Google's algorithm is constantly changing, but keyword research practices remain constant and relevant throughout. In this article we'll talk about what keyword research is, why it's important and how to effectively do it to maximize your SEO.
What is keyword research?
Keyword research is the essential process of identifying and analyzing words and phrases that potential customers use when searching for content related to your business online. By understanding keyword search volume and competition, you can optimize your website content to rank higher in search engines for relevant search queries. Effective keyword research is foundational to any search engine optimization strategy aimed at increasing website visibility and traffic.
Why is keyword research important?
Keyword research is important because it provides critical insights that allow you to align your content with what people are actually searching for online. People use keywords to search for something online. So content matching those keywords are likely to be recommended by search engines in the search results. Without doing keyword research a few key things can happen:
You risk creating content that doesn't match user intent or what they type into search engines. This leads to lower rankings and less targeted traffic. You may miss high-volume, low-competition opportunities that could drive relevant visitors to your site. Keyword data guides you to focus on terms you can realistically rank for. And, you have less direction on how to optimize pages and content for search engines. Keyword targeting provides the roadmap for things like meta tags, headers, content, etc.
In essence, keyword research lays the foundation for an effective SEO strategy that attracts visitors, generates leads and drives growth for your business. It is too important of a process to neglect.
You can find out what content your future customers will likely be searching for and make sure you are discoverable using Google Search Console to research keywords.
The goal is to rank higher in search engine results, and to do that Google needs you to be exactly what it's looking for. The closer your page matches the Google search, the more traffic you will likely get.
The 3 Cornerstones of Keyword Research
Volume
This pertains to the estimated monthly search volume for a keyword, which indicates how often it's searched. Google looks at how many searches you get, how many click-throughs occur, and other data that factors into the equation. High volume keywords have more search interest and traffic potential. But low competition is also key. You want to have a balance when targeting your keywords.
Often for new websites, it’s a better idea to target keywords with lower search volumes. Then, as you get more established and build up your domain rating, your site has a better chance of ranking with those higher volume keywords.
Competition
This measures how hard it will be to rank for a keyword based on factors like existing webpages targeting it. Lower competition increases the chances you can rank on page one. Competition depends on existing webpages already targeting a keyword. More competition means it's harder to rank high. Metrics like keyword difficulty and SERP analysis reveal competition levels. Low and medium difficulty are best.
Relevance
The keyword must be relevant to your business and closely match the topic of your content. Irrelevant keywords won't convert well even with high volume. Having contextual relevance sends signals to search engines your page deserves to rank. Avoid generic broad keywords if possible. Your keywords should have a purpose and focus in regards to your business.
How to Research Keywords for Your SEO Strategy
Use a Seed Keyword to Get More Keyword Ideas
A seed keyword is any bigger keyword from your niche that is used as a stepping stone to finding more keyword ideas. Every keyword research tool asks for a seed keyword, which it then uses to generate a huge list of keyword ideas. If you already have a product or business you're trying to promote online, coming up with seed keywords is easy. Just think about what people type into Google to find what you offer. For example, if you're a landscaping company your seed keyword would be landscaping. That would open up many other keywords for you that you could use towards improving your SEO.
See What Keywords Your Competitors Rank For
Looking at which keywords already send traffic to your competitors is usually the best way to accelerate your keyword research. But first, you need to identify those competitors. To do that you can take your brainstormed list of keywords, and search Google for one of your seed keywords and see who ranks on the front page.
Once you find a competitor website that fits the bill, you should plug it into a keyword tool to check which pages bring it the most traffic and what keywords these pages are targeting. After repeating the process with a few of your competitors, you’ll find yourself with a large list of relevant keywords. And this is only the beginning!
Use a Keyword Research Tool
Your competitors are a great source of keyword ideas but, it’s highly likely that there are many keywords that your competitors haven’t covered yet. You can find these using various keyword research tools.
Google Keyword Planner is a great option. It’s free to use, and although it’s made for people who want to display paid ads through Google, you can also use it to find keywords for SEO purposes.
In addition to the Keyword Planner, there are quite a few other free keyword research tools. These are great for beginner research, but over time you'll find out that they’re quite limited in terms of functionality and data. If you do decide to commit to growing search traffic to your website, you might need to venture into the more high end keyword research tools like SEMrush and Ubersuggest. Or, you could consider hiring a keyword and SEO expert like myself here at Open World Digital who has access to these top tier keyword research tools. Your goal is to improve your SEO and we do everything possible to help you achieve that.
Closing Thoughts
Keyword research is the foundation on which you build an audience-focused SEO strategy that gets results. It is worth dedicating the time and effort, as the payoff is attracting quality visitors who convert into loyal customers.
You can analyze your keywords and also your competition’s keywords to better understand where you're at in the process. Whether you've been working on SEO for months, years or are just starting out, keyword research is a process that is ongoing.
Lastly, remember that not all keywords are equal. Measure your keywords with a balance of the right metrics such as: volume, rank, and keyword difficulty. To drive more organic traffic and growth, make keyword research an essential and persistent part of your digital marketing approach. If you want to learn more about digital marketing and SEO visit the rest of our blog!
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