If you’ve been wondering how to add SEO keywords to your website, the answer isn’t a “keywords” field somewhere – that tag hasn’t mattered since 2009. Keywords go in your page title, headings, body copy, URL slug, and image alt text.
Here’s how to do it right.
TL;DR: Place your primary keyword in the page title, H1 heading, first paragraph, meta description, URL slug, and image alt text. Use it roughly 1–2 times per 300 words in the body – one primary keyword per page, per Google’s own guidelines.
Start With Keyword Research (Before You Add Anything)
You need to know which keywords to target before you touch anything. Placing keywords without research is guesswork.
Keyword research means finding the exact phrases your potential customers type into Google. Start with Google’s autocomplete: type a question related to your business and see what surfaces. For volume and competition data, Google Keyword Planner or Ahrefs give you the numbers.
When evaluating keywords, focus on three things:
- Relevance – does the keyword match what your page actually offers?
- Volume – are enough people searching for it?
- Difficulty – how competitive is it to rank for?
For most small business sites, lower-difficulty keywords with a few hundred monthly searches beat high-volume terms dominated by national brands.
One rule beginners miss: target one primary keyword per page. Each page should focus on one main term with a few related phrases supporting it. Spreading ten keywords across one page doesn’t make it rank for ten things; it dilutes the signal. If you’re not sure which keywords to go after, an SEO partner can help.
Where to Add SEO Keywords on Your Website
Once you have your keywords, placement determines everything.
Page Title (Title Tag)
The title tag is the most important on-page SEO element, the clickable headline users see in search results. Put your primary keyword toward the front and keep the whole title under 60 characters.
Instead of “Welcome to Our Site,” a Sacramento landscaping company might write: “Landscaping Services in Sacramento | Sierra Exclusive.”
Meta Description
The meta description appears beneath your title in search results. Google doesn’t use it as a direct ranking factor, but it affects click-through rate. Write 150–160 characters, include your keyword, and give people a reason to click.
Headings (H1, H2, H3)
Your H1 is the main headline. Use it once and include your primary keyword. H2s and H3s organize your content into sections; use them to work in secondary keywords naturally.
Body Content
Write for your reader first. Get your primary keyword into the first 100 words, then use it roughly 1–2 times per 300 words after that. If a sentence sounds awkward with the keyword in it, rewrite the sentence.
URL Slug
Keep URLs short, descriptive, and keyword-rich. Compare:
- /page?id=1234 — tells Google nothing
- /sacramento-landscaping-services — clear, readable, keyword-rich
Use lowercase, hyphens between words, and cut filler words.
Image Alt Text
Search engines read alt text, not images. Fill in the alt text field with a description that includes your keyword where it fits naturally.
“Landscaper trimming hedges at a Sacramento property” works. “IMG_0032.jpg” doesn’t. Alt text also improves accessibility for visually impaired users.
Meta Keywords Tag (And Why It Doesn’t Matter Anymore)
Many people think adding keywords means filling in the old <meta name=”keywords”> HTML tag. Google has ignored that tag since 2009. Don’t bother with it.
READ: SpyFu vs SEMrush vs Moz — Which Is Better for Keyword Research
How to Add Keywords in WordPress
If your site runs on WordPress, install a free SEO plugin. Yoast SEO and Rank Math are both free and beginner-friendly. Once installed, every page gets dedicated fields to:
- Enter your focus keyword – the plugin scores how well the page is optimized
- Edit your title tag – control exactly what appears in search results
- Write a meta description – preview it before you publish
- Set your URL slug – replace the default with something keyword-rich
READ: Does Linking To Other Sites Help SEO
How Many Keywords Should a Page Have?
One primary keyword per page.
Business owners often assume more keywords means more traffic. It doesn’t. Targeting too many on one page dilutes your signal and confuses Google.
Support your primary keyword with 3–5 related terms. If you’re writing useful content, they’ll show up naturally.
Avoid keyword stuffing. Repeating your target phrase so often it reads unnaturally. It doesn’t impress Google; it gets you penalized.
READ: Are Orphan Pages Bad For SEO
Common Keyword Placement Mistakes to Avoid
Even business owners who understand the basics make these errors regularly. Here’s what to watch for.
- Keyword stuffing. Repeating your keyword every other sentence is the fastest way to hurt your rankings and make your content unreadable. Write for people first.
- Targeting the same keyword on multiple pages. When two pages compete for the same term, they undercut each other. This is keyword cannibalization, a common issue on sites that have grown without a content strategy. Every page needs a unique primary keyword.
- Leaving title tags and meta descriptions as defaults. These are the highest-impact on-page SEO elements, and they’re frequently left as auto-generated text. A custom, keyword-optimized title and description make a measurable difference in both rankings and click-through rate.
- Never updating old pages. Old pages that haven’t been optimized are missed opportunities. A regular review of existing content (updating keywords, titles, and descriptions) is part of any solid SEO process.
- Skipping image alt text. It takes ten seconds per image and is one of the most commonly skipped optimizations on small business websites. Every image is an opportunity to reinforce your page’s keyword relevance.
Ready to Stop Guessing and Start Ranking?
Knowing how to add SEO keywords to your website is step one. Ranking for them and turning that traffic into real leads takes ongoing work. It’s a process, not a one-time setup.
Sierra Exclusive helps small and mid-sized businesses in Sacramento build SEO services systems that drive real, measurable growth. If you’re ready to stop guessing and start ranking, let’s talk.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I add SEO keywords to my website?
Identify the primary keyword for each page first. Then place it in your title tag, meta description, H1 heading, the opening paragraph of your content, the URL slug, and image alt text. Use it naturally throughout the body, roughly 1–2 times per 300 words. One primary keyword per page, supported by a handful of related terms, is the right structure.
How do I add SEO keywords to my website on WordPress?
Install a free SEO plugin: Yoast SEO or Rank Math are both beginner-friendly. Once active, every page and post gains dedicated fields for your focus keyword, title tag, and meta description. The plugin scores your keyword usage in real time and flags issues.
How do I add keywords to my website for Google?
Google primarily reads your title tag, H1 heading, body content, meta description, and image alt text to understand what a page is about. Place your target keyword in all of those locations naturally. Avoid excessive repetition; Google interprets keyword stuffing as a quality signal in the wrong direction and may lower your ranking as a result.
How do I add keywords to my website in HTML?
In raw HTML, your keyword belongs in the <title> tag, the content attribute of your <meta name=”description”> tag, your <h1> tag, and naturally within the page <body>. Skip the <meta name=”keywords”> tag entirely; Google has ignored it since 2009, and it has no impact on rankings today.
How do I add more keywords to my website?
The most effective way to expand your keyword coverage is to build more pages, each targeting a distinct primary keyword. One page can’t rank well for dozens of unrelated terms. Create additional blog posts, service pages, or location pages, each focused on a different search term that’s relevant to your business and audience.
