22 Oct 2024

A How To Guide On Secondary Keywords

A How To Guide On Secondary Keywords

A How To Guide On Secondary Keywords

A How To Guide On Secondary Keywords


Secondary keywords are key to boosting your SEO traffic. Learn how to find and use them effectively to increase rankings, improve relevance and organic traffic.

Secondary keywords are key to boosting your SEO traffic. Learn how to find and use them effectively to increase rankings, improve relevance and organic traffic.

Secondary keywords are key to boosting your SEO traffic. Learn how to find and use them effectively to increase rankings, improve relevance and organic traffic.

Secondary keywords are key to boosting your SEO traffic. Learn how to find and use them effectively to increase rankings, improve relevance and organic traffic.

Finley Cope

Finley Cope

Finley Cope

Finley Cope

In SEO the spotlight is always on primary keywords – those high volume search terms that match your website’s core focus. But secondary keywords are just as important in supporting your overall SEO strategy. When used well secondary keywords can increase your organic visibility, diversify your traffic sources and boost your search engine rankings. But what are secondary keywords and how can you use them to improve your SEO?

In this post we’ll look at the importance of secondary keywords, how they differ from other types of keywords and practical tips to help you find and use them.


What Are Secondary Keywords?


Secondary keywords are search terms that complement your primary keywords by providing additional context, relevance, or detail. While your primary keywords directly reflect the main topic of your page or blog post, secondary keywords help enhance and diversify your content by addressing related concepts or expanding on the primary topic.

For example, if your primary keyword is "SEO tools," secondary keywords might include "best SEO tools for beginners," "SEO audit tools," or "affordable SEO tools." These terms still relate to the main topic but cover more specific areas that can help your content rank for a wider range of searches.

Secondary keywords are valuable because they allow you to tap into different variations of how users might search for similar information. They help ensure that your content is relevant to a broader audience and rank for multiple queries, rather than just one specific search term.


Why Are Secondary Keywords Important for SEO?


Secondary keywords are important for SEO because they offer many benefits that can boost your website’s organic performance:

  1. More Ranking Opportunities: Optimising for multiple secondary keywords increases your chances of ranking for more searches. This captures long tail keywords and niche queries that you might miss if you only focus on primary keywords.

  2. More Relevant Content: Using secondary keywords makes your content more comprehensive and relevant to users. When you cover related topics and subtopics, search engines see your content as more informative and useful and will rank you higher.

  3. Better User Experience: Secondary keywords often cover specific user intents that the primary keyword doesn’t. This means a better user experience as visitors will find exactly what they’re looking for.

  4. Less Keyword Cannibalisation: Focusing on a mix of primary and secondary keywords prevents keyword cannibalisation where multiple pages on your site are competing for the same search terms. By optimising different pages for different keywords you ensure each piece of content targets a unique search intent.

  5. Longer Dwell Time: Content that covers multiple aspects of a topic, including secondary keywords, keeps users on your page longer. This reduces bounce rates and increases dwell time both of which are positive ranking signals for search engines.

Benefits of Secondary Keywords in SEO





How to Find Secondary Keywords

Now that you understand the importance of secondary keywords, the next step is learning how to find them. There are several strategies and tools you can use to uncover secondary keywords that are relevant to your content.


Check Top-Ranking Pages


One of the best ways to identify secondary keywords is by analysing top-ranking pages for your primary keyword. These pages often include a variety of related terms that you can incorporate into your own content.

How to do this:

  • Perform a Google search for your primary keyword.

  • Examine the top-ranking pages and take note of the related terms they use in their headings, subheadings, and throughout the content.


In our keyword research tool, enter your primary keyword and click 'Similar keywords' this will provide your a list of secondary and long tail keywords with details on traffic and difficulty, allowing you to extract valuable secondary keywords.

This method ensures that the secondary keywords you select have proven value in ranking content and improving SEO performance.


Other ways to find secondary keyword ideas


You can also use several tools to find secondary keywords that complement your main keyword. These tools give you related keyword suggestions based on real search data.

  • Google Autocomplete: Type in your main keyword into Google’s search bar and look at the suggestions that come up. These are often secondary keywords that people search for along with your main keyword.

  • Google’s “People Also Ask”: The “People Also Ask” section on Google SERPs shows related questions that people search for. These can be secondary keywords that help you understand what your audience is asking about your topic.

  • Keyword Research Tools: ClimbSEO gives you keyword suggestions, including secondary terms you may not have thought of. Look for keywords with moderate competition and decent search volume that support your main keyword.

Using a combination of these strategies ensures that you’re covering all angles and capturing relevant secondary keywords that could drive additional traffic to your site.


How to Incorporate Secondary Keywords into Your Content


Once you’ve identified your secondary keywords, the next step is incorporating them into your content in a natural and effective way. Here are some strategies to ensure that your content remains optimised for both primary and secondary keywords:

  1. Use Secondary Keywords in Subheadings: Subheadings are a great place to include secondary keywords, as they break up your content into digestible sections while signaling relevance to search engines.

  2. Distribute Keywords Naturally Throughout the Content: Avoid keyword stuffing, which can lead to penalties from search engines. Instead, use secondary keywords naturally throughout your content. Make sure they flow with the rest of your writing.

  3. Optimise Meta Descriptions and Title Tags: Including secondary keywords in your meta descriptions and title tags can increase the chances of your content ranking for a wider variety of searches. It also improves the click-through rate by signaling relevance to users.

  4. Use Secondary Keywords in Image Alt Text: Alt text provides another opportunity to incorporate secondary keywords. This not only helps with accessibility but also improves your chances of ranking in image search results.

  5. Create Related Content: In some cases, you may find that certain secondary keywords deserve their own dedicated content. Creating separate blog posts or pages optimised for these keywords can help you capture even more traffic and avoid diluting your primary content.


Content Optimisation Strategies




How Secondary Keywords Differ from Other Types of Keywords

While secondary keywords play a critical role in SEO, it’s important to understand how they differ from other types of keywords. This section will explore the nuances between secondary keywords, LSI keywords, related keywords, and long-tail keywords.


Secondary Keywords vs. LSI Keywords or Related Keywords


LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords are terms that are semantically related to your primary keyword. These keywords help search engines understand the context of your content and improve relevancy. While secondary keywords are often related, they aren’t necessarily semantically connected in the same way that LSI keywords are.

For example:

  • Primary Keyword: "best smartphones"

  • LSI Keywords: "smartphone features," "battery life," "screen resolution"

  • Secondary Keywords: "best smartphones under $500," "latest smartphone models," "top smartphones for gaming"

LSI keywords are typically terms that are used interchangeably or in close proximity to the primary keyword, whereas secondary keywords can cover different aspects or subtopics of the main topic.


Keyword Hierarchy



Secondary Keywords vs. Long-Tail Keywords


Long-tail keywords are more specific and often longer phrases that target niche queries. While long-tail keywords can sometimes overlap with secondary keywords, they serve slightly different purposes. Secondary keywords support your primary keyword by offering additional context, while long-tail keywords target more specific user intents.

For example:

  • Primary Keyword: "digital marketing strategies"

  • Long-Tail Keyword: "best digital marketing strategies for small businesses"

  • Secondary Keyword: "online marketing strategies," "content marketing tips"

Long-tail keywords tend to have lower search volume but higher conversion rates because they target more specific searches. Incorporating both secondary and long-tail keywords into your content ensures you’re addressing a broad range of search queries, from general to highly specific.

Long-tail Keywords Vs Secondary Keywords



Use Secondary Keywords to Boost Your Organic Traffic


Optimising for secondary keywords is one of the best ways to boost your organic traffic and improve your overall SEO performance. Here are some actionable tips for leveraging secondary keywords to drive more visitors to your site:

  1. Target Niche Audiences: Secondary keywords allow you to target specific user segments that might not be covered by your primary keyword alone. This can help you capture more niche traffic and grow your audience.

  2. Increase Content Relevance: Including secondary keywords makes your content more relevant to search engines and users. By addressing multiple aspects of a topic, you’ll be able to provide a more comprehensive answer to search queries.

  3. Improve Rankings for Long-Tail Searches: Long-tail searches are less competitive, and by targeting secondary keywords, you increase your chances of ranking for these searches. As a result, you can drive more organic traffic with lower competition.

  4. Diversify Your Traffic Sources: Relying on just one or two primary keywords can limit your traffic potential. By optimizing for secondary keywords, you diversify your traffic sources and make your website less dependent on one or two ranking positions.


Key Takeaways


Secondary keywords are an essential part of any effective SEO strategy. They help boost your organic visibility, improve content relevance, and capture long-tail traffic. By learning how to find and incorporate secondary keywords, you can enhance your website’s overall SEO performance and reach a broader audience.

When combined with primary keywords, secondary keywords enable you to create content that answers a wide range of user queries, leading to improved rankings, higher traffic, and better engagement.

Whether you’re new to SEO or looking to refine your strategy, mastering secondary keywords will give you the competitive edge needed to succeed in today’s search landscape.





Other knowledge you might be interested in

  1. Competitor Analysis

  2. Keyword Strategy: Ranking for keywords

  3. How to find high search volume low competition keywords

In SEO the spotlight is always on primary keywords – those high volume search terms that match your website’s core focus. But secondary keywords are just as important in supporting your overall SEO strategy. When used well secondary keywords can increase your organic visibility, diversify your traffic sources and boost your search engine rankings. But what are secondary keywords and how can you use them to improve your SEO?

In this post we’ll look at the importance of secondary keywords, how they differ from other types of keywords and practical tips to help you find and use them.


What Are Secondary Keywords?


Secondary keywords are search terms that complement your primary keywords by providing additional context, relevance, or detail. While your primary keywords directly reflect the main topic of your page or blog post, secondary keywords help enhance and diversify your content by addressing related concepts or expanding on the primary topic.

For example, if your primary keyword is "SEO tools," secondary keywords might include "best SEO tools for beginners," "SEO audit tools," or "affordable SEO tools." These terms still relate to the main topic but cover more specific areas that can help your content rank for a wider range of searches.

Secondary keywords are valuable because they allow you to tap into different variations of how users might search for similar information. They help ensure that your content is relevant to a broader audience and rank for multiple queries, rather than just one specific search term.


Why Are Secondary Keywords Important for SEO?


Secondary keywords are important for SEO because they offer many benefits that can boost your website’s organic performance:

  1. More Ranking Opportunities: Optimising for multiple secondary keywords increases your chances of ranking for more searches. This captures long tail keywords and niche queries that you might miss if you only focus on primary keywords.

  2. More Relevant Content: Using secondary keywords makes your content more comprehensive and relevant to users. When you cover related topics and subtopics, search engines see your content as more informative and useful and will rank you higher.

  3. Better User Experience: Secondary keywords often cover specific user intents that the primary keyword doesn’t. This means a better user experience as visitors will find exactly what they’re looking for.

  4. Less Keyword Cannibalisation: Focusing on a mix of primary and secondary keywords prevents keyword cannibalisation where multiple pages on your site are competing for the same search terms. By optimising different pages for different keywords you ensure each piece of content targets a unique search intent.

  5. Longer Dwell Time: Content that covers multiple aspects of a topic, including secondary keywords, keeps users on your page longer. This reduces bounce rates and increases dwell time both of which are positive ranking signals for search engines.

Benefits of Secondary Keywords in SEO





How to Find Secondary Keywords

Now that you understand the importance of secondary keywords, the next step is learning how to find them. There are several strategies and tools you can use to uncover secondary keywords that are relevant to your content.


Check Top-Ranking Pages


One of the best ways to identify secondary keywords is by analysing top-ranking pages for your primary keyword. These pages often include a variety of related terms that you can incorporate into your own content.

How to do this:

  • Perform a Google search for your primary keyword.

  • Examine the top-ranking pages and take note of the related terms they use in their headings, subheadings, and throughout the content.


In our keyword research tool, enter your primary keyword and click 'Similar keywords' this will provide your a list of secondary and long tail keywords with details on traffic and difficulty, allowing you to extract valuable secondary keywords.

This method ensures that the secondary keywords you select have proven value in ranking content and improving SEO performance.


Other ways to find secondary keyword ideas


You can also use several tools to find secondary keywords that complement your main keyword. These tools give you related keyword suggestions based on real search data.

  • Google Autocomplete: Type in your main keyword into Google’s search bar and look at the suggestions that come up. These are often secondary keywords that people search for along with your main keyword.

  • Google’s “People Also Ask”: The “People Also Ask” section on Google SERPs shows related questions that people search for. These can be secondary keywords that help you understand what your audience is asking about your topic.

  • Keyword Research Tools: ClimbSEO gives you keyword suggestions, including secondary terms you may not have thought of. Look for keywords with moderate competition and decent search volume that support your main keyword.

Using a combination of these strategies ensures that you’re covering all angles and capturing relevant secondary keywords that could drive additional traffic to your site.


How to Incorporate Secondary Keywords into Your Content


Once you’ve identified your secondary keywords, the next step is incorporating them into your content in a natural and effective way. Here are some strategies to ensure that your content remains optimised for both primary and secondary keywords:

  1. Use Secondary Keywords in Subheadings: Subheadings are a great place to include secondary keywords, as they break up your content into digestible sections while signaling relevance to search engines.

  2. Distribute Keywords Naturally Throughout the Content: Avoid keyword stuffing, which can lead to penalties from search engines. Instead, use secondary keywords naturally throughout your content. Make sure they flow with the rest of your writing.

  3. Optimise Meta Descriptions and Title Tags: Including secondary keywords in your meta descriptions and title tags can increase the chances of your content ranking for a wider variety of searches. It also improves the click-through rate by signaling relevance to users.

  4. Use Secondary Keywords in Image Alt Text: Alt text provides another opportunity to incorporate secondary keywords. This not only helps with accessibility but also improves your chances of ranking in image search results.

  5. Create Related Content: In some cases, you may find that certain secondary keywords deserve their own dedicated content. Creating separate blog posts or pages optimised for these keywords can help you capture even more traffic and avoid diluting your primary content.


Content Optimisation Strategies




How Secondary Keywords Differ from Other Types of Keywords

While secondary keywords play a critical role in SEO, it’s important to understand how they differ from other types of keywords. This section will explore the nuances between secondary keywords, LSI keywords, related keywords, and long-tail keywords.


Secondary Keywords vs. LSI Keywords or Related Keywords


LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords are terms that are semantically related to your primary keyword. These keywords help search engines understand the context of your content and improve relevancy. While secondary keywords are often related, they aren’t necessarily semantically connected in the same way that LSI keywords are.

For example:

  • Primary Keyword: "best smartphones"

  • LSI Keywords: "smartphone features," "battery life," "screen resolution"

  • Secondary Keywords: "best smartphones under $500," "latest smartphone models," "top smartphones for gaming"

LSI keywords are typically terms that are used interchangeably or in close proximity to the primary keyword, whereas secondary keywords can cover different aspects or subtopics of the main topic.


Keyword Hierarchy



Secondary Keywords vs. Long-Tail Keywords


Long-tail keywords are more specific and often longer phrases that target niche queries. While long-tail keywords can sometimes overlap with secondary keywords, they serve slightly different purposes. Secondary keywords support your primary keyword by offering additional context, while long-tail keywords target more specific user intents.

For example:

  • Primary Keyword: "digital marketing strategies"

  • Long-Tail Keyword: "best digital marketing strategies for small businesses"

  • Secondary Keyword: "online marketing strategies," "content marketing tips"

Long-tail keywords tend to have lower search volume but higher conversion rates because they target more specific searches. Incorporating both secondary and long-tail keywords into your content ensures you’re addressing a broad range of search queries, from general to highly specific.

Long-tail Keywords Vs Secondary Keywords



Use Secondary Keywords to Boost Your Organic Traffic


Optimising for secondary keywords is one of the best ways to boost your organic traffic and improve your overall SEO performance. Here are some actionable tips for leveraging secondary keywords to drive more visitors to your site:

  1. Target Niche Audiences: Secondary keywords allow you to target specific user segments that might not be covered by your primary keyword alone. This can help you capture more niche traffic and grow your audience.

  2. Increase Content Relevance: Including secondary keywords makes your content more relevant to search engines and users. By addressing multiple aspects of a topic, you’ll be able to provide a more comprehensive answer to search queries.

  3. Improve Rankings for Long-Tail Searches: Long-tail searches are less competitive, and by targeting secondary keywords, you increase your chances of ranking for these searches. As a result, you can drive more organic traffic with lower competition.

  4. Diversify Your Traffic Sources: Relying on just one or two primary keywords can limit your traffic potential. By optimizing for secondary keywords, you diversify your traffic sources and make your website less dependent on one or two ranking positions.


Key Takeaways


Secondary keywords are an essential part of any effective SEO strategy. They help boost your organic visibility, improve content relevance, and capture long-tail traffic. By learning how to find and incorporate secondary keywords, you can enhance your website’s overall SEO performance and reach a broader audience.

When combined with primary keywords, secondary keywords enable you to create content that answers a wide range of user queries, leading to improved rankings, higher traffic, and better engagement.

Whether you’re new to SEO or looking to refine your strategy, mastering secondary keywords will give you the competitive edge needed to succeed in today’s search landscape.





Other knowledge you might be interested in

  1. Competitor Analysis

  2. Keyword Strategy: Ranking for keywords

  3. How to find high search volume low competition keywords

In SEO the spotlight is always on primary keywords – those high volume search terms that match your website’s core focus. But secondary keywords are just as important in supporting your overall SEO strategy. When used well secondary keywords can increase your organic visibility, diversify your traffic sources and boost your search engine rankings. But what are secondary keywords and how can you use them to improve your SEO?

In this post we’ll look at the importance of secondary keywords, how they differ from other types of keywords and practical tips to help you find and use them.


What Are Secondary Keywords?


Secondary keywords are search terms that complement your primary keywords by providing additional context, relevance, or detail. While your primary keywords directly reflect the main topic of your page or blog post, secondary keywords help enhance and diversify your content by addressing related concepts or expanding on the primary topic.

For example, if your primary keyword is "SEO tools," secondary keywords might include "best SEO tools for beginners," "SEO audit tools," or "affordable SEO tools." These terms still relate to the main topic but cover more specific areas that can help your content rank for a wider range of searches.

Secondary keywords are valuable because they allow you to tap into different variations of how users might search for similar information. They help ensure that your content is relevant to a broader audience and rank for multiple queries, rather than just one specific search term.


Why Are Secondary Keywords Important for SEO?


Secondary keywords are important for SEO because they offer many benefits that can boost your website’s organic performance:

  1. More Ranking Opportunities: Optimising for multiple secondary keywords increases your chances of ranking for more searches. This captures long tail keywords and niche queries that you might miss if you only focus on primary keywords.

  2. More Relevant Content: Using secondary keywords makes your content more comprehensive and relevant to users. When you cover related topics and subtopics, search engines see your content as more informative and useful and will rank you higher.

  3. Better User Experience: Secondary keywords often cover specific user intents that the primary keyword doesn’t. This means a better user experience as visitors will find exactly what they’re looking for.

  4. Less Keyword Cannibalisation: Focusing on a mix of primary and secondary keywords prevents keyword cannibalisation where multiple pages on your site are competing for the same search terms. By optimising different pages for different keywords you ensure each piece of content targets a unique search intent.

  5. Longer Dwell Time: Content that covers multiple aspects of a topic, including secondary keywords, keeps users on your page longer. This reduces bounce rates and increases dwell time both of which are positive ranking signals for search engines.

Benefits of Secondary Keywords in SEO





How to Find Secondary Keywords

Now that you understand the importance of secondary keywords, the next step is learning how to find them. There are several strategies and tools you can use to uncover secondary keywords that are relevant to your content.


Check Top-Ranking Pages


One of the best ways to identify secondary keywords is by analysing top-ranking pages for your primary keyword. These pages often include a variety of related terms that you can incorporate into your own content.

How to do this:

  • Perform a Google search for your primary keyword.

  • Examine the top-ranking pages and take note of the related terms they use in their headings, subheadings, and throughout the content.


In our keyword research tool, enter your primary keyword and click 'Similar keywords' this will provide your a list of secondary and long tail keywords with details on traffic and difficulty, allowing you to extract valuable secondary keywords.

This method ensures that the secondary keywords you select have proven value in ranking content and improving SEO performance.


Other ways to find secondary keyword ideas


You can also use several tools to find secondary keywords that complement your main keyword. These tools give you related keyword suggestions based on real search data.

  • Google Autocomplete: Type in your main keyword into Google’s search bar and look at the suggestions that come up. These are often secondary keywords that people search for along with your main keyword.

  • Google’s “People Also Ask”: The “People Also Ask” section on Google SERPs shows related questions that people search for. These can be secondary keywords that help you understand what your audience is asking about your topic.

  • Keyword Research Tools: ClimbSEO gives you keyword suggestions, including secondary terms you may not have thought of. Look for keywords with moderate competition and decent search volume that support your main keyword.

Using a combination of these strategies ensures that you’re covering all angles and capturing relevant secondary keywords that could drive additional traffic to your site.


How to Incorporate Secondary Keywords into Your Content


Once you’ve identified your secondary keywords, the next step is incorporating them into your content in a natural and effective way. Here are some strategies to ensure that your content remains optimised for both primary and secondary keywords:

  1. Use Secondary Keywords in Subheadings: Subheadings are a great place to include secondary keywords, as they break up your content into digestible sections while signaling relevance to search engines.

  2. Distribute Keywords Naturally Throughout the Content: Avoid keyword stuffing, which can lead to penalties from search engines. Instead, use secondary keywords naturally throughout your content. Make sure they flow with the rest of your writing.

  3. Optimise Meta Descriptions and Title Tags: Including secondary keywords in your meta descriptions and title tags can increase the chances of your content ranking for a wider variety of searches. It also improves the click-through rate by signaling relevance to users.

  4. Use Secondary Keywords in Image Alt Text: Alt text provides another opportunity to incorporate secondary keywords. This not only helps with accessibility but also improves your chances of ranking in image search results.

  5. Create Related Content: In some cases, you may find that certain secondary keywords deserve their own dedicated content. Creating separate blog posts or pages optimised for these keywords can help you capture even more traffic and avoid diluting your primary content.


Content Optimisation Strategies




How Secondary Keywords Differ from Other Types of Keywords

While secondary keywords play a critical role in SEO, it’s important to understand how they differ from other types of keywords. This section will explore the nuances between secondary keywords, LSI keywords, related keywords, and long-tail keywords.


Secondary Keywords vs. LSI Keywords or Related Keywords


LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords are terms that are semantically related to your primary keyword. These keywords help search engines understand the context of your content and improve relevancy. While secondary keywords are often related, they aren’t necessarily semantically connected in the same way that LSI keywords are.

For example:

  • Primary Keyword: "best smartphones"

  • LSI Keywords: "smartphone features," "battery life," "screen resolution"

  • Secondary Keywords: "best smartphones under $500," "latest smartphone models," "top smartphones for gaming"

LSI keywords are typically terms that are used interchangeably or in close proximity to the primary keyword, whereas secondary keywords can cover different aspects or subtopics of the main topic.


Keyword Hierarchy



Secondary Keywords vs. Long-Tail Keywords


Long-tail keywords are more specific and often longer phrases that target niche queries. While long-tail keywords can sometimes overlap with secondary keywords, they serve slightly different purposes. Secondary keywords support your primary keyword by offering additional context, while long-tail keywords target more specific user intents.

For example:

  • Primary Keyword: "digital marketing strategies"

  • Long-Tail Keyword: "best digital marketing strategies for small businesses"

  • Secondary Keyword: "online marketing strategies," "content marketing tips"

Long-tail keywords tend to have lower search volume but higher conversion rates because they target more specific searches. Incorporating both secondary and long-tail keywords into your content ensures you’re addressing a broad range of search queries, from general to highly specific.

Long-tail Keywords Vs Secondary Keywords



Use Secondary Keywords to Boost Your Organic Traffic


Optimising for secondary keywords is one of the best ways to boost your organic traffic and improve your overall SEO performance. Here are some actionable tips for leveraging secondary keywords to drive more visitors to your site:

  1. Target Niche Audiences: Secondary keywords allow you to target specific user segments that might not be covered by your primary keyword alone. This can help you capture more niche traffic and grow your audience.

  2. Increase Content Relevance: Including secondary keywords makes your content more relevant to search engines and users. By addressing multiple aspects of a topic, you’ll be able to provide a more comprehensive answer to search queries.

  3. Improve Rankings for Long-Tail Searches: Long-tail searches are less competitive, and by targeting secondary keywords, you increase your chances of ranking for these searches. As a result, you can drive more organic traffic with lower competition.

  4. Diversify Your Traffic Sources: Relying on just one or two primary keywords can limit your traffic potential. By optimizing for secondary keywords, you diversify your traffic sources and make your website less dependent on one or two ranking positions.


Key Takeaways


Secondary keywords are an essential part of any effective SEO strategy. They help boost your organic visibility, improve content relevance, and capture long-tail traffic. By learning how to find and incorporate secondary keywords, you can enhance your website’s overall SEO performance and reach a broader audience.

When combined with primary keywords, secondary keywords enable you to create content that answers a wide range of user queries, leading to improved rankings, higher traffic, and better engagement.

Whether you’re new to SEO or looking to refine your strategy, mastering secondary keywords will give you the competitive edge needed to succeed in today’s search landscape.





Other knowledge you might be interested in

  1. Competitor Analysis

  2. Keyword Strategy: Ranking for keywords

  3. How to find high search volume low competition keywords

In SEO the spotlight is always on primary keywords – those high volume search terms that match your website’s core focus. But secondary keywords are just as important in supporting your overall SEO strategy. When used well secondary keywords can increase your organic visibility, diversify your traffic sources and boost your search engine rankings. But what are secondary keywords and how can you use them to improve your SEO?

In this post we’ll look at the importance of secondary keywords, how they differ from other types of keywords and practical tips to help you find and use them.


What Are Secondary Keywords?


Secondary keywords are search terms that complement your primary keywords by providing additional context, relevance, or detail. While your primary keywords directly reflect the main topic of your page or blog post, secondary keywords help enhance and diversify your content by addressing related concepts or expanding on the primary topic.

For example, if your primary keyword is "SEO tools," secondary keywords might include "best SEO tools for beginners," "SEO audit tools," or "affordable SEO tools." These terms still relate to the main topic but cover more specific areas that can help your content rank for a wider range of searches.

Secondary keywords are valuable because they allow you to tap into different variations of how users might search for similar information. They help ensure that your content is relevant to a broader audience and rank for multiple queries, rather than just one specific search term.


Why Are Secondary Keywords Important for SEO?


Secondary keywords are important for SEO because they offer many benefits that can boost your website’s organic performance:

  1. More Ranking Opportunities: Optimising for multiple secondary keywords increases your chances of ranking for more searches. This captures long tail keywords and niche queries that you might miss if you only focus on primary keywords.

  2. More Relevant Content: Using secondary keywords makes your content more comprehensive and relevant to users. When you cover related topics and subtopics, search engines see your content as more informative and useful and will rank you higher.

  3. Better User Experience: Secondary keywords often cover specific user intents that the primary keyword doesn’t. This means a better user experience as visitors will find exactly what they’re looking for.

  4. Less Keyword Cannibalisation: Focusing on a mix of primary and secondary keywords prevents keyword cannibalisation where multiple pages on your site are competing for the same search terms. By optimising different pages for different keywords you ensure each piece of content targets a unique search intent.

  5. Longer Dwell Time: Content that covers multiple aspects of a topic, including secondary keywords, keeps users on your page longer. This reduces bounce rates and increases dwell time both of which are positive ranking signals for search engines.

Benefits of Secondary Keywords in SEO





How to Find Secondary Keywords

Now that you understand the importance of secondary keywords, the next step is learning how to find them. There are several strategies and tools you can use to uncover secondary keywords that are relevant to your content.


Check Top-Ranking Pages


One of the best ways to identify secondary keywords is by analysing top-ranking pages for your primary keyword. These pages often include a variety of related terms that you can incorporate into your own content.

How to do this:

  • Perform a Google search for your primary keyword.

  • Examine the top-ranking pages and take note of the related terms they use in their headings, subheadings, and throughout the content.


In our keyword research tool, enter your primary keyword and click 'Similar keywords' this will provide your a list of secondary and long tail keywords with details on traffic and difficulty, allowing you to extract valuable secondary keywords.

This method ensures that the secondary keywords you select have proven value in ranking content and improving SEO performance.


Other ways to find secondary keyword ideas


You can also use several tools to find secondary keywords that complement your main keyword. These tools give you related keyword suggestions based on real search data.

  • Google Autocomplete: Type in your main keyword into Google’s search bar and look at the suggestions that come up. These are often secondary keywords that people search for along with your main keyword.

  • Google’s “People Also Ask”: The “People Also Ask” section on Google SERPs shows related questions that people search for. These can be secondary keywords that help you understand what your audience is asking about your topic.

  • Keyword Research Tools: ClimbSEO gives you keyword suggestions, including secondary terms you may not have thought of. Look for keywords with moderate competition and decent search volume that support your main keyword.

Using a combination of these strategies ensures that you’re covering all angles and capturing relevant secondary keywords that could drive additional traffic to your site.


How to Incorporate Secondary Keywords into Your Content


Once you’ve identified your secondary keywords, the next step is incorporating them into your content in a natural and effective way. Here are some strategies to ensure that your content remains optimised for both primary and secondary keywords:

  1. Use Secondary Keywords in Subheadings: Subheadings are a great place to include secondary keywords, as they break up your content into digestible sections while signaling relevance to search engines.

  2. Distribute Keywords Naturally Throughout the Content: Avoid keyword stuffing, which can lead to penalties from search engines. Instead, use secondary keywords naturally throughout your content. Make sure they flow with the rest of your writing.

  3. Optimise Meta Descriptions and Title Tags: Including secondary keywords in your meta descriptions and title tags can increase the chances of your content ranking for a wider variety of searches. It also improves the click-through rate by signaling relevance to users.

  4. Use Secondary Keywords in Image Alt Text: Alt text provides another opportunity to incorporate secondary keywords. This not only helps with accessibility but also improves your chances of ranking in image search results.

  5. Create Related Content: In some cases, you may find that certain secondary keywords deserve their own dedicated content. Creating separate blog posts or pages optimised for these keywords can help you capture even more traffic and avoid diluting your primary content.


Content Optimisation Strategies




How Secondary Keywords Differ from Other Types of Keywords

While secondary keywords play a critical role in SEO, it’s important to understand how they differ from other types of keywords. This section will explore the nuances between secondary keywords, LSI keywords, related keywords, and long-tail keywords.


Secondary Keywords vs. LSI Keywords or Related Keywords


LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords are terms that are semantically related to your primary keyword. These keywords help search engines understand the context of your content and improve relevancy. While secondary keywords are often related, they aren’t necessarily semantically connected in the same way that LSI keywords are.

For example:

  • Primary Keyword: "best smartphones"

  • LSI Keywords: "smartphone features," "battery life," "screen resolution"

  • Secondary Keywords: "best smartphones under $500," "latest smartphone models," "top smartphones for gaming"

LSI keywords are typically terms that are used interchangeably or in close proximity to the primary keyword, whereas secondary keywords can cover different aspects or subtopics of the main topic.


Keyword Hierarchy



Secondary Keywords vs. Long-Tail Keywords


Long-tail keywords are more specific and often longer phrases that target niche queries. While long-tail keywords can sometimes overlap with secondary keywords, they serve slightly different purposes. Secondary keywords support your primary keyword by offering additional context, while long-tail keywords target more specific user intents.

For example:

  • Primary Keyword: "digital marketing strategies"

  • Long-Tail Keyword: "best digital marketing strategies for small businesses"

  • Secondary Keyword: "online marketing strategies," "content marketing tips"

Long-tail keywords tend to have lower search volume but higher conversion rates because they target more specific searches. Incorporating both secondary and long-tail keywords into your content ensures you’re addressing a broad range of search queries, from general to highly specific.

Long-tail Keywords Vs Secondary Keywords



Use Secondary Keywords to Boost Your Organic Traffic


Optimising for secondary keywords is one of the best ways to boost your organic traffic and improve your overall SEO performance. Here are some actionable tips for leveraging secondary keywords to drive more visitors to your site:

  1. Target Niche Audiences: Secondary keywords allow you to target specific user segments that might not be covered by your primary keyword alone. This can help you capture more niche traffic and grow your audience.

  2. Increase Content Relevance: Including secondary keywords makes your content more relevant to search engines and users. By addressing multiple aspects of a topic, you’ll be able to provide a more comprehensive answer to search queries.

  3. Improve Rankings for Long-Tail Searches: Long-tail searches are less competitive, and by targeting secondary keywords, you increase your chances of ranking for these searches. As a result, you can drive more organic traffic with lower competition.

  4. Diversify Your Traffic Sources: Relying on just one or two primary keywords can limit your traffic potential. By optimizing for secondary keywords, you diversify your traffic sources and make your website less dependent on one or two ranking positions.


Key Takeaways


Secondary keywords are an essential part of any effective SEO strategy. They help boost your organic visibility, improve content relevance, and capture long-tail traffic. By learning how to find and incorporate secondary keywords, you can enhance your website’s overall SEO performance and reach a broader audience.

When combined with primary keywords, secondary keywords enable you to create content that answers a wide range of user queries, leading to improved rankings, higher traffic, and better engagement.

Whether you’re new to SEO or looking to refine your strategy, mastering secondary keywords will give you the competitive edge needed to succeed in today’s search landscape.





Other knowledge you might be interested in

  1. Competitor Analysis

  2. Keyword Strategy: Ranking for keywords

  3. How to find high search volume low competition keywords

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We offer a paint-by-numbers approach to SEO, helping you rank without the years of expertise.

© Copyright 2024, All Rights Reserved by ClimbSEO

We offer a paint-by-numbers approach to SEO, helping you rank without the years of expertise.

© Copyright 2024, All Rights Reserved by ClimbSEO

We offer a paint-by-numbers approach to SEO, helping you rank without the years of expertise.

© Copyright 2024, All Rights Reserved by ClimbSEO