What Is Manufacturing Keyword Mapping?
Keyword mapping is the process of assigning targeted keywords to specific pages on your website to help with SEO for your manufacturing company. Keeping track of each webpage and the keywords they target can help keep your website organized and make sure you are targeting the areas your customers are actually searching.
Why Manufacturing Keywords Should Not All Target the Same Page
Each page on your website should have a single keyword. This helps search engines and AI hone in on one distinct topic for each of your pages. Having more than one per page can make it more difficult for your pages to rank.
How Keyword Mapping Helps Buyers Find the Right Information
Ensuring each page of your website is tied to a single keyword helps customers find exactly what they are looking for in a single click. It can also help with organizing your website so that any questions the customer has can be easily navigated to with internal links.
Why Keyword Mapping Matters for Manufacturing SEO
Manufacturing Buyers Search by Product, Service, Capability, and Application
When customers are searching, they’re looking for specifics rather than browsing. Keyword mapping helps direct customers to exactly what they are looking to buy.
Better Mapping Helps Attract More Qualified Leads
More clicks don’t always equal more business. Strong keyword mapping ensures that you are generating the right kind of quality leads: customers who know what they want and are ready to buy.
Strong Page Mapping Prevents Keyword Cannibalization
If you have several pages with the same keyword, traffic can be split between the two and decrease the likelihood that your pages will end up ranking. This kind of strategic manufacturing SEO helps to keep each page in its own focused category.
Step 1: Group Manufacturing Keywords by Search Intent
Transactional Keywords
These are a part of the keyword that indicates the customer is interested in buying. They include words like “distributor”, “products”, “company”, and “systems”.
Informational Keywords
Informational keywords are used when the customer is trying to find an answer. Often these will begin with a “how”, “what”, or “why”.
Long-Tail Buying Intent Keywords
Long-Tail keywords are multi-word, specific phrases that signal a high intent to purchase. They tend to drive more high-quality traffic because they are so specific.
Local or Regional Keywords
These keywords focus on the customer’s geographic area. Phrases like “near me” or “in Boston” fall into this category.
Step 2: Match Keywords to the Right Manufacturing Page Types
Map Product Keywords to Product Pages
Each product should have its own distinct, specific keyword. Identify them and fine-tune as much as possible. It is important to do research on search behaviors, so you know how customers are searching for your products.
Map Service Keywords to Service Pages
Manufacturing services tend to be very unique. Home in on each service you offer and reduce it to the most specific keyword possible. Just like with products, do research on how customers are looking for your services.
Map Capability Keywords to Capability Pages
These are the pages that show off the things your company does best. These keywords should focus on your company’s specific offerings and what you do that separates you from the competition.
Map Industry and Application Keywords to Industry or Application Pages
Any information about industry specifics your company deals in should be mapped to these keywords. Because manufacturing is often so specific, use these keywords to hone in on exactly what your customers get when they use your services or purchase your products.
Map Local Keywords to Location or Regional Service Pages
Depending on where your company operates, there may be different local keywords for different services. Having pages that specifically target the area your business works in can help match to these keywords that customers are searching for.
Step 3: Build Pages Around How Manufacturing Buyers Evaluate Suppliers
Include Capabilities, Materials, Equipment, and Applications
Because manufacturing is so specific, it is often these differences that help your company stand out from the competition.
Add Technical Proof, Certifications, and Use Cases
Customers want to know that your company is what your marketing says it is. The more qualifications and evidence you can show, the more likely they are to buy.
Make Conversion Paths Clear for RFQs and Inquiries
It is important to make it easy for customers to choose your company. Make RFQ’s and inquiry links easy to find and accessible from many different avenues across your website.
Step 4: Use Internal Links to Connect Related Buyer Paths
Link Blogs to Relevant Product, Service, and Capability Pages
If you have blog pages that go in depth on any products or services your company offers, link them within those pages. If customers have questions, it’s much easier for them to click in an internal link than to return to a search engine.
Link Capability Pages to Related Industries and Applications
When your company excels at something, include internal links to give it context within the industry. These are the pages that show why customers should choose your company over the competition.
Use Internal Links to Help Search Engines Understand Page Relationships
This can help search engines with context as well as help them link related subheadings and secondary keywords. This can help to extend your reach even further and help with additional visibility.
Step 5: Track Whether Keyword Mapping Is Working
Monitor Rankings by Page Type
Watch how your pages rank on search engines and monitor changes in activity. If pages start to move up in rankings, your mapping is doing its job.
Review Organic Leads, RFQs, and Sales Quality
When your website is successfully mapped, you should see a jump in RFQ’s and quality leads. Remember, SEO isn’t always about the number of clicks, but the quality.
Update Page Mapping When Buyer Search Behavior Changes
Staying successful with your mapping means keeping it regularly updated. Continue to do research on buyer behavior and update your page mapping if and when it changes. Keeping your pages regularly updated signals to search engines that your site is up to date with any changes in your industry.