Quick Summary
Ever wonder how keywords work and why some design studios always seem to show up first on Google? It’s not luck—it’s strategy. Keywords are how search engines understand what your business offers and connect you with the right clients. In this post, we break down how keywords help creative professionals—especially designers and builders—get discovered online. From finding the right phrase to using it naturally across your site, you’ll learn how small SEO tweaks can make a big difference in visibility, inquiries, and brand authority.
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I’m writing this from a little café I stumbled upon after hours of walking through Toronto’s laneways.
It’s a cool spot. The kind you feel proud to discover. It doesn’t even show up on Google. A true hidden gem.
But it’s empty. And I bet the owners don’t love that.
A beautiful website without SEO is kind of the same thing: full of heart and potential, just hidden where no one’s looking.
That’s what search engine optimization (SEO) does: it helps your business show up where people are already searching.
It all starts with keywords.
Let me show you how that plays out for a design business like yours…
Meet Ken and Aylin
They have two toddlers, and they want to invest in better playrooms.
But as busy parents, Ken and Aylin need the help of a professional designer. They ask their peers for recommendations (of course).
But they also do a Google search. They type “playroom interior designer near me.”
What do they see? Companies like Chez Shay, Smart Playrooms and grOH! Playrooms are on the first page.
To this couple, it looks like these companies must be the best. After all, they’re on the first page, right?
But here’s the truth: we don’t know if they’re actually the best designers. But we do know they’re the best at marketing and SEO.
How You Can Do It, Too
Now, imagine YOU are a design firm specializing in playrooms.
You want Ken and Aylin to find you on Google instead of your competitors. You want to be on the first page for the keywords, “playroom interior designer”.
How did Chez Shay do it? Well, the keywords “playroom interior designer” appear over ten times on their home page. And not just there—the same words are in their about page, their services, blog posts and even their portfolio project descriptions.
Having a clear niche or specialization makes choosing a keyword much easier.
A Keyword Checklist
Here’s a starting point for using keywords on a single page:
- Choose one primary keyword for the page.
- Use it once in the URL.
- Use it once in the H1 title.
- Use it 8–10 times in the body text (naturally, not forced).
- Use it 2–3 times in H2 or H3 headings.
- Include it twice in the meta title and description.
- Add it, where relevant, to image file names and alt tags.
- This is an oversimplification, Filomena. Google’s algorithm has 200+ ranking factors, and keywords are just one.
In next week’s post, I’ll share a case study of a client who used SEO to go from 4 to 30 annual inquiries.
Daniela
