It happens more times than you think.
Any site optimization begins with collecting a semantic core. We communicate with the client, prepare a fascinating list of search queries that will help a potential buyer find our customer’s website on the Internet. Of course, every professional SEO specialist adopts this list of key queries directly with the client (after all, only he is as involved as possible in the subject of his website, services, goods).
Then we have a long (or not really) process of website promotion on search engines. Copywriters produce the written content furiously. Technical audit specialists provide a comprehensive assessment of website quality and processes to maintain or improve quality levels. Link builders try to get other websites to link to pages on our own site. You’re putting a lot of time and effort into preparation and publication of content.
Well, sounds like you are a hit. Your site is where it belongs, beating all the competitors. You should be pleased, being at the top. The client is excited for increasing orders placed. But why don’t your organic traffic grow? Or do visitors immediately leave our site without performing any valuable actions?
And why does it turn out this way?
Keywords are words or phrases that users type into search engines to find relevant content for their queries. Optimizing your website for keywords that irrelevant means: the site is trying to get traffic from search queries that are not related to its content or services.
Sufficient to say that you have several options for choosing the «wrong» keywords:
- The most trivial option is to choose queries that are completely unsuitable for the subject of your site. For example, if a website that sells mobile phones is optimized for sportswear keywords, it doesn’t make any sense. Users will click a link, see that they are in the wrong place, and immediately turn around.
- The alternative is more complicated. Here you choose queries that don’t fit the subject of your site, but you don’t know about it. Perhaps, you sell trouser belts and add «transmission belt» to a list of keywords. Although if you had tried to study this request carefully, you would have realized that this belt is used not by people, but by cars.
Of course, such optimization contributes nothing of worth (and money). Moreover, it can negatively affect the reputation of the site. Когда пользователи ищут что-то в интернете, When users search for information on the Internet, they expect to find relevant content on pages that appear in search results. If our website is optimized for irrelevant keywords, users may get upset and not return to the site in the future. And search engines (in response) can «punish» a website that will lead to a rating downgrade.
How to solve
Pay maximum attention to the keyword research and focus on optimizing for relevant search queries.
Find out from your customers what queries they enter on Google to find your products or services. Use keyword research tools, for example, the Keyword Planner by Google.