Keyword Cloud Optimization is how I write titles and plan pages so one page can rank for a whole group of keywords, not just one. I lead with the single best keyword for the page, then use the rest of the title to cover the other words people actually search with.
It's the on-page method I've taught for years, and it's built into Xagio.
What a keyword cloud is
A keyword cloud is every unique word inside a group of related keywords, counted by how often it shows up.
Take these searches for a plumber in Edmonton:
- plumber edmonton
- plumbing company edmonton
- edmonton plumbing contractor
- plumbing expert in edmonton
- plumber near me
Break them into unique words and count them:
- Service words: plumber (2), plumbing (2), company (1), contractor (1), expert (1)
- Location words: edmonton (4)
That's the cloud. These are the words Google keeps seeing from real people who want to hire someone.
The method, step by step
- Start with who's already winning. Pull the keywords the top ranking sites in your market already rank for. Google has already validated those.
- Strip anything without a location. "How to unclog a drain" is someone looking for a video. "Drain cleaning dallas" is someone looking to hire.
- Cluster by service. Group the keywords by what the buyer wants. Each group becomes one page.
- Find the most opportunistic keyword in each group. Compare search volume to the number of "intitle" results in Google. The lowest ratio is the easiest traffic. That phrase goes first in the title.
- Fill the back half of the title from the cloud. Use the words from the cloud you haven't used yet, in a phrase that still reads naturally.
- Use the cloud for content and links too. The same words guide the page copy, and they make good partial match anchor text for backlinks without tripping Penguin.
A real example
Here's how two titles compare for the same page:
- Weak: Plumbing Company Near Me in Edmonton
- Strong: Plumbing Company Edmonton | Expert Plumber and Contractor
The strong title leads with the most opportunistic phrase, then covers plumber, expert and contractor from the cloud. "Near me" adds nothing, because Google already knows where the searcher is. It's a location signal, not a keyword.
Why a tight cloud ranks
A page that covers its cloud tells Google exactly what it's about. A page whose cloud is too big, with more than about ten unique words, starts to look like it's about everything. If there's too much going on for us, there's too much going on for Google.
When one cluster gets too big, split it into two pages. Each one gets a tight cloud and a clear job.
Where it fits in what I teach
Keyword Cloud Optimization is how I do the on-page part of Build/Buy in FBR|R. It's what helps a small lead gen site rank for a whole service in a city with only a few pages.
Xagio builds the keyword cloud for every group automatically, and Agent X writes titles this way: the most opportunistic phrase first, then the rest of the cloud in the back half.
More on this: Stop targeting "near me" keywords and EMDs: the most misunderstood weapon in SEO.