One keyword ranks while another does not?

I have a client who wants to target a specific keyword, such as "landscaping services." Their website ranks well for "cheap landscaping services" but struggles when the word "cheap" is removed from the keyword. The website has multiple blog posts discussing landscaping services, along with one service page that covers both "cheap" and "landscaping services." The URLs for the blog posts and service page are the same. I am considering adding "/blog/" to the blog post URLs to separate them from the service page, as I suspect they may be competing for the same keyword. Both "cheap landscaping services" and "landscaping services" have similar difficulty scores and search volume according to SEMRush.

There are several reasons why a website might rank well for a specific keyword, such as “cheap landscaping services,” but struggle when a word like “cheap” is removed. It’s possible that the website is optimized for the longer-tail keyword, which has less competition. For example, many landscaping companies don’t want to rank for “cheap,” so the competition is lower for that phrase.

Websites can be optimized for a keyword even if the exact phrase is not directly mentioned on the page. For instance, if a website has numerous backlinks using the phrase “cheap landscaping services,” it can still rank for that keyword even if it’s not used in the title, header, or content. Conversely, if the website only has a few backlinks using the shorter, more competitive keyword, it may struggle to rank highly, even if the website includes the keyword in its content and on-page elements.

Here are some things to consider:

  • Content overlap: If the service page and blog posts cover similar content, they may be competing for the same keyword. Adding “/blog/” to the blog post URLs could help separate them.
  • Keyword focus: Ensure the service page is dedicated to “landscaping services” and optimized specifically for that keyword.
  • Backlink quality: A high number of backlinks doesn’t always translate to high rankings. The quality of backlinks is crucial.
  • Local competition: Local rankings can be influenced by factors like reviews and the competitiveness of the local market.
  • Featured snippet optimization: Aiming for the featured snippet position can be a good strategy if competing for backlinks is challenging.

Ultimately, understanding the overall competitiveness of the keywords, the backlink profile, and the content on the website is essential to understand why one keyword ranks while another does not.