Does homepage SEO exist at all?

[CamperConnect14]

hi

Just read a Yoast article explaining that the homepage should never be optimized for a specific keyword and should only be optimized for its business or brand name.

i have a large site that I'd like to rank (or increase traffic for as I know people get irritated with that term now) for 'Campervan hire'. It has plenty of sub pages going after 'Campervan hire 'location'' for example.

it makes sense to me for the homepage keyword - my core keyword - to be 'Campervan hire' and for the homepage to be optimised for this. However, the article I've just read (https://yoast.com/homepage-seo/) suggests a separate page for this keyword.

What are your thoughts pls??

thanks

[CamperConnect14]

Thanks, this makes sense!

[Eric_Rohrback]

Hey James,

I read through the post and it's interesting because Yoast isn't necessarily saying homepage SEO doesn't exist (even though that's the name of the post... clickbait much?), he's saying you shouldn't be targeting it with one keyword. So if you go the route of targeting a general theme of the site + brand, then you're going to be much better off than simply trying to rank for the one keyword you want to rank for. Going back to my example of an attorney and using the general term of Criminal Defense, then using internal pages to rank for the most specific (and potentially more likely to convert) phrases is the better way to go.

All pages on the site should speak to the theme, because it will help users and Google understand what the site is about. For general, and especially local, terms I see a lot of homepages ranking well. Not optimizing the homepage could cause you to miss a large amount of users just starting their search. They may not know exactly what they need yet, but there is a need. The queries will start broad and get more specific as they hone in on what they really need. Make sure you catch the users on the broad query because they will be more likely to remember your brand later down the road.

[CamperConnect14]

Hi,

i do see what you mean and i think I can see the sense in what Yoast are saying. if I were typing a general term like 'Campervan hire' into search though, I'd not be looking for an informational page on this but to actually rent a camper. Coming across a homepage for rentals nationwide would seem a 'useful' result. My worry is that I'll miss an opportunity to rank well for a competitive keyword With my view.

Our high content/text pages are in the form of Campervan travel guides and so focus on visitors rather than engines. A page on Campervan hire for the sake of it may be a bit spammy.

Thanks again- James

[CamperConnect14]

Hi, thanks for this. I agree with you based on what I've read elsewhere. I have shared the link a few times but I guess it's not showing up.

Here it is again: https://yoast.com/homepage-seo/

if you google Yoast . Com / homepage - seo

thanks

[LoganRay]

Hi James,

As with most things in SEO, the answer is 'it depends'. If the only service you offer is 'campervan hire', I believe the homepage for that would work. Then, as you've already mentioned you do, have pages built out for more specifics terms like locations.

I think there are use-cases for using the homepage for some high-level, top of the funnel keywords that broadly describe a business. But for the most part, I do agree with the Yoast article, as it can be difficult to put content on the homepage of a site while maintaining the aesthetics of a homepage.

[CamperConnect14]

Hi Don

thanks for replying. Article: https://yoast.com/homepage-seo/

lm thinking it's wrong too. We rank #1 for a local camper rental website- the homepage optimized for the core/head keywords and it's always the page at the top.

James

[Eric_Rohrback]

I think the homepage should be optimized for the vertical or the wide-scope most competitive keyword. Your homepage will be the strongest and most authoritative page on the site, so leaving it optimized for just the brand (which you should rank well for anyway) is kind of a wasted opportunity. For example a DUI/DWI lawyer could optimize the home page for Criminal Defense Attorney, but then have sub pages for DUI and DWI to speak to the user with specifics about each case or the different types of situations. Start broader with the homepage and narrow down with internal pages.

Not optimizing the homepage would be a wasted opportunity in my opinion. Which Yoast article were you reading? Care to share a link?

[donford]

Hi James,

An interesting question, my initial thoughts is that the Yoast article is wrong, or at the very least kind of wrong. In the sense that no one strategy is going to work for every site.

Do you have a link?

Interested to hear other opinions as well.

Don