Want to get noticed online? SEO is your ticket to higher rankings and more traffic. With most searchers sticking to Google’s first page and social media now a go-to search tool, optimising your blog and social content is a must. In the first part of this SEO special, we reveal how keywords can help get more eyeballs on your content.

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) improves your website and content so that you rank higher in search engines like Google. 

Why does ranking higher matter? It’s simple: the higher you rank, the more likely people are to discover your business. 

With less than 1% of all searchers clicking onto the second page of Google, appearing on page one is critical for attracting clients without relying on paid ads.

In today’s digital world, SEO extends beyond traditional search engines. With 24% of consumers using social media to search for answers, your SEO efforts should include optimising your social profiles too. This trend is especially strong among younger generations like Gen Z, who increasingly turn to platforms like Instagram and TikTok for information

So, how can you do it? The truth is SEO is a big topic and there’s no shortage of strategies to try. 

But in this article, we’ll focus on: optimising your blog and social media content using keywords.

First though, let’s recap why blogs and social content matter for SEO…

Blogs

Blogs are important for SEO for several reasons: 

• Fresh, relevant content boosts your site’s ranking as search engines prioritise valuable information.
• Each new post adds an indexed page, increasing visibility in search results.
• Posts can attract backlinks, enhancing site credibility.
• Regular updates signal search engines that your site is active and relevant.
• Well-written blogs increase on-site engagement, showing search engines your content is valuable.

Socials

Optimising your socials is important because:

• your social media posts will rank higher in search engine results.
• your content will become more visible and reach a wider audience, allowing potential clients to find you more easily when searching for industry-related topics.
• your posts will get  higher engagement rates as they attract a more relevant audience interested in your content.

Now let’s get down to business and dive into keywords.

What are keywords?

Keywords are words or phrases that users enter into search engines when looking for information, products, or services. 

They can be single words (e.g “mortgage”) or longer phrases (e.g “how to get a mortgage”).

Search engines rely on keywords to understand the meaning and relevance of a web or social page. By strategically incorporating keywords into your content, you help search engines grasp what your page is about, which can improve its ranking in search results. This makes it easier for search engines to match your content with relevant searches, ultimately boosting your visibility.

How do you find keywords?

Keyword research is when you identify and analyse words and phrases people use when searching for information, products or services online. When carrying out keyword research you’ll need to consider:

• Relevance – terms and phrases related to your industry or niche
• Search volume – the popularity and search volume of different keywords to prioritise those with the highest potential impact
• Competition – the level of competition for each keyword to determine ranking feasibility 

Are there tools that help?

You can use tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to find keywords with high search volume and low competition.

Where should keywords go?

Avoid keyword stuffing. That’s when you intentionally overload your posts with keywords to try to manipulate your ranking. Search engines are wise to this trick and you can be penalised or even blacklisted for it. It can also make the blog/social post difficult to read (another big no). 

Instead, use keywords strategically in your posts. Use them in your body copy but also the blog title, headlines, meta description and URL.

In socials, you can incorporate keywords into your post’s captions, descriptions and hashtags. 

You can also use keywords in your profile bio, name and username – where possible. Include a link to your website and ensure your bio describes your services clearly, using relevant search terms.

Hashtags are another place to include keywords. Use a mix of broad (e.g., #FinancialAdvice) and niche-specific hashtags (e.g., #RetirementPlanningUK) to target both wide and focused audiences.

When posting images, include keywords in the image description (alt text) where relevant and suitable. For video posts, use keywords in the descriptions and in the video file name before uploading. 

Consider using a keyword-rich anchor (link) text (the clickable text for the link). For example, instead of “click here,” use a keyword phrase like “learn more about retirement advice.”

On platforms like YouTube, add relevant keywords in the video description and transcriptions. If you’re posting videos with subtitles or transcriptions, make sure the text includes your chosen keywords.

Keywords are the bedrock of good SEO. If organic search is the aim of your blog/posts, you can’t ignore keywords. It would be like throwing a party with no invites – no one will show up. 

However, there are plenty of other ways to optimise your content. 

We discuss these in part 2 of this series. Stay tuned!

Co-authored by Jo Faith and Sarah Daley – experts in financial services marketing

Can we help with your marketing in 2025?

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