Every SEO practitioner knows keywords are important, but the nebulous nature of search engine algorithms has made it possible for keyword myths to run rampant. From misconceptions about search volume to mix-ups around keyword research, there are plenty of confusing rumors making it difficult to know what’s really going on.

Want to learn the truth about keywords and maximize your rankings? Get ready to bust some myths:

• 1. Keywords Aren’t as Important as Links
• 2. Only Keywords with High Search Volumes Are Worth Targeting
• 3. Long-Tail Keywords Are Easy to Rank For
• 4. Anchor Text Doesn’t Matter
• 5. URLs Don’t Need Keywords
• 6. Meta Description Keywords Don’t Affect Rankings
• 7. Keyword Research Is Optional

1. Keywords Aren’t as Important as Links

Yes, it’s true—the whole reason Google’s algorithm was so groundbreaking upon its mid-1990s release was that it broke from the norm by focusing on links and keywords rather than keywords alone.

As a result, links of all types—whether from social media posts, other websites or internal pages—have become crucial to SEO success. Yet it’s imperative for SEO practitioners to remember that just because keywords aren’t the only ranking factor doesn’t mean they’re not vitally important.

In fact, Google’s own explanation of its search algorithm states that after determining the meaning of the user’s query, the next step is to assess page relevance. In Google’s words:

The most basic signal that information is relevant is when a webpage contains the same keywords as your search query. If those keywords appear on the page, or if they appear in the headings or body of the text, the information is more likely to be relevant.

After analyzing a page’s keywords, Google, of course, uses highly sophisticated machine learning techniques to provide users with the best possible results. Nonetheless, keywords remain one of the most integral parts of the ranking process.

For proof, turn to Semrush’s ranking factors study. There, an analysis of 600,000 search queries found that among the 20 top-ranking pages for any given query, over 75 percent have high-volume keywords in their body content:

In the same vein, more than 60 percent had high-volume keywords in their title and over 45 percent had them in their metadata. Most importantly, the higher-ranking the page, the more on-page keywords they had, including both high- and low-volume keywords alike.

So if you’ve been ignoring keyword optimization in favor of a purely link-based strategy, you’d be wise to give keywords some well-deserved attention.

2. Only Keywords with High Search Volumes Are Worth Targeting

As the Semrush study showed, high-ranking pages tend to include plenty of high-volume keywords. This doesn’t mean that you should target high-volume keywords exclusively, though.

Generally speaking, the highest-volume keywords are the most difficult to rank for—for instance, if you’re only targeting the high-volume keyword beer, you’ll be going up against giants like Wikipedia and Budweiser. But if you also target the lower-volume key phrase craft beer denver, you’ll be competing with comparatively small local breweries and publications:

The lesson isn’t that low-volume keywords are better than their high-volume counterparts or vice versa. Rather, it’s that you should be optimizing for both and find a balance that works for you.

3. Long-Tail Keywords Are Easy to Rank For

It’s true that long-tail keywords (i.e. keywords that are longer, more specific and less common) tend to be easier to rank for than short-tail ones (i.e. those that are brief, broad and relatively common). Nevertheless, it’s crucial to remember that’s not always the case.

For example, Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool showed that while the keyword bread has a U.S. volume of 201,000, the long-tail key phrase banana bread recipe is more than four times as popular with a U.S. search volume of 823,000 as of October 2020.

As such, bread has a difficulty rating of 86 percent (with 100 being the most difficult), while the longer banana bread recipe has an even higher difficulty rating of 90 percent:

In short, it’s essential to do your due diligence and conduct some keyword research before assuming that any long-tail keyword will be easier to rank for than a shorter one.

4. Anchor Text Doesn’t Matter

The original Stanford University paper outlining the principles of Google’s algorithm states that “Google makes use of both link structure and anchor text.” It’s able to do so because “the text of links is treated in a special way in [their] search engine. Most search engines associate the text of a link with the page that the link is on,” but they “associate it with the page the link points to.”

In simpler terms, anchor text is a fundamental part of Google’s core algorithm and directly impacts the ranking of the page it links to.

And yet, doubts surrounding the strength of anchor text as a ranking factor have ebbed and flowed for years—in 2012, Moz co-founder and SEO expert Rand Fishkin theorized that anchor text was weakening and would someday be replaced entirely. That didn’t happen, and Google Webmaster Trends Analyst John Mueller confirmed as much in a 2017 tweet:

Yes, but anchor text (and image alt text) helps us quite a bit in understanding context, so I wouldn’t leave it out if you can avoid it.

— John (@JohnMu) May 15, 2017

If you’re still not convinced, consider Google’s own recommendation from its developer documentation style guide:

When you’re writing link text, use a phrase that describes what the reader will see after following the link.

So when you’re creating anchor text for internal links, always be descriptive (no click here links allowed!) and use the primary keyword of the page you’re linking to whenever possible.

5. URLs Don’t Need Keywords

After spending a sizable chunk of your time figuring out how to incorporate the right keywords within a site’s content, it’s easy to view URL keyword optimization as insignificant. But if you do, you’ll be missing a quick and easy opportunity to improve rankings.

To take advantage of that opportunity, include one or two keywords in each page’s URL whenever possible. Only add them where it sounds natural, though. For example, the URL https://www.example.com/recipes/vanilla-ice-cream sounds natural and makes logical sense, but the URL https://www.example.com/recipes/best-vanilla-ice-cream-dessert-recipe-sweets-desserts-food-gourmet does not.

If you can’t work in keywords without making the URL sound awkward or spammy, just be sure to use words and keep it as short as possible. As Google explains in its SEO Starter Guide, “URLs with words that are relevant to your site’s content and structure are friendlier for visitors navigating your site.” As such, try to steer clear of:

• overlong URLs with extraneous parameters and session IDs; and
• generic page names such as blog1, blog2 and so on.

6. Meta Description Keywords Don’t Affect Rankings

It’s true that Google won’t rank a page based on the content of its meta description.

Nonetheless, a great meta description can indirectly boost rankings by giving users an accurate and detailed idea of the page’s content, and including a keyword or two can help accomplish that.

If Google uses the meta description you write, it will show up as a snippet under the page’s title in search results:

A study by Ahrefs found that Google does indeed use manually created meta descriptions to form search results snippets almost 40 percent of the time, so there’s a fair chance your meta description will affect whether users click on the page you’re optimizing or move on to the next.

To ensure users get a clear idea of a page’s content, always create a detailed meta description and include the primary keyword when possible.

7. Keyword Research Is Optional

It seems logical that the topic of any page will naturally form its most important keywords. If you’re optimizing a page about holiday decor, the primary key phrase should be holiday decor, right?

Not necessarily—people don’t always search for a single topic, and will often modify simple search terms to find exactly what they’re looking for. That’s where keyword research comes in: With a comprehensive keyword research tool, you can find out what search engine users are really searching for, and the results may surprise you.

In the case of your hypothetical page about holiday decor, a quick search for holiday decor on Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tools reveals that the phrase holiday & seasonal decor has a higher search volume, while the phrase christmas & holiday decor has the same volume:

You’ll also be able to get ideas for other lower-volume keywords to target, some of which may have a lower difficulty rating than their higher-volume counterparts.

You don’t need a paid tool to conduct effective keyword research either. Some widely used free options include:

• Google Keyword Planner;
• Wordtracker;
• KeywordTool.io; and
• WordStream’s Free Keyword Tool.

Keyword Myths? Busted. Rankings? Up.

Common keyword myths and assumptions can make it difficult for any SEO practitioner (but especially beginners) to develop a successful keyword strategy.

But once you know the truth about keywords and how search engines use them, you can start targeting the right keywords, making more informed decisions, and achieving higher rankings.

Image credits
Semrush / November 2017
Screenshots by author / October 2020

We’ve all heard myths about “hacks” or “surefire secrets” that promise to spin keyword straw into search engine gold. But keywords are a science as well as an art, and how you use, place and target your keywords can have a profound effect on the way your content ranks and performs.

It’s time to move beyond the dusty myths of yore and focus on the truth of effective SEO keyword strategies.

Using Keywords Poorly Can Hurt Your Content

If you’re still choosing and using keywords according to any of the keyword myths that have somehow become prevalent over the years, you’re doing yourself—and your clients—a disservice.

Leave the mythology to the Greeks and Romans, and stick with tried and true tactics.

Myth 1. Keyword Research Is a Waste of Time

This could not be farther from the truth. Heading into uncharted territory without a map only leads to one destination: disaster.

Truth 1: Keyword Research is Essential to SEO

You wouldn’t build a house without pouring a solid cement foundation, would you? Just like that house, keyword research is a solid foundation for any SEO campaign. It tells you what words, phrases and topics your audience is searching for.

How can you expect to build a successful campaign without those key bits of knowledge? You can’t.

Myth 2: Keyword Targeting Is Unnecessary

All you have to do is write good content, and traffic will come. Right? Not so fast.

Truth 2: Without Targeting, You’re Throwing Darts Blindfolded

You’re publishing content on your site to attract traffic. To effectively attract that traffic, you must target within that content the keywords people are searching for.

More importantly, the keywords you target—and the content you publish—must speak to searcher intent to get the type of traffic you want.

Google is never going to send you traffic for random, aimless content—EVER.

Myth 3: You Should Only Target High-Volume Keywords

It’s only logical that you’d target keywords with high search volume. The more people searching for a keyword, the more potential traffic you can bring to your site. But in reality, high volume keyword targeting can be a mistake—if those are the only keywords you choose.

Truth 3: Go For Relevance, Intent, Viability and Variety

Trends come and go, interests change, and the internet is fickle. It’s entirely possible that a keyword with high volume today won’t be as relevant six months from now. If that happens, you’ll have to go back into all that content you created and adjust it for current keywords. Not impossible, but a potentially time-consuming task depending on how much content you have.

The other problem with high volume keywords is that they can be tremendously competitive, depending on the vertical. Every single one of your competitors are probably also going after those keywords. By targeting the same thing everyone else is, you’re joining a lot of noise instead of rising above it.

Instead, target relevant keywords with enough search volume to be viable, but also have user intent behind them, and have low enough competition that you won’t be placed out of the running immediately.

Then, as you gain traction for these keywords, you can go for all the higher competition keywords you want because you’ll have built up enough authority to be competitive for them.

Also, don’t forget other options like related semantic keywords, keyword phrases, location-based keywords, and keywords related to your subtopics. All of these can be good additional foundations for your keyword strategy.

Keep your targeted keywords rich and varied, and you’ll remain successful even if search volume changes.

Myth 4: URLs Need to Contain Keywords

This is not true. Sort of.

Truth 4: They’re Optional

On the one hand, why not include keywords in URLs? It can’t hurt, right? If a user sees the keyword they searched for in the URL, it’s an indication they’re in the right place and will find the information they’re looking for.

But do they help with ranking? Well…

In 2016, during a Google Webmaster Central office hours hangout, someone asked whether keywords in URLs are a ranking factor. John Mueller, Webmaster Trends Analyst at Google, gave this reply:

“I believe that’s a very small ranking factor, so it’s not something I’d really try to force, and it’s not something where I’d say it’s even worth your effort to restructure a site just so you can include keywords in the URL.”

Then, in 2018, Mueller said:

“I wouldn’t worry about keywords or words in a URL. In many cases, URLs aren’t seen by users anyway.”

Add them, don’t add them, it’s up to you. Just don’t expect a huge ranking boost if you do.

Myth 5: For Good SEO, Keywords Need to Be Exact-Match

Say you’re doing keyword research for your pet care blog, and you find a valuable key phrase: “housebreak puppies.” The myth says that every single instance of that key phrase on your site must match that exactly.

Truth 5: Variations Count

Of course, if you hope to rank for that keyword phrase, you do want to use the exact-match version in at least a couple of places. But the keywords you use on the page and throughout the site can be related, and include comprehensive topical content related to the primary keyword.

For example:

• housebreaking puppies
• housebreak your puppy
• housebroken puppies
• puppy is housebroken

You’ll notice the different verb forms, and the use of both singular and plural nouns. Sometimes, using the the singular and plural can help you rank for both versions of that keyword.

Myth 6: Exact-Match Keywords Are Bad

Wait, wasn’t that last myth to use nothing but exact-match keywords? Yes, it was. You’ll also see advice that says using exact-match keywords is bad. It likely stems from Google’s stance on exact-match anchor text in too many inbound links being an instance of overoptimization, which was addressed by the Penguin update.

Truth 6: Everything in Moderation

Exact-match keywords are fine in your content, and even in the anchor text of some of your internal links. The important word there being some.

What you don’t want to do is cross over the threshold to spammy exact-match keyword use, either in content or internal link anchor text. That’s where you’ll get into trouble.

But sprinkling your document with exact-match keywords, local keywords, and other related keywords is a healthy approach to on-page optimization.

Myth 7: Use Exact-Match Keywords on Multiple Pages

If one page targeting an exact-match keyword is good, then lots of pages targeting that exact-match keyword must be even better!

Truth 7: Use Sub-Topic Keywords on Multiple Pages

You actually can have too much of a good thing. Targeting the same exact-match keyword on multiple pages is keyword cannibalization. You’re pitting those pages against each other, creating competition within your own site. It’s also setting yourself up for failure.

Instead, target your exact-match keyword on one page, and then, if your vertical and site structure call for it, subtopic keywords on other pages.

Using our pet care blog example again, the exact-match keyword might be “dog food.” You’ll target that on one page, then create subtopic pages for things like “canned dog food,” “dry dog food,” “senior dog food,” “puppy food,” “dog treats,” etc.

Myth 8: Stuff as Many Keywords as You Can into Your Blog for Anyone Who Searches for Your Keywords and Wants to Buy Your Keyword-Stuffed Keyword Products and Keyword Services

Ok, you’ve just crossed over into the forbidden domain of overoptimization.

Just kidding. It’s not forbidden. But it’s not good, either.

Truth 8: When in Doubt, Be Natural

You can get into some trouble if you over-optimize and keyword stuff your content. You may rank well for a little while, but it won’t last long, and you’ll have a harder time trying to climb back up the SERPs than if you’d just optimized your content correctly in the first place.

The natural use of keywords strategically sprinkled throughout your content is what’s important.

Myth 9: You Must Focus on Keyword Density to Rank Well

In the olden days of SEO, keyword density was a hot topic. Those days are long past.

Truth 9: Focus on Relevance, Intent and Contextual Placement

These three factors are far more important than some arbitrary keyword density formula.

The Keyword Truth Will Set Your Content Free

Taking risks with keywords can be a serious myth-take. Leave the fables to Aesop and focus your efforts on strategic keyword use, placement and targeting for content that’s helpful, engaging and ready to rank.