Want to Rank on the First Page on Google? Don’t Overuse Your Focus Keyphrase!

If you’ve been working with Search Engine Optimization for a while, you’ll know a focus keyphrase is the one you want to rank for. You’ll add it to your SEO title, meta description, on subheadings and even repeat it a few times on your post or page. It’ll become the darling of your copy, and you’ll want nothing more than having it rank up on Google. So, you’ll naturally feel tempted to add it to every page of your website as well as a few blog posts.

You must fight this urge! Focus keyphrases should only be used once, even if it seems contradictory. But why is that?

You Don’t Want to Compete Against Yourself

Each separate page ranks on its own on Google; you won’t rank your website as a whole. If you use the same focus keyword time and again, you’ll have whatever number of pages or blog posts competing against each other. Ranking on the first page of Google if tough enough for one page, and it’s even more challenging to do so with several.

• Focus all your energy on your best and most relevant post. To rank two different pages with the same keyword, you’ll need to be an authority on the subject already. For example, the keyword “instant camera,” might have several rankings from expert brands like Polaroid or Instax. If you have a small blog, that’s the kind of competition you’ll have. Take it slowly!
• Build a reputation with Google and then consider using a focus keyphrase a second time. We highly discourage websites that are just starting out from using the same keyword more than once. Once your page is already ranking high on Google, it might be good to add a second page or post with the same focus keyphrase.

Work the SEO on future related posts to rank for similar keywords. Cover all your bases!

So, How Can I Rank for My Chosen Focus Keyphrase?

The first thing you should always do is perform some thorough keyword research. While you’ll want to rank for significant keywords from the get-go, this isn’t the best strategy for an up-and-coming website. You’ll want to look for more extended and specific keywords that will make ranking easier.

Here are some of the things you should do to rank for your chosen keyphrase.

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