There's little debate among search marketing experts that identifying and optimizing for specific keywords is a crucial element in improving your search rankings. But keyword research is often overlooked, which is why understanding how to approach research and recognizing which keywords are worth your focus is essential – particularly when identifying which terms to include in your domains.
A great place to begin your keyword research is by looking at what your competitors are ranking for, and a new study by HigherVisibility outlines a recipe for success. Focusing on six competitive industries, their team took five of the most searched terms within those six industries and analyzed the 10 top-ranking URLs to get a better understanding of what makes an effective URL. Some key insights:
- More than 75 percent of the top ranked sites in the legal vertical are unique URLs
- Less than a third of top ranked auto insurance sites are unique URLs
- A majority of verticals’ referring domains link back to their homepage
- High-performing online education and real estate sites tend to have a more diverse backlink portfolio
The biggest takeaway? When it comes to setting up your homepage and subdomains, adding even only a few keywords to your URLs from the search terms you want to rank for can help you generate more clicks and higher search rankings. If you’re looking for that coveted top spot, work on connecting your URLs back to these key search terms for as close a match as possible – a recipe search engines and consumers will love.
