Hello creatives. I have blogged, Periscoped and taught on how to find new keywords for your business but let us refresh shall we?
Keywords are the words/phrases people use when searching for something in a Search Engine such as Google.
Keywords can be: one word, two words, three words, one long-ass sentence… because let’s face it, we humans are complicated. Sometimes we just do not know how to express that one thing we are really looking for in just one or two words. I can’t be the only one, right? These longer keywords are called long tail keywords which has less search volume, but has way more room to rank.
Back to keeping it simple… [bctt tweet=”Your first step is to establish your keyword list. Answer what you do, where do you do it and what products do you sell?” username=””]
For example for my photography business these would be:
- Wedding Photography.
- Engagement Photography.
- Wedding Albums.
- Canvas Prints
Using those main phrases for what I do, I think of potential variations by adding what SEO peeps call modifiers. This can be: location, style or brand.
- Wedding photographers in Myrtle Beach.
- Wedding photos.
- Best engagement photographer in Myrtle Beach.
Thirdly I think about the content that my ideal audience would like. So how can I be a resource to them?
- 5 top wedding venues in Myrtle Beach
- 10 Engagement photo locations in Myrtle Beach
- How to plan a Southern destination wedding?
Basically, you should think of Keywords as three parts. If you need more help with this, sign up for my free keyword strategy mini course to learn how to find more keywords for your business.
One mistake creatives make is they either have no clue what their keywords are and don’t do keyword research or they want to be found for 1 or 2 competitive keywords. I am not a fan of this strategy because I know people are battle for those first ten spots on page one. The good news is that there are many ways for you to get found for your business. Your posts can rank, your pinks can rank, your pages can rank and it is not just your overall website. Once
I know my main keywords, my alternative keywords and my content keyword topics. It is time to start putting them somewhere, right?
Here are 5 simple places to use keywords for your CREATIVE business.
#1. Website
Your website pages! Yes and yes! [bctt tweet=”When Google is scanning your website pages for info to figure out what it is about, you need text!” username=””]
Why? -Because Search Engines (for now) only see text! They can not see photos or videos! Words and text is the ONLY thing a search engine reads. You can have the most beautiful website in the world, full of pretty photos and videos, but if you lack text, your site looks Naked! Yes I just said naked with perhaps a southern accent! Um, humm. So one tip is to use your main set of keywords on at least three pages of your website. If you have a physical store or studio, then you should put the address on EVERY page at the bottom. Never make the text too small to read or same color as the background because that will put you on Google’s naughty list! An example of my main keyword idea for my photo biz is the following.
Feuza Reis is a Myrtle Beach Wedding Photographer offering engagement portraits and wedding photography in Myrtle Beach and Pawley’s Island.
Then I take this text and add it to my home page, about page and contact page.
#2. Your Page Title and descriptions.
Page Title, also known as Site Title, is text that appears above the URL at the top of the browser (or on a tab). It’s also what is bolded blue when you search for something in Google. Here is an example for when I searched for Cute Fall Outfits. The blue bolded text is the text found in the person’s page title or site title. The black text is the description
It is important to know where to go to update the page title and description for your posts and pages. If you’re using WordPress, for example, you can install my favorite SEO plugin, Yoast SEO. This plugin creates a box under your post in your dashboard for you to fill out and use keywords. One tip is to use a variation of keywords for each page and posts so you don’t look spammy in Google’s eyes.
#3. Your Image SEO.
Optimizing your photos on your website and blog is crucial for maximizing Google juice. When uploading your photos to your blog post or website look for the area that says Alt Text or Alternative text. This is where you add rich keywords, maybe a full sentence about the post or actual photo. When someone Pins from your website, the text that you put on the photo when uploading is what will show up in Pinterest. This area is where text that will get pulled if someone pins to your site so When in doubt about what to write on your Images, think about how you would explain this on Pinterest. However you choose to describe it is your text! Don’t go crazy and make it way too big, perhaps not more than 16 words. For more Image SEO tips check out the free Image SEO email course I have here.
4. Pinterest BABY!
Pinterest is more of a Search Engine then a social media platform. In fact they call themselves a discovery platform and not a social one. What is also interesting is that my pins and boards can show up in Google results. Remember the cute fall outfits search I did? Well the first 4 results were indeed from Pinterest.
There are many parts in Pinterest where you can use text to get found in Google and in Pinterest. The first place you want to add some keywords is your business name and your profile bio. Your business name is different than your username, it allows for more space so use it wisely.
Next comes your bio.
Instead of putting some cute saying about you like: Mom of boys, photographer and dog lover, use this powerful SEO section to add some keywords. Talk about what problem you solve and how does your business or service helps people? Include your location in this section. This is especially important for creatives who want to be found locally for their businesses.
Next, you should be adding keywords on your board names and on your board descriptions. Instead of calling my board, Feuza Reis Studios, I can call it Myrtle Beach Weddings then create a separate board for my engagement work and use my alternative keywords too.
5. Hashtags baby!
Hashtags have one purpose! To help unite folks who are interested in a topic, event, emotion etc. In turn hashtags help people and businesses get found online. Two platforms that make that make hashtags really easy is Instagram and Twitter.
Twitter: When using hashtags on Twitter include some of your main keywords and mix it up with content keywords. You may first have to do research on common hashtags your industry and ideal clients use on Twitter. Participate in industry Twitter chats, save influencers profiles in a specific list so you can see which hashtags they are using or do an advanced research on twitter. ( will place link here)
Instagram: Hashtags are even more powerful because everyday people are using them all the time. It is our job to find them and use them. When it comes to keywords on Instagram, you should be using them in your caption and with your hashtags. The best way to find new hashtags is to use the related posts section in the explore feature. To do this, go back to some of your old posts and click on your hashtag. If it is a popular hashtag, then on the top you will see a section called related posts. This will show you a bunch of new hashtags you may have never thought of before. And the best part is that they are hashtags that your audience is actually using! So for example this post below. If I click on the hashtag #creativebiz I see there are over 25k posts for it and the related posts up on top as results will be: #mycreativebiz #smallbiz #creativehappylife. I then can go to comments section and those extra ones. Remember Instagram allows for up to 30 hashtags.
Bonus tip: Be sure you tag folks, brands, clients on your IG posts and also utilize the geotagging in location based posts such as events, check ins, places etc. PLUS have you started using Instagram Stories? It is actually great for Instagram reach, check out my last blog post where I discuss how awesome IG stories is for your business.
Overall keywords are not just limited to on page text or in filling out the Yoast SEO plugin, but can be used in many places and in many forms. If you are clueless about which keywords you should be using for your business or are unsure how to add more keywords to your DIY SEO arsenal, join my free Keyword Strategy Mini course today!