24 replies to this topic

[blackirish.ken]

I would heartily suggest optimising one page per "category" and using the highest scoring terms throughout. "cat toy" can be in my title and header, but throughout the copy I might use "balls of yarn" and "squeaky mice" if they were the next hottest terms.

If you seriously want to target queries like "balls of yarn" or "squeaky mice," you'd be smarter to break these terms off into individual sub category pages and author specific content for those particular terms. Then you create internal links to those sub category pages by mentioning those terms in the "cat toy" top category page page content.

That's important: don't forget internal anchor text links. Everyone is so focused on grabbing external links that they miss the low hanging fruit on their own sites. I've had sites rank on nothing but a handful of external links and heavy internal linking.

Good Luck,
Ken

[Jexley]

If you seriously want to target queries like "balls of yarn" or "squeaky mice," you'd be smarter to break these terms off into individual sub category pages and author specific content for those particular terms. Then you create internal links to those sub category pages by mentioning those terms in the "cat toy" top category page page content.

Yeah, thereby proving that one page per keyword is the way to go... until you have keywords that can be considered not important enough to warrant their own page, which you could then use just like I described.

[Randy]

That proves your theory? Nah, not quite.

Every page that has real, valuable content for users is out of necessity going to be optimized for more than one keyword phrase. Whether you're actively optimizing for them all or not.

[Jexley]

Well, horrifically clumsy or not, that's actually what I'm trying to say. My point being actively optimise for one per page, and "inactively" optimise for as many as you can after that, but if you're after proper optimisation, try for one per page. Jeez, is it so complicated?

[Randy]

It's not complicated.

You shouldn't be optimizing each page for 1 single phrase. There's not a single instance where you can't optimize each page for 3-5 phrases. Usually closely related phrases.

To optimize for just one phrase per page is silly, and an unnecessary waste of valuable time.

[Jexley]

It's not complicated.

You shouldn't be optimizing each page for 1 single phrase. There's not a single instance where you can't optimize each page for 3-5 phrases. Usually closely related phrases.

To optimize for just one phrase per page is silly, and an unnecessary waste of valuable time.

Sure feels like you're taking something simple, that I was attempting to straighten out and call attention to the many and varied ways one can optimise, and trying to make me look like I'm the idiot.

Maybe "optimise" is confusing the issue. I mean, pick one term and make it your "winner" and other, highly similar, terms can be included on that page.

Winner always gets included in the more prominent places, everybody else can be in areas that aren't as important and included in them intermittently ON THE SAME PAGE.

I'm saying the same damn thing as you, but it seems as if you're being belligerent. I'm now done with this thread.

[ScottSalwolke]

Maybe "optimise" is confusing the issue.

How is "optimise" confusing the issue when that is what the thread is about.

[Jill]

There are many, many different ways of optimizing that work. Some prefer to optimize for just one phrase for page. Nothing wrong with that, just not how others (like me) would prefer or recommend.

Doesn't mean anyone is an idiot if that's what they like to do and also see results when they do it. A good portion of SEO types do it that way.

[Randy]

Oh, I'm not being trying to be mean or anything Jexley. It's just a different approach.

The thing I've seen far too many times when someone who isn't a natural writer and/or doesn't have much experience with writing copy for a site is that pages end up sounding incredibly spammy if the sole or main focus is on a single keyword phrase. Meaning they end up with the same exact phrase, with no variation at all, in their page dozens and dozens of times.

For those folks it seems better to tell them to pick out 3-5 phrases for each page when they start writing. Even if the 3-5 phrases are closely related variations on a very narrow theme. As opposed to an approach of locking in on just one phrase per page. If you tell 'em One Phrase Per Page that's exactly what they do in my experience; Lock On a phrase and become single minded to the exclusion of everything else.

As people gain more experience they tend to be able to lock in on a phrase more, while still have variations floating around in their head. Those variations naturally end up in the copy, after one has the experience of writing the copy for a handful of sites.

That said, to this day many, many years after I started doing this stuff, when I do my keyword research I still take my keyword phrase list and group phrases before I start writing any pages. I find it simply makes it easier to keep everything on track when writing copy, while (more importantly) ensuring I'm getting all of the various phrases I want to target in the mix somewhere. Without grouping them there always seem to be a few phrases that just don't make it into the copy.

[logos1234]

Thanks for everyone's comments, very interesting.

I always optimise 'actively' for more than one phrase and variations and the phrases tend to have varying competition. If I feel or have looked at analytics and think that my site will benefit from having another page to optimise for what was originally a 'sub phrase' I will do that.

Just to go back to my original question the keywords would be like this...

Home = 'pet toys uk' and other phrases, 'cat toys uk' and other more general 'cat toy' type phrases
>Cat Toy page = 'best cat toys uk' and other longer tail 'cat toys' phrases
>>Cat Nip Toys = 'cat nip toys' and other phrases and variations
>>>Squeaky Mouse Cat Nip Toy = 'buy squeaky mouse cat nip toy' and other phrases and variations

Am I getting the right idea here? My main concern was if my main keyword was 'cat toys uk' and I had no way of optimising the home page then how about getting links into the 'Cat Toys' page. I have always found it more difficult to get deep links from the sources I use. I understand also that having brilliant content on the page or perhaps a cat toy tool or something would help, but I don't think that is going to happen in this case. Does anyone have any tips for building deep links?