Moz Q&A is closed.
After more than 13 years, and tens of thousands of questions, Moz Q&A closed on 12th December 2024. Whilst we’re not completely removing the content - many posts will still be possible to view - we have locked both new posts and new replies. More details here.
Adding qualifiers to keywords?
-
I know that it's worth adding qualifiers to high value keywords to create long-tail variations which will later have the potential to rank well for the main keyword as well...
My questions is, how important is it that the newly-formed keyword/phrase also be evaluated for search volume?
E.g. "tips for job interviews" has a high search volume, but scores 72 in the Keyword Difficulty tool - quite high. I would therefore be tempted to create a "10 tips for job interviews" articles or something similar, yet THIS particular phrase is searched for <10 times per month...
If there are not any easy-to-find qualifiers that also create a well-searched for keyword/phrase, is it still worth adding them?
-
OK, to answer the primary question of "My questions is, how important is it that the newly-formed keyword/phrase also be evaluated for search volume?"
It's important to check on that keyword phrase, but in the case you presented, it's not going to be a huge factor in your decision process. Had the modifier shown 1000 searches per month, than it would naturally be more worthwhile.
It's very difficult to estimate long-trail traffic based on keyword data from Google's Keyword Tool. There are plenty of keywords that are listed as zero or negligible traffic, that send me plenty of visits.
You'll have to make the call for yourself as to where to draw the line in terms of what keywords to focus on for page-level, and what keywords to focus on solely within the content level.
In other words, some keywords will be valuable enough to dedicate a page to, meaning targeting that phrase in your title, h1, and in your content and images. Other keywords are just long-tail phrases that should be within the content but not have an entire dedicated page.
In the particular case that you presented, I believe that creating an article titled "10 tips for job interviews" would be an excellent way to rank for "tips for job interviews". Google is advanced enough to know that a piece of content titled "10 tips for job interviews" is equally valuable to a piece of content titled "tips for job interviews."
In my opinion, what you should really worry about is how you're going to get enough links to that piece of content for it to ever rank, not whether or not the person is searching with small modifiers like 10 tips, etc. I'd probably try and get 10 experts to each weigh in with one tip - this will be a much more valuable piece of content than something you write yourself. Otherwise it will just blend in with the crowd.
-
Thanks for this, although it didn't fully answer my question, which was essentially: Is it worth doing? If no one is searching for these full key phrases, then why bother altering the main keyword?
-
Thanks for this, although it didn't fully answer my question, which was essentially: Is it worth doing? If no one is searching for these full key phrases, then why bother altering the main keyword?
-
You can also think of using different professions as qualifiers such tips of IT interviews, SEO interviews, graduate interviews. It is also worth think about market trends. In the UK degree courses tend to end in May or June with an up swing in graduates looking for work at this time. You could make sure well in advance that you have content to match this niche that is ranking well. Work on at least a three month time lag. Also look at the job board career sections and see what they are doing and if there is anything you can do better.
Also use social media and social bookmarking once you have the content up to spread the word.
Hope this helps.
Good luck.
-
Title like "10 Tips For Job Interviews" are excellent for getting people interested and clicking on your SERP.
But, nobody really searches for them. They just expect "top 10 tips for job interviews" to be one of the results for "tips for job interviews."
If you're going to head this route, try "top tips for job interviews" without a specific number.
Also try non-numerical qualifiers like "good tips for job interviews", etc. The keyword tool is your friend here for brainstorming purposes.
Qualifiers that don't register much Google Adwords Keyword Tool are also good to use in content instead of creating their own page.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Domain keyword ranking
I used to use Searchmetrics (years ago) which enabled me to add in the domain name into their website, and it would provide all the keywords that rank for it. Does Moz do that do you know? Thanks
Keyword Research | | patn_studio0 -
Inconsistent Keyword Search Volume & Difficulty Across Tools (e.g., Moz, Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, Semrush)
Hi there, Moz Community! I'm reaching out for some guidance on keyword research discrepancies. I'm currently targeting the keyword "sui gas bill" for my blog, sngplbill, which focuses on information related to Sui gas bills. I've used several keyword research tools, including Moz, Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, and Semrush, and each platform provides different search volume and keyword difficulty scores: Moz: No search volume data, Keyword Difficulty (KD) 24
Keyword Research | | Faizali.786
Google Keyword Planner: Search volume 100k-1M, Difficulty (Low)
Semrush: Search volume 90k, KD 31
Ahrefs: KD 1 (Very Easy)
These varying results are causing some confusion. Ideally, I'd like to understand which platform offers the most reliable data for search volume and keyword difficulty. Here are some additional details that might be helpful: My target location: Pakistan My Questions: What factors might contribute to these discrepancies in keyword data across different tools?
Considering my niche (Sui gas bill information in Pakistan), which platform would you recommend for the most accurate search volume and keyword difficulty estimates?
Are there any additional factors to consider beyond search volume and keyword difficulty when selecting keywords for content strategy?
Any insights you can provide would be greatly appreciated!
Capture sui gas bill semrush.PNG Capture moz sui gas bill.PNG Capture gkp sui gas bill.PNG Capture ahref sui gas bill.PNG
Thanks,0 -
Ranking for keywords in multiple zip codes
Hello, We are trying to rank for keywords locally. We are on the edge of four zip codes in our area and are competing with businesses in those zip codes. Should we track each keyword separately for each zip code, or just one zip code we're in?
Keyword Research | | ifixcars0 -
Finding less competitive keywords
Hello, How Moz can help me in finding less competitive keywords for a site based on omega masticating juicer. I had tried other tools but i am not satisfied with it. Kindly tell me the process to find it. Thanks.
Keyword Research | | romanjames0 -
The same keyword on multiple pages, but not all (combined with other relevant keywords) for products.
Hi Guys, I want to get an opinion/advice on this. My client has a site that have all their products (I am working on expanding the product descriptions, benefits and how they differ from each other) listed and I just want to know if I can use the term 'gear oil' for example on multiple pages as one of the keywords. The product range (among others like transmission fluid and anti-freeze) is gear oil (with the different types of gear oils available described) and I can't really change what the product is. I do have different variations (such as gear lubricant, automotive gear lubricant, car gear oil etc.) but will it do damage if I use the same keyword (like gear oil) on multiple pages (along with another relevant keyword that does not involve the words gear oil)? Any help on this will be greatly appreciated!
Keyword Research | | annabel.schoeman0 -
Keyword research tools
So I went to a panel a while back that said Wordtracker is basically useless. I'm not using it as an end-all, be-all, but more for insights and context. Do you agree with that statement? The hosting company provides a keyword research tool, so I wasn't sure how seriously to take it. Have you guys been using Bing for the search data previously provided by Google's Keyword Research Tool? Do you find that to be a viable resource? Thanks.
Keyword Research | | SSFCU0 -
Accuracy of search volume for keyword planner v old keyword tool?
Hi there, I'm (logged into Google Adwords) and researching search volume for keywords but I'm seeing weird results. I know that the term "outage notification" had between 1000 and 5000 monthly global searches when I last looked (I know this because I add a search volume tag to the keywords I track ranking of via Moz). Yet, now when I check global search volume via keyword planner I'm seeing only 70 global searches per month (AND low competition which I know is not true). Is this perhaps because only the exact match is reported or is something else going on? Very frustrated as I have now lost faith in the keyword research process via Google keyword planner....not sure where to go from here!! Thanks very much
Keyword Research | | SnapComms1 -
Best tool to check keyword ranks in bulk
What is the most accurate tool to check the current ranking of keywords in bulk and download the report via CSV/Excel? Any input would be appreciated.
Keyword Research | | inhouseseo0