The Google algorithm is learning to read. What was a simple-minded toddler 10 years ago is now an adolescent, piecing together the complex fragments of grammar and vocabulary that constitute a language. It can now identify synonyms, prepositions, adverbs and more, enabling the algorithm to determine the value and readability of written content with greater precision. Optimising for Google-friendliness is no longer like helping an 8-year-old with their homework – it requires a bit of consideration. Keyword clustering is the first area to address. It involves optimising individual webpages (usually landing pages) for a cluster of carefully-chosen keywords to demonstrate to Google that you are an authority in your given area. It can be a time-consuming exercise, but it will cause the algorithm to look favourably upon you, which as we all know brings a sack of rewards more valuable than anything Santa can offer.
Keyword clusters centre around the main keyword. This will have a higher search volume, CPC (cost-per-click) and organic difficulty (to rank). Use keyword tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, Ahrefs Keyword Explorer and KWFinder to find one – it generally shouldn’t be longer than 3 words.
Now, start looking for related terms. Keyword clusters are formed according to user intent – look for long-tail keywords that expand upon your main keyword, different ways of phrasing that keyword and other minor variations. Put yourself in the shoes of a searcher, and brainstorm for different ways in which they might phrase their query. Synonyms like ‘tool’, ‘software’ and ‘program’ can be clustered together, for example. Words like ‘best’ and ‘how to’ are also common keyword variations. Use these kinds of qualifiers to diversify your cluster.
Now, start looking for related terms. Keyword clusters are formed according to user intent – look for long-tail keywords that expand upon your main keyword, different ways of phrasing that keyword and other minor variations. Put yourself in the shoes of a searcher, and brainstorm for different ways in which they might phrase their query. Synonyms like ‘tool’, ‘software’ and ‘program’ can be clustered together, for example. Words like ‘best’ and ‘how to’ are also common keyword variations. Use these kinds of qualifiers to diversify your cluster.
Keyword services like those listed above are essential, but won’t necessarily hand you everything on a plate – do some of your own thinking to generate terms the software didn’t come up with. Some recommend creating clusters of 30 or more, while others recommend sticking to around 10. There are a huge number of keywords, and not all will be listed by the site you use.
Gathering up all the data into a spreadsheet will assist in the structuring of your keywords. List the keywords in the first column, followed by metrics of monthly search volume, organic difficulty, user intent and CPC. Keep adding keywords to the document until you have 2 or more clusters with 10-30 keywords contained within.
At this point, you stand in relatively good stead to optimise a landing page for those keywords in your first cluster. However, pressing on and forming new clusters to optimise a separate landing page will thrust you into a higher domain of Google-friendliness. The goal is to come up with a new primary keyword that is similar but somewhat semantically different from the first. It could be ‘event planning’ and ‘event management’, ‘pet healthcare’ and ‘pet accident treatment’, or ‘homemade deodorant’ and ‘natural deodorant’. Whatever the case, ensure that the secondary keywords you form around the primary term are closely-related, subtle variations and that each main keyword approaches your topic from a different angle. In this way, you make it easy for Google to distinguish between your clusters and recognize the relevance of each.
Now for the creative part. It’s time to create content informed by your clusters. You may prefer to optimise pre-existing pages with your new keywords, little work is needed – often the changes you make will be minor, adding a few words to a phrase to form a long-tail keyword or inserting a keyword synonym rather than repeating one you’ve already used.
It can be challenging to differentiate one SEO strategy from the next. Beyond differences in the keywords each business uses, the principles can seem similar, if not identical. Ross Pike, Director of Operations at Quadrant2Design stated, ‘While there is a huge amount of content written about SEO, much of it focuses on the same strategies, with little to no variation. Those businesses, however, that stand apart from the competition and go above and beyond in giving the customer what they want are the ones that Google truly privilege despite being promoted for years, keyword clustering now, is still widely accepted and upheld practice. Creating your own individual clusters enables you to step outside the mold of your competitors, letting Google know you’re an authority in your industry.