Using keywords to promote your brand

Keywords aren’t just important to a successful website, they are vital to a successful brand.

It’s important to understand the critical role keywords play.

First, a step back. Keywords is one of those terms, we all throw around, but when asked to explain, it can get a little muddled. So …

What are keywords?

They are ideas and topics that define what your content is about. In terms of SEO, they're the words and phrases that searchers enter into search engines, also called "search queries," according to moz.com, the SEO consulting company. “Keywords are important because they are the linchpin between what people are searching for and the content you are providing to fill that need.”

What’s the intersection of keywords and personal branding? They are really a great form of advertising. They tell potential customers, “This is who I am and this is what I represent.”

Seth Price, VP of Industry Relations @Placester discussed three ways keywords and personal brands wrote on HuffPost:

Google and web search engines: You want to associate your brand with keywords that reflect your area of expertise when people search for experts in the niche.

Social Media: (1) The keywords you use in your social profiles enable members of the network to find you via the service’s search. (2) They allow the network’s search algorithm to find and suggest your profile to fellow members. (3) Potential followers will be scanning your profile looking for practical reasons to follow you or reach out, and keywords will easily catch their eye.

In your own mind: You need to define your brand with just a few words—even to the point where you have your own tagline or slogan. (For Leap clients: LaunchPad.)

It’s not just about customers finding you. It’s about you grabbing the attention of potential employers: “The key to being found by recruiters on LinkedIn is to use the terms recruiters use to find the people they want,” writes Susan P. Joyce.

Specifically, when writing your Professional Headline, “Ignore the term “headline," and think instead of this space as the search terms someone would use to find you if they didn't know your name, staying focused on the keywords that describe your next job.”

Specificity and uniqueness count: Developing and implementing a personal brand is focusing on what you as an individual have to offer. So it’s vital that your keywords accent you and don’t lump you in with everyone else.

“You don’t want to use the terms with the most demand – as these are extremely competitive and tough to rank for. Try to get a little more specific with what you offer, but not too specific that the terms are barely getting any traffic,” according to EContent.

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