Should I bold and/or italicize my keyword phrases in my
copy?
Q. I heard from the dogcatcher that I need to
place my keyword phrases in: [bold] [italics] [H1s] [alt tags] [Meta
tags] [anchor text] [Title tags] [body text] [the first few words on
my site] [the first paragraph of my site] [the last paragraph of my
site] [my cousin Vinnie's site]. Is this true?
A. The most important places to utilize your researched keyword
phrases (anywhere from 3-5 of these per page) are 1) your Title
tags, 2) in the visible copy that people read, and 3) in onsite and
offsite links (aka the "anchor text").
Whether they're in the first paragraph, first words, last words,
or whatever really doesn't make all that much difference. I've long
ago stopped worrying about specific places and coding and simply use
them where they make sense from a reader's perspective. I would
definitely avoid using them in "ALL the right places" such as listed
in the question above, however. This is because if you pull all the
tricks out of your SEO bag, your page will simply reek of SEO. If it
makes sense to have a headline that uses a keyword phrase, then go
for it, but don't feel that you have to create headlines where none
were needed. If it makes sense to describe a graphic with a keyword
phrase, then you shouldn't hesitate to do it. The important thing is
not to do anything just because you think you have to in order for
the search engines to like you. There are very, very few "have to's"
when it comes to SEO. This is because SEO is an art, not a science.
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