blogging, my Blog Strategy package is for you! I’ll create a keyword list for future blogs, give you content ideas and optimized headlines, and even outline some topics for you! You’ll have the strategy done so you can start writing. Schedule a discovery call to learn how this service can help your website earn more search traffic!