How to Identify the Right Keywords for Every Page on Your Website

By Casey Barnett

Start with your Search Engine Optimization goals in mind

When people think about SEO, they often imagine “ranking a website.” But search engines don’t rank entire websites; they rank individual pages, one query at a time.

That means the real goal of SEO is to treat each page as its own landing page, optimized for a specific search intent, keyword phrase, and audience need.

What are keywords, really?

Keywords (and keyword phrases) are the contextual signals that help search engines understand what your page is about. But they’re also clues to what real people are searching for.

  • Your homepage usually targets your brand name.
  • Your contact page should appear when people search things like “how to reach [Brand].”
  • Your service pages should match the kinds of problems your customers are trying to solve.

Keyword Research Isn’t Just for New Pages

Already have content? Great.

Keyword research is just as powerful after you’ve published. You can revise older blog posts or pages to better align with what people are actually searching for.

That’s the beauty of digital content: it’s flexible, editable, and improvable.

Where to Begin Your Keyword Research

Start simple. Begin with the pages in your navigation; each one needs its own keyword focus.

Ask: What would someone type into Google to find this page?

Homepage

  • [Brand Name]
  • [Brand] + [Service or City]
  • Company name searches

About Page

  • Who is [Brand Name]?
  • What does [Brand Name] do?
  • Founder of [Brand]

Services Page

  • SEO consultant in [City]
  • WordPress website developer for nonprofits
  • [Industry] marketing agency

Process Page

  • Website development process
  • 5-step SEO workflow
  • How does [Brand] approach web design?

Pro Tip: For pages other than your homepage, avoid always including your brand name, especially if you’re trying to reach new users who haven’t heard of you yet.

What About Articles and Blog Posts?

Articles are where discovery happens.

They should:

  • Answer a question or solve a problem.
  • Use phrases your audience actually types.
  • Avoid brand mentions unless the article is meant for returning visitors.

Start with a list of article URLs and brainstorm 3–5 questions each article could answer. Prioritize those that support your core services or products first.

What Do You Do With the Keywords?

Once you have keyword ideas, it’s time to put them to work.

Ask yourself:

  • Would a real customer use this phrase to search?
  • Does my content clearly answer the implied question?

Then:

  • Include the phrase in your title tag, meta description, H1, and page content.
  • Revise ambiguous language like “we,” “it,” or “they” to use actual nouns your audience will recognize and search for.
  • Be specific. Avoid clever phrasing when clarity wins SEO.

Bonus: 5 Quick Content Fixes That Boost Keyword Clarity

  1. Replace “it” with specific terms
    • ❌ “It is powerful.”
    • ✅ “Google Analytics 4 is a powerful measurement tool.”
  2. Ditch “we” for your actual name
    • ❌ “We believe…”
    • ✅ “SeeMe Media believes…”
  3. Speak plainly
    • Say what you mean. People search in plain language. So should you.
  4. Use technical terms (if your audience does)
    • Don’t dumb it down if precision matters. Niche terms attract high-value traffic.
  5. Group related keywords together
    • Think in clusters: What other phrases or related terms should show up together on the same page?

Be Patient. Be Strategic. Keep Evolving.

SEO takes time. Even after updating your keywords and content, it can take weeks for search engines to crawl, evaluate, and reprioritize your page.

And remember: your competitors are doing the same thing.

That’s why keyword strategy is a system, not a task. Revisit your top pages quarterly. Update content when trends change. Improve clarity, intent alignment, and user experience.