When it comes to digital marketing, having a clear plan is essential. After all, you can’t reach your objectives until you have a clear plan for how you want to get there.
Keyword mapping is one type of planning that makes it easy to find certain keywords within your niche and establish where they should appear on your website.
The procedure is quite straightforward; however, it requires some work and keyword research.
However, the result is a coherent website that makes it simpler to rank high in the SERPs and provide your target audience with the useful and interesting content they want.
You may even argue that it is the genuine foundation of true search engine optimization (SEO).
Are you interested in learning more about keyword mapping and how to perform it?
Let’s get this party started!
What is Keyword Mapping?
Keyword mapping is the process of studying and planning the keywords and long-tail phrases that will appear on a website.
It is an important component of the content production process since it helps determine the ideal areas to put semantic keywords together in the most logical way possible.
Furthermore, keyword mapping is a fantastic technique to recall which phrases are utilized in certain sections of your website and assists your copywriting staff in more efficiently formulating subjects.
You might argue that your keyword strategy is a treasure map for obtaining those coveted first-page SERP rankings.
Typically, keyword maps comprise one major keyword for the page’s core topic and numerous subsidiary keywords for support.
Most publications also address page elements, including the page title, meta description, and a summary of what the page should cover.
While there is no fixed structure for creating a keyword map, most digital marketers simply save this information in a spreadsheet and return to it as needed during the content production process.
What are the Benefits of Keyword Mapping?
When it comes to content marketing, you can’t just publish any old blog post or article and expect it to drive loads of organic traffic to your website.
Instead, you must have a plan and organizational structure that are appropriate for your purposes.
Here are a few of the most significant advantages of keyword mapping:
- It eliminates duplicate content
When you have a keyword map, your whole team understands where specific subjects go based on the keywords that coordinate with them.
Similarly, this prevents you from developing content pieces that replicate a certain topic or compete in the SERPs for the same position—a practice known as keyword cannibalization.
Essentially, keyword organizing saves time while providing little genuine advantage.
- It organizes your keywords
As you may have guessed, keyword mapping is critical to the content generation process.
It not only allows you to arrange the many phrases to determine which ones are main and secondary, but it also prevents you from crossing over too many times with other portions of your website.
- It makes communicating content writing expectations easier
Whether you’re employing an outside copywriter or working with your in-house team, a keyword map makes it easier to express content objectives.
For example, understanding the core topic, major keywords, and secondary keywords ahead of time implies that your draft is more focused on the tone and structure you want.
- It assists you in identifying gaps in your content marketing strategy
Have you ever created and published a ton of material on your website just to discover that you’re missing out on a significant topic that you entirely overlooked?
This will not happen if you have a keyword map.
Instead, you’ll see all of your themes nicely categorized and be able to detect locations where there are gaps or voids.
How to do Keyword Mapping?
Once you understand the technique, keyword mapping is straightforward, but it does take some effort to study and apply.
Identify Your Keywords
The first step is to identify the core keyword you want to rank for on each page of your site. This should be the response to a specific question.
This so-called seed keyword can then be used to locate a broader range of keywords.
Using a keyword research tool, determine all the terms and phrases you’ll be mapping to your website using the target keyword.
Don’t forget to look at the keywords that your competitors are using. Prioritize keywords following your entire keyword strategy.
Group Your Keywords
After you’ve created your keyword list, it’s time to start categorizing them.
Begin by categorizing terms depending on their search purpose. You aim to construct a collection of words that all answer the same question.
Choose one of them as your primary keyword and the rest as supplementary keywords.
These buckets will assist you in determining your site’s structure and creating a logical path for users and search engine spiders to follow. Remember variations when grouping your keywords.
For instance, if you’re optimizing a page with the target keyword [rank checker tool], you should include [best rank checker tool].
This is an excellent moment to start thinking about possible page URLs.
Ideally, your URL will contain your primary keyword. While having keywords in the web URL only has a little impact on your search performance, it helps readers comprehend what the website is about.
Map Your Keywords
It’s now time to start creating your keyword map. Begin by creating a logical hierarchy for your website.
Then, make a subfolder with distinct pages. To keep things organized, many individuals find it best to build a spreadsheet with many columns.
Take your page’s principal keyword and utilize it to generate the page title, meta description, header tags, and other components.
In another column, list the secondary and tertiary keywords.
If you’re optimizing an existing site, you should probably include columns for existing titles, H1 tags, and so on, as well as recommended or updated versions next to them.
If you find it useful, you may also provide notes on body text, word count, and graphics.
When you finish this spreadsheet, double-check that each page is distinct from the others.
Optimize Your On-Page Content
You will almost certainly run into some complications when developing your keyword map. This may include:
- Content that is either missing or irrelevant.
- There might be technical difficulties affecting your ranking.
- Possibilities for internal connection.
- Several pages target the same inquiry.
Keep Working On Your Keyword Map
Keyword mapping, like practically everything else in search engine optimization, has no end goal. You should go over your map at least once a year, if not once a month.
You’ll need to refer to this page as your website expands to ensure you’re not duplicating material.
Changes in technology, your sector, or target behaviour may influence the relevance of your keywords, so keep an eye on this.
You may also uncover new or improved words that should be added.
Using Keyword Mapping for SEO
Search engine optimization is a competitive area, no matter what business you work in. That implies you should use every advantage you have to get your page to the top of the SERPs.
Keyword mapping is an excellent technique to maximize your efforts by organizing all of your material.This keeps your pages from cannibalizing each other and keeps your team on the same page.
It takes some effort to create a keyword map, but it will save you a lot of hassle and labor on the backend, not to mention help you achieve higher overall search rankings.