Secondary keywords are a powerful complement to your primary keywords. They are related search terms that add context and depth to your content, helping you rank for a wider variety of search queries and providing more value to your readers.
What are Secondary Keywords?
While a primary keyword is the main search term you're targeting with a piece of content (e.g., "digital marketing"), secondary keywords are closely related terms that provide additional context. They are also known as LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords, supporting keywords, or long-tail keywords. These terms tell search engines that your content is comprehensive and authoritative on a specific topic. By including secondary keywords, you signal to algorithms that your page is not just relevant for a single term, but for the broader topic as a whole.
Why They Matter:
- Increased Search Visibility: A page that includes relevant secondary keywords can rank for hundreds of related search queries, driving significantly more organic traffic than a page optimized for just one keyword.
- Improved User Experience: Naturally integrating secondary keywords makes your content more detailed and helpful for the reader, answering related questions and providing a richer experience.
- Lower Competition: Secondary and long-tail keywords often have lower competition, making it easier to rank and capture targeted traffic. They are an excellent way for new websites to gain visibility.
How to Find and Use Secondary Keywords
Finding and using secondary keywords is a crucial part of modern content creation and on-page SEO. Follow these steps to build a more effective strategy:
- Keyword Research Tools: Use tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, and Moz to identify related keywords. Input your primary keyword and look for suggestions, questions, and synonyms. Google's own "People also ask" section and the related searches at the bottom of the SERP are also excellent free resources.
- Integrate Naturally: Weave secondary keywords into your content's subheadings (
<h2>,<h3>), body text, and meta descriptions. The goal is to make your content flow naturally and avoid "keyword stuffing," which can harm both readability and your search rankings. - Answer User Intent: A great way to use secondary keywords is to structure your content to answer the questions people are asking. For a primary keyword like "best coffee maker," secondary keywords might include "how to clean a coffee maker" or "coffee maker buying guide." Address these topics in dedicated sections of your content.
The Link Between Primary and Secondary Keywords
Think of your primary keyword as the foundation of your content and secondary keywords as the supporting walls. Without the supporting keywords, the content might not be stable enough to rank well. For a blog post titled "Beginner's Guide to Digital Marketing," the primary keyword is 'digital marketing.' However, to make it valuable and authoritative, you must include secondary keywords like: 'social media marketing,' 'SEO basics,' 'content marketing strategy,' 'PPC campaigns,' and 'email marketing.' This comprehensive approach ensures that the content provides a holistic answer to the user's query and signals to search engines that the page is a comprehensive resource.
Monitoring and Best Practices
- Track Your Rankings: Use an SEO tool to track your rankings for both your primary and secondary keywords. This will show you exactly how well your content is performing across a variety of search queries.
- Optimize for Voice Search: People often use more conversational and long-tail queries when using voice search (e.g., "What's the best digital marketing strategy for a small business?"). Incorporating these long-tail secondary keywords is vital for future-proofing your content.
- Avoid Cannibalization: Be careful not to create multiple pages that target the same secondary keywords. This can confuse search engines and cause your pages to compete against each other. Instead, focus on creating one comprehensive piece of content that addresses the topic thoroughly.