How should keywords be used in SEO, and what are their limitations?

In SEO, use keywords to understand readers’ needs, organize content, and make topics clear. Do not assume that repeating them more often will improve rankings. Choose terms that reflect the language your target audience actually uses, then incorporate them naturally into titles, paragraphs, and relevant subtopics. Search volume can help with planning, but it should not determine content direction on its own. The sources below support these practices, but they do not establish that particular words, placements, or numbers of repetitions will deliver rankings and traffic.

First, identify what searchers want to accomplish

A PTT post advises choosing the search terms customers commonly use rather than the terms businesses think customers should enter. It also explicitly states that actual results need to be tested. A discussion compiled by Semrush in 2016 argues that, beyond the words themselves, it is important to understand users’ intent, their stage in the marketing funnel, and the task they want to complete.

• When choosing keywords, ask yourself: What do readers want to know, and what do they want to accomplish?
• When organizing content, make sure the answers address readers’ needs rather than merely include the keywords.

For example, “How many credit cards should I have?” is a question-based search term listed in a 2024 Semrush article. Content built around this query should answer the question about how many cards to hold, rather than repeatedly explain the term “credit card.”

At Procrustes, we turn the questions clients genuinely care about into articles and continue to plan, write, and update content.

Place keywords where they clarify the topic—do not force them in

A 2021 article on Neil Patel’s website recommends using the target keyword naturally in the H1 heading and explicitly advises against forcing keywords into the text or repeating them excessively. This is advice on writing content, not a guarantee that adding a keyword will secure a ranking.

A 2023 Semrush article also recommends using variations and synonyms of the primary keyword. Where appropriate, question-based or subtopic keywords can be included in H2 and H3 headings to help readers see what each section covers. The priority is to use words that clarify the section’s topic, rather than repeat the same phrase in every subheading just to reach a certain count.

A page can cover a group of keywords, but not an arbitrary mix

A 2024 Semrush article suggests that a single page can target terms within the same keyword cluster. In other words, you need not limit yourself to “one keyword per page,” but this recommendation applies only to terms in the same cluster. It does not mean that all popular terms belong on the same page.

The article also discusses reaching a broader audience through keyword variations, but the relevant passage specifically distinguishes competitors’ branded terms from non-branded terms. This advice on choosing advertising keywords should not be applied indiscriminately to SEO.

Search volume is a guide, and low-volume keyword strategies have limits

Forum contributor DABK recommends establishing a strategy first, then checking whether search volume is stable, rather than fixating on a single precise number. When search volume fluctuates sharply, consider whether changing trends or data errors might explain it. This is advice from a forum, not confirmation of a tool’s accuracy.

He also proposes starting with low-volume keywords and gradually tackling higher-volume ones, while acknowledging that this requires a large amount of content. Whether that traffic generates enough revenue to fund further investment depends on the website’s ability to convert it into sales. Choosing low-volume keywords therefore does not necessarily make it easy to earn a profit, nor is this approach guaranteed to be faster or cheaper for every website.