Google has changed its algorithm so many times, it’s hard to keep track. When I got into the SEO field, keywords and keyword density were all the rage. Now, Moz is saying you don’t necessarily need a ton of keywords strategically placed throughout your blog post to rank well in Google. You do, however, need them in your headline to avoid pogo-sticking—but we’ll get to that later.

Keyword density was all the rage in the late 90s, but Google has since evolved and going keyword crazy is no longer necessary.

A click-worthy title, however, is.

Grab Users’ Interest with an Attention-grabbing Title

Pretend you’re writing a headline in a newspaper article. A newspaper would never put an article in the paper with a bland headline like: Help with SEO.

How boring does that sound?

They would put something like Tips to Make your SEO more Efficient or SEO Help to Make your Life Easier.

Write a title YOU would want to click on.

But keep in mind that it’s a good idea to have the keyword in the blog headline to avoid pogo-sticking.

Your headline is what users click on in Google search results and if the blog headline is different from the SEO title on your page, users will think they’ve clicked on the wrong page and pogo stick back to Google search.

And you don’t want that.

But never sacrifice user experience either, ever.

Trying to climb up in search results is not nearly as important as providing your users with relevant and informative content.

Mention Landmarks. Google Likes That

When Google sees real places listed on your blog, it takes notice because it will see those same places being talked about elsewhere.

In the Moz blog, Rand Fishkin, former CEO of the company, used a Seattle espresso blog as an example. In the blog, the user listed the names and addresses of the best and worst espresso bars in the area. Fishkin said the user gained a lot of traction on Google because Google noticed multiple people mentioning those cafes.

This could also work for real estate agents. Talk about popular communities or popular places to hangout in the neighborhood. Google will eventually begin to take notice and your clients will too.

Unique Content is King 

You want to provide users with something they’re not going to get anywhere else. Fishkin used the example of the Seattle espresso blogger on this one too. The user made a blog post about the best AND worst espresso bars in the area.

I worked at Starbucks for six years and I can tell you that people do not mess around with their espresso. Imagine if you found your favorite espresso bar that you go to everyday on the “worst espresso cafes” list. You would be infuriated. Talking about your hangout spot—and let’s face it, everyone hangs out in espresso bars in Seattle (as far as we’re concerned here in Florida)—and dissing the coffee is NOT going to fly.

That’s what the blog post will likely arouse in you as you sit there steaming, defending your prized mom and pop espresso bar. But that doesn’t mean you can go slamming down doors looking for the now infamous blogger to give him a piece of your mind.

We let our imagination get carried away on that one, but you get the point.

Don’t go keyword crazy, but use them in your headline and SEO title, make compelling titles and provide content you can’t find anywhere else.

That’s all you need.

Let us know if these tips worked for you. Have a great day!