Keyword research, what is it good for? Ask a disillusioned blogger and the answer will likely be “absolutely nothing.” Some bloggers feel that keyword research kills their creativity. And I can understand their point. If all you do is spend time agonizing over search volume, SEO plugins, title tags, and headings — that can be a buzz kill.
But keyword research is still important, as long as you don’t stress over it! Don’t spend hours searching through the Adwords Keyword Planner for the perfect phrase. Each article you write should only focus on one or two keyword phrases anyway. If you just relax and write about a topic that appeals to your customers and prospects, the “keywords” will happen naturally.
It still surprises me to come across so many small business websites that fail to have an effective search engine optimization strategy. I recently began a new SEO project for an old client. They had their website updated to make it mobile responsive, but the title and description tags for each web page were not optimized for search. I wrote keyword-rich tags and content for their old website. Now, I’m going to update the tags for the new site.
Think blogging is a waste of time for your small business?
One common SEO mistake small business owners and solopreneurs fall victim to is building poor quality backlinks. Often times, these business people maintain their own websites, yet they don’t fully understand what backlinks are.