Keyword research is a vital, fundamental part of your online dating businesses SEO strategy. Combined with competitor analysis, it’s a way of making sure you set relevant, appropriate SEO goals for your white label dating site, in both the short and long term. Knowing how to get started with keyword research can help set up your SEO strategy up for success.
What Is Keyword Research?
Keyword research is the practice of discovering keywords that your target dating audience is likely to use to find your website in a search engine. Sources for keyword investigation include:
1. Your own website analytics: Review the keywords that your analytics platform shows are bringing users to your site.
2. Competitors’ websites: Review competitors’ Meta title tags, h1s (header tags), URLs, top level navigation, and body copy for the keyword phrases they are using.
3. Keyword tools like Google AdWords Keyword Planner: Use these after you’ve looked at your website analytics and competitors’ sites. Input the seed keywords you have collected and let the tool fetch similar terms as well as the associated search volume
When you’ve determined the keywords that will be most effective in your SEO strategy, use a tool such as Rank Checker (a free browser extension) to find out where your site currently ranks for those terms. Baseline ranking research also lets you know which specific pages you rank on for each term. This will be something to monitor on a regular basis for change as you optimize your site.
The Anatomy of Keywords and Keyword Phrases
Keyword phrases come in all shapes and sizes. Because search engines simply have a free-form text box for searches, there are as many keywords as there are unique searchers. Some keywords, however, share similar structures. You may have heard the phrase “head keyword” or “long-tail keyword” but perhaps don’t understand their meanings.
The “primary” or “head keyword” is initially at the start of a user’s search where they haven’t narrowed down what they’re looking for to fit their current need. Therefore, it is not as likely to lead to a conversion as a more descriptive keyword.
A “long-tail keyword” is more descriptive in nature, with a narrower focus. (Example: “online dating site for over 50’s in the UK”) The more a user is able to narrow down the results of their search by including more words, the more likely they are to convert when they find the webpage that suits their needs.
Online Dating Keyword Strategy
Every keyword that a) is targeted to your audience and b) has a fairly high search volume is an opportunity to serve your content to those searchers. When you have your keywords, you can start keyword mapping. Map those keywords to the pages on your site, and then begin the process of optimizing the key page elements for that keyword phrase.
If you find that some keywords do not have an appropriate page on your site to map back to, consider this an opportunity to create new and valuable content for your audience. This new content can help drive fresh traffic to your site (traffic that you may have missed without it). When evaluating the likelihood of pushing a competitor off of page 1 with your own page, take a look at those top 10 results.
Review the sites’ domain authority, back links, and the way the keyword phrase is used on their sites. Keep in mind that keywords should be periodically researched and refreshed due to the following factors:
1. Your rankings and your competitors’ rankings are constantly shifting.
2. Phrases that your dating audience uses can also change over time for the same subjects.
3. You may add new content to your site.
4. Review your keyword strategy often to keep things on track toward SEO success.
Competitive Analysis of Online Dating Sites
In conjunction with keyword research, it’s important to analyse your competition in the search/SEO online space. Competitors in the search arena might be different than those you’re already familiar with in the business world.
Once you have identified your high-priority keyword phrases, the sites that are ranking on page 1 for that term are, in essence, your main competitors in the search engines. Also consider the different devices – mobile, tablets etc. as varying competitive landscapes. The sites that rank on page 1 for your terms on desktop searches may not be the same sites when viewed on a mobile SERP (due to the emphasis on mobile usability).