Choosing keywords

The product decides very little here. What you type in the keyword box is most of the outcome.

Use the words you actually write

The most common mistake is adding the product's official name — "Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones" — when what you actually write is "the Sony XM5s" or "these headphones".

Look at two or three posts and add what is on the page.

Specific beats broad

"headphones" appears everywhere: in asides, in comparisons, in sentences about a completely different product. Linking it means a lot of links that nobody clicks and a page that reads like an ad.

"noise cancelling headphones" is a phrase somebody uses when they are shopping.

Broad single words are also the fastest way to make a post look automated, which costs you more trust than the link earns.

Several keywords, one link

Attach every natural variation to the same link:

• "standing desk"
• "sit-stand desk"
• "adjustable desk"

They can all point at the same product. This is normal and is what the keyword-per-link limit is there for.

Avoid words that are also ordinary words

"Echo" is a product. It is also a word people use for other things. If a keyword appears in sentences where it is not the product, do not use it — or use a longer version of it, like "Echo Dot".

Check what is being linked

Once a week early on, open two or three posts and read them normally. If a link makes you wince, that keyword is wrong. Analytics tells you what gets clicked, but only reading the page tells you what looks bad.

Limits

Every plan caps links and keywords. The cap is on what you have, not what you use, and unused keywords still count. Deleting the ones that never fire is worth doing before you upgrade.