Is this the end for keywords?
In short, no. However, it is true that Google now looks for meaning, rather than specific keywords when ranking websites. So if you’re obsessing about ranking for one certain keyword, for example ‘Dentist Reading’ you might struggle.
When Google scans your site for information, it no longer pulls out the keyword phrases it thinks are relevant and pairs them to user queries. Instead, there’s an in-between step. Google interprets the data on your website, and begins to form its own conclusions about what your site and your practice really are about; Google is becoming exceptionally sophisticated.
As an example, according to Google’s own research, deriving meaning from the synonyms of keywords accounts for up to 70% of searches. Therefore, it doesn’t matter that you used the phrase “Dentist Reading” exactly several times throughout your website. You could use “Dental practice Reading,” “Reading Dentists,” and “Children’s Dentist Reading” on different pages and Google could theoretically put you in the exact same category. Therefore, it’s far more important to optimize your site for a specific meaning rather than a specific phrase. It’s far better to post relevant content and naturally build yourself as an authority in a given field than to purely focus on keywords.
Structure Counts
There are two ways to look at structure and both can have a huge effect on your page authority.
Firstly, look at the overall structure and navigation of your site. If your site is easy to navigate and responsive, your users will have an easier time finding the information they want, and Google will reward you for such user accommodation.
Title pages appropriately and make sure there’s a crawlable sitemap that lays out your site as a whole. It’s also a good idea to interlink your internal content by connecting many of your internal pages to one another. The shorter the path from one page to another, the more authority you’ll gain in your site.
Secondly, look at how each of your pages are laid out. If you adhere to Google’s traditional structure of having a header, body, sidebars, footer and you place appropriate content for each section, Google will find it easier to scan your page; it will be able to derive the accurate meaning behind your site without you worrying about including specific keyword phrases.
User experience matters just as much to Google, as keyword relevance ever did. Give your patients a great experience, publish accurate and relevant content and you should have no trouble climbing the rankings quickly. Work to make your users happy, and Google will reward you.
If you would like further information about search engine optimisation for your dental practice’s website, speak to a member of the Dental Design team on: 01202 677 277 and we’ll be happy to help you.
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