Do your keywords have to be on the page?

[ThisSwordfish]

I was looking at some popular affiliate sites and found the keywords they’re using that ranked them on the first page but, I notice these keywords are not on the page that is shown on google?

So my question is do you have to have your keyword that you’re trying to rank on the page? For example, if I want to rank my homepage with the keyword “best basketballs to buy” do I need to have “best basketballs to buy” on my homepage?

If yes, then how are some popular sites ranking high without placing those keywords?

Sorry if this is a newbie question, I am still learning. I tried searching for this but didn’t see anything.

 

[Nargil]

I am pretty sure that those sites do have those keywords in there. Maybe spread all over the article or they are using synonyms, but they are there surely.

 

[dvaedc3]

hi mate, i have encountered websites like that before, the thing that i notice is that they use related keyword rather than the exact keyword that they are planning to rank on. Google has been very good at determining which keyword a specific page will rank (i believe its called Google Rank Brain).

hope this helps.

cheers

 

[Jay Yadav]

Site Is Related On That Category!

 

[ThisSwordfish]

I am pretty sure that those sites do have those keywords in there. Maybe spread all over the article or they are using synonyms, but they are there surely.

So using something similar will still rank your site up with the keywords you chose? I always thought it's locked in for those keywords you use.

So for my example, if I want to rank my site with "best basketball to buy" and I put on my site something like "Top 10 basketballs to purchase" my site may still show? May not be the same rank as "best basketball to buy" but it'll still be higher up?

 

[ThisSwordfish]

hi mate, i have encountered websites like that before, the thing that i notice is that they use related keyword rather than the exact keyword that they are planning to rank on. Google has been very good at determining which keyword a specific page will rank (i believe its called Google Rank Brain).

hope this helps.

cheers

Thanks!! That's what I was thinking but I wasn't sure if the related keywords were helping or not

 

[Nargil]

So using something similar will still rank your site up with the keywords you chose? I always thought it's locked in for those keywords you use.

So for my example, if I want to rank my site with "best basketball to buy" and I put on my site something like "Top 10 basketballs to purchase" my site may still show? May not be the same rank as "best basketball to buy" but it'll still be higher up?

That is correct. Keep in mind however, that your site would need to be very authoritative and the competition very small in order to achieve that.

 

[ThisSwordfish]

That is correct. Keep in mind however, that your site would need to be very authoritative and the competition very small in order to achieve that.

Ahh I see! Thank you!

 

[dvaedc3]

Thanks!! That's what I was thinking but I wasn't sure if the related keywords were helping or not

hi mate, yes they are helping. also when you do a search on Google, it will high light in bold the words that are related to your keyword search so you should also include this on your website's content.

cheers

 

[muntakhib]

When you successfully build your domain authority, you can rank for many low competition remotely relevant keywords and phrases.

 

[Holzr]

It's all about authority as others have mentioned. You can rank for a lot without targeting it when you are authoritative. This is why there are good opportunities to spot from these sites and target those keywords as those keywords are not being optimised by them at all there is opportunity to rank for them with good on/off page SEO.

I've seen many examples of keywords ranking without any mention. Google is getting good at relevance.

 

[contentcreators]

Don't be afraid to think outside the box when it comes to keyword synonyms. There are so many ways to say the same thing. Get creative!

 

[ThisSwordfish]

It's all about authority as others have mentioned. You can rank for a lot without targeting it when you are authoritative. This is why there are good opportunities to spot from these sites and target those keywords as those keywords are not being optimised by them at all there is opportunity to rank for them with good on/off page SEO.

I've seen many examples of keywords ranking without any mention. Google is getting good at relevance.

So I am still learning about this SEO stuff and have read about Domain Authority but don’t really understand it. It’s how much credible your site is I think?

I haven’t searched to much into this, but what’s a basic definition of domain authority and how can I build that up? Is it through making backlinks still? I just purchased some links from the marketplace since there’s a sale but the seller told me these will help me build authority

 

[ThisSwordfish]

Don't be afraid to think outside the box when it comes to keyword synonyms. There are so many ways to say the same thing. Get creative!

Thank you! Yes I have been thinking like this for awhile until recently where I thought my keywords must be word for word on my site. I know my site is new and it’s probably recommended to do so but I just bought some links so I’m a change it up if I get no results after a few months *knock on wood lol

 

[Holzr]

So I am still learning about this SEO stuff and have read about Domain Authority but don’t really understand it. It’s how much credible your site is I think?

I haven’t searched to much into this, but what’s a basic definition of domain authority and how can I build that up? Is it through making backlinks still? I just purchased some links from the marketplace since there’s a sale but the seller told me these will help me build authority

Ignore DA/PA etc. they are all useless metrics that can be gamed.

If you want to build authority in Google's eyes then you need to be building high quality and niche relevant links with consistency. Getting 100 links one week then nothing for 2 months is not natural. Think natural all the time. Editorial links are are great way of increasing authority (link links from huff posts, forbes etc.) but are expensive.

 

[Nargil]

So I am still learning about this SEO stuff and have read about Domain Authority but don’t really understand it. It’s how much credible your site is I think?

I haven’t searched to much into this, but what’s a basic definition of domain authority and how can I build that up? Is it through making backlinks still? I just purchased some links from the marketplace since there’s a sale but the seller told me these will help me build authority

Don't mistake domain authority for DA moz metric. Domain authority means its size, age, traffic, massive backlink profile etc. You will not reach authoritative status with new domain anytime soon without significant investment.

 

[SoccerLover]

 

[ThisSwordfish]

Don't mistake domain authority for DA moz metric. Domain authority means its size, age, traffic, massive backlink profile etc. You will not reach authoritative status with new domain anytime soon without significant investment.

Oh! Thank you for bringing this up! I was literally just googling to rank DA moz metric lol

So right now I’m working on getting backlinks. I actually just purchased my first link building package from marketplace. I’m assuming my domain authority will just build up over time if my website is successful (bringing in traffic, long impressions, etc.)?

 

[ThisSwordfish]

Ignore DA/PA etc. they are all useless metrics that can be gamed.

If you want to build authority in Google's eyes then you need to be building high quality and niche relevant links with consistency. Getting 100 links one week then nothing for 2 months is not natural. Think natural all the time. Editorial links are are great way of increasing authority (link links from huff posts, forbes etc.) but are expensive.

I see. So would it be wise, I just purchased my backlinks from marketplace, after the results, wait a few weeks then buy more to make it look natural?

 

[Holzr]

I see. So would it be wise, I just purchased my backlinks from marketplace, after the results, wait a few weeks then buy more to make it look natural?

Consistency and volicity is what counts (as well as quality). You want to look natural in Google's eyes so don't go building 1000 links just like that. Focus on building say 5 high quality links a month to start and grow that by a few each month. 5 links from niche relevent and high authority sites will beat a few hundred spammy links any day. @lightningblitz has a great article about link building here. Read the whole article as there is an update for 2018.

Edit: some of the higher quality SEO packages here on BHW are good for creating foundation links. After that move onto guest posts and editorials etc. They may set you back a few hundred dollars but they are worth it. Even if you get 1-2 links a month.