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You must have typed, “how to do keyword research for SEO” but never really got any good idea how to do it right. Here in this post, we’ll try to touch on everything you need to know and do as you do and start your keyword research. Doesn’t matter if you’re just learning about SEO, here is the most comprehensive keyword research guide for new and seasoned marketers who are diving into keyword research!
If you’re new to keyword research, this guide will teach you the basics, including how to find keyword ideas, analyze keywords, and target keywords for your business. By the end of this guide, you’ll know how to start your keyword research so that you can drive more traffic to your website.
But before we go into the actual process you also need to learn about short-tail, long-tail keywords, and keyword difficulty as they are crucial elements if you want to work your way up to ranking on the first page.
What is Keyword Research?
Keyword research is the process of finding and analyzing words and phrases that people use when they search for information online and identifying those that are relevant to your business. This research helps you understand how people are searching for products or services like yours online.
Basically, this means that you are listing down keywords that are relevant to the business to be more visible to their target audience.
Being visible means getting your business website or your content on the first page of Google. Basically, if you’re a new business or website, you have to start “ranking up” to get your content into the first few pages of Google.
What is Keyword Difficulty?
Keyword difficulty is a measure of how difficult it would be to rank for a given keyword. In other words, it’s a way of gauging how much competition there is for a particular keyword. The higher the KD score, the more difficult it will be to rank for that keyword. Conversely, the lower the KD score, the easier it will be to rank.
Later in this article, you’ll learn how to choose keywords and how to factor in their keyword difficulty.
Why is Keyword Difficulty important?
Let’s say you’re trying to decide between two different seed keywords: “marketing automation software” and “email marketing software.” Both are relevant to your business and could potentially drive traffic to your website.
However, “marketing automation software” has a KD score of 70, while “email marketing software” has a score of only 50. This means that it will be much easier to rank for “email marketing software,” making it the better choice for your seed keyword.
On the left is an example of how SEO tools show KD (the column with green content, the tool used is Ahrefs). The actual metrics for keyword difficulty differs from tool-to-tool, while it’s a good gauge for keywords that you could target, keyword difficulty should not hinder you from choosing keywords to target –– even if they are of the highest difficulty.
The best example of why you should not be hindered by the metrics of Keyword Difficulty would be the sample image above which shows that the website has been ranking for keywords with 0 difficulty, but definitely with search volume.
How to find keyword ideas for your business website
Did you know that nearly 60% of B2B marketers have not determined which keywords their website should rank for?
If you’re in the majority of marketers who have not determined which keywords your website should rank for, don’t worry – we can help! Keep reading to learn four effective methods for finding the right keyword ideas for your business website.
1. Determine your ‘seed’ keywords
The first step in finding the right keyword ideas is to brainstorm a list of potential “seed” keywords. A seed keyword is a word or phrase that describes your business, product, or service.
To generate a list of seed keywords, start by thinking about the various products or services you offer, as well as the different aspects of your business. Once you have a list of potential seed keywords, you can expand on them by adding related words and phrases.
For example, if you sell health supplements, some of your seed keywords might be “vitamins,” “minerals,” and “herbal remedies.” From there, you might expand your list to include phrases like “natural health supplements” and “supplements for better health.”
The next section will talk a more in-depth look at how to go about your seed keywords.
2. If you have SEMrush or Ahrefs, look at what keywords your competitors are ranking for
Once you have a list of potential keywords, it’s time to see what your competitors are ranking for. To do this, simply enter your competitor’s URL into a keyword research tool like SEMrush or Ahrefs and hit enter.
Once the results populate, click on the “Keywords” tab to see a list of all the keywords that your competitor is ranking for. You can then use this information to determine which keywords you should be targeting.
3. If you don’t have the above, use other keyword research tools
There are a number of different keyword research tools available online, and they can be extremely helpful in finding the right keyword ideas for your business website. Some free popular options include Google AdWords Keyword Planner and Keywords Explorer.
These free tools allow you to enter a seed keyword and generate a list of related keywords that you can target. They also provide valuable insights such as search volume and competition level so that you can prioritize the right keywords for your business.
>> Here’s a tutorial on how to use the Google Ads Keyword Planner for your seed keywords
4. Study your niche
Another great way to find keyword ideas is to simply study your niche. This involves taking some time to understand the ins and outs of your industry and what people are searching for when they are looking for businesses like yours. To do this, you can read industry-related blogs and articles, participate in forums and discussion groups, and attend industry events.
By taking some time to study your niche, you’ll be able to better understand the needs of your target audience and find the right keywords to target them with.
As you can see, there are a number of different methods that you can use to find keyword ideas for your business website. The most important thing is to take the time to brainstorm a list of potential keywords before getting started with any other method. Once you have a good starting point, you can then use other methods like competitor analysis and other keyword research tools to get even more ideas.
By studying your niche you can better understand the needs of your target audience and you’ll be well on your way to finding the perfect keywords for your business website!
How to find Keyword Ideas for your SEO Keyword Research
There are a few different ways to find keyword ideas. One way is to think about the products or services that you offer, and then brainstorm a list of keywords that describe those offerings. Another way is to use a tool like Google AdWords Keyword Planner, which allows you to enter seed keywords and then generate a list of related keywords.
But what are seed keywords, and how do you find them? Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about seed keywords, including tips on how to find the best ones for your website or business.
You can jump on these parts if you like:
How to find seed keywords
How to find related keywords
What are seed keywords?
These are typically one or two words in length and will give you a good starting point from which to generate more specific keywords. The first step to keyword research is to start with general, broad, seed keywords. You can use a tool like Google AdWords Keyword Planner or Semrush.com to find relevant seed keywords for your website or business.
How to find seed keywords:
Building content around your seed keyword is a great way to provide a topic authority and is another important factor for you to rank on the first.
How Many Seed Keywords Do You Need for SEO?
Every SEO campaign starts with keyword research. You need to choose the right keywords to target so that your website comes up in search engine results pages (SERPs) when people are looking for products or services like yours. But with hundreds or even thousands of potential keywords to choose from, how do you narrow down the field? And how many seed keywords should you ultimately target?
Examples of seed keywords
Let’s take Hubspot as an example. Hubspot offers an all-in-one marketing software, but do they target “digital marketing software” as a keyword? The best way to check is to search for the keyword on Google. True enough, they are targeting it and they are on the first page too!
It’s possible that it is one of the seed keywords that they targeted before that is why over time they niched down into other topics like SEO, blogging, CRM etc. Niching down means breaking down specific areas of your broad keyword and creating content around it.
Seed keywords should be broad so that you can create content that mentions these keywords over time.
Yes. You can’t rank on the first page of google just by creating ten or twenty articles and expect that you could outrank websites or businesses that have been creating content around the same topics over time.
Here is another example:
When people search for the keyword “positive psychology certificate” you may find schools (UPenn) and famous platforms (Coursera) that are offering these courses.
But look at how one online school (School of Positive Transformation) has thrived to rank beside a legitimate school and a website offering lots of courses. When you look inside their blog you’ll find that they have been building content around this seed keyword over time through topics under positive psychology.
A few questions that could help you in determining seed keywords would be:
- What is the primary offer of the website/ business? This could be the product or services offered by the website.
- Are there other topics under it that I can use to build content? If yes, then it would be a great seed keyword. If no, then look at your competitors’ content with the same offer and look at how they have built content around it.
How Many Seed Keywords Do You Need?
Now that we’ve reviewed what seed keywords are and why they’re important, let’s answer the question: How many seed keywords do you need? As a general rule, I recommend targeting 3-5 seed keywords PER PAGE on your website. This gives you a good mix of high-traffic and low-competition keywords to target, helping you attract organic traffic without getting lost in the crowd.
Of course, there are always exceptions to this rule. If you have a very large website with hundreds or even thousands of pages, you may need more than 5 seed keywords per page.
Alternatively, if your website is small or if you’re just starting out with SEO, 3-5 seed keywords might be all you need to get started.
How to Find Related Keywords
Paid tools like Ahrefs, SEMRush, Ubersuggest etc., are the easiest way to find related keywords but what if your client is just starting out and they are finding it hard to shell out for SEO tools?
Google is the key!
If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to find related keywords that can help you drive more traffic to your website, look no further than the “Searches related to [keyword]” and People Also Ask list on Google’s search results page.
These lists are generated based on what people are actually searching for on Google, so you can be sure that these are keywords that people are actually using to find information about a product or service.
- Go to Google and enter your main keyword.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the search results page and take a look at the “Searches related to [keyword]” list. You can also find People Also Ask after the first entry on SERP (sometimes after the ads too)
- Make a note of any relevant keywords that you see on this list.
- Add these keywords to your website content in order to make it more relevant and targeted towards what people are actually searching for.
- Monitor your website traffic to see if there is an increase in the number of people visiting your site after you’ve added these related keywords.
Here are some Chrome extensions that you can also use:
So far these two extensions are very handy for those who are looking for good keywords to use for content.
Below is how related keywords are shown beside your search results when you use Keywords Everywhere.
Another example is Keyword Surfer’s estimated volume and CPC metrics on the search bar as shown below!
Why are Estimated Searches and CPC important?
These two metrics present in the Keyword Surfer extensions are important because you can know if your keywords have traffic for a certain location. For example, in the image above, we now can know the estimated traffic for the keyword for “positive psychology course” is 140 and that CPC (or basically how much people are willing to pay to get their ads on top is $21.60.
A high CPC could mean that it is a competitive keyword when you’re putting up ads, but it could also mean that there are a lot of other competitors that are building content around that keyword. True enough, the University of Pennsylvania is ranking first in this and it’s amazing how the other websites on the first page are vying to beat them to it!
But did you know that the length of a keyword can also be a good way to determine which keywords to pick?
How to Use Short-Tail and Long Tail Keywords
The Great Keyword Debate: Short Tail Vs Long Tail
When it comes to keywords, there are two distinct camps: those who favor short tail keywords, and those who prefer long tail keywords. As a business owner or marketing professional, it’s important to understand the pros and cons of each approach so that you can make the best decision for your needs. So, let’s take a closer look at short tail vs long tail keywords.
Short Tail Keywords
Short tail keywords are general, one-or-two-word phrases that describe your product or service. For example, if you sell shoes, a short tail keyword might be “shoes.” Short tail keywords are often searched for by people who are in the early stages of the buyer’s journey and are just beginning to learn about their options.
As a result, they tend to be quite competitive and can be difficult to rank for. However, they can also generate a lot of traffic. Short-tail keywords are the best ones. to use as seed keywords.
Long Tail Keywords
Long tail keywords are more specific, three-or-more-word phrases that describe your product or service in greater detail. Continuing with our shoe example, a long-tail keyword might be “positive psychology certificate online.”
Long tail keywords are often searched for by people who are further along in the buyer’s journey and know what they want. They tend to be less competitive and easier to rank for than short-tail keywords but usually generate less traffic.
So, which type of keyword is right for you?
That depends on a number of factors, including your business goals, budget, and resources. If you’re just starting out and are working with limited resources, long tail keywords may be the way to go since they’re less competitive and easier to rank for. However, if you have a larger budget and more resources at your disposal, short-tail keywords could be worth going after since they have the potential to generate more traffic.
I could say that the best approach is to use a mix of both short-tail and long-tail keywords to ensure that your bases are covered.
Creating an SEO keyword list
Your Keyword Strategy Should Include These 3 Categories
Let’s take a look at three different categories of keywords that should be part of your keyword strategy:
Branded Keywords
The first category of keywords you may want to include in your list is branded keywords. These are the keywords that include your brand name or product name. The truth is, you can’t get on top of Google quickly for your brand name even if it was very unique.
The most important thing to remember is that if you want your website shown as one of the top results for a search on Google, then it needs good keywords. These are words or phrases people will type into Google when they’re looking for something specific about yours such as “company name __ news stories,” which means including these in blog posts and other content can help them find what they need much quicker than waiting around pages after page with no result!
To start you can try putting your Brand Name + adding generic keywords like:
- owner
- establishment
- services
- products
Your website may not be the top result for your brand name in Google if it has a generic or similar-sounding domain. Third-party authoritative websites, such as news sites and review blogs could rank higher than yours due to their quality content.
For example, if you sell running shoes, some branded keyword phrases might be “Nike Running Shoes” or “Adidas Running Shoes.” Customers who are already familiar with your brand are more likely to use these kinds of keywords when they’re searching for your products.
Customer Research Keywords
What are customer research keywords and why should you care?
There are two main categories of keywords: informational keywords and customer research keywords. Informational keywords are exactly what they sound like—keywords that people use when they’re looking for information about a topic. For example, someone might search for “SEO tips” if they want to learn more about how to optimize their website for search engines.
Customer Research Keywords
The second category of keywords is customer research keywords. These are the keywords that customers use when they’re doing online research about a purchase they’re thinking about making. For example, if someone is considering buying a new car, they might search for “best SUVs for families” or “cheapest cars to insure.”
Including these kinds of keyword phrases on your website can help you attract customers who are in the research phase of their buyer’s journey.
One way to find customer research keywords is to use Google’s suggest feature. Start typing in a seed keyword related to your product or service (e.g., “car insurance”) and see what suggestions Google gives you. These suggestions are based on the most popular searches related to your seed keyword.
Another way to find customer research keywords is to use a tool like Google Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest. These tools allow you to enter a seed keyword and see a list of related keywords that you can then target with your content.
Supplemental Readings:
How To Do Keyword Research With Google Keyword Planner
Including customer research keywords in your content can help you attract buyers who are further along in the buying process and more likely to make a purchase.
However, it’s important not to stuff your content with too many keywords, as this will negatively impact your search engine ranking and turn off potential customers. Instead, focus on creating high-quality content that naturally incorporates the customer research keywords you’re targeting.
If you want to attract potential customers who are further along in the buying process, then you need to include customer research keywords in your content marketing strategy. But beware of keyword stuffing—focus on quality over quantity, and you’ll be sure to see better results.
Customer-Finding Keywords
The third and final category of keywords to focus on is customer-finding keywords. These are the keywords that customers use when they’re actually looking to purchase a product or service. For example, if someone is looking to buy a new pair of running shoes, they might search for “running shoes near me” or “where to buy running shoes.” If you want to drive customers to your website who are ready to make a purchase, then you need to make sure you’re including these customer-finding keywords in your website content.
When it comes to developing your keyword strategy, it’s important to focus on more than just the most popular keywords. Yes, those popular keywords are important, but you also need to make sure you’re including branded keywords, customer research keywords, and customer-finding keywords in your keyword list. By including all three of these types of keyword phrases in your website content, you’ll be able to attract visitors at every stage of the buyer’s journey. And that means more traffic and more conversions for your business
Once you have a list of potential keywords, it’s important to analyze them to see which ones are most relevant and most likely to convert. There are a few different factors you’ll want to consider when analyzing keywords, including search volume, competition level, and click-through rate.
How to Research Keywords for Your SEO Strategy
The better your website is optimized, the greater your chances of being seen by potential customers. But how do you optimize your website? A big part of that is finding the right keywords. In this blog post, we’ll give you a few tips on how to go about researching keywords for your SEO strategy.
1. Make a list of important, relevant topics based on what you know about your business.
Before you can start researching keywords, you need to have a good understanding of your business and what topics are important to you. Make a list of these topics and then brainstorm a few possible keywords for each one.
2. Fill in those topic buckets with keywords.
Once you have a list of potential keywords, it’s time to start filling in the gaps. Use keyword research tools like Google AdWords Keyword Planner and Moz Keyword Explorer to find related terms and phrases that you may not have thought of before.
3. Understand How Intent Affects Keyword Research and Analyze Accordingly.
One of the most important things to keep in mind when researching keywords is intent. What are people actually looking for when they search for these terms? Are they looking to buy something, or are they just looking for information? Keep this in mind when analyzing your results and tailor your content accordingly.
4. Research related search terms.
In addition to researching the main keyword itself, it’s also important to research related terms that people might be searching for. For example, if you’re selling car parts, you’ll want to research not only “car parts” but also “auto parts,” “automotive parts,” etc. This will help you cast a wider net and reach more potential customers.
5. If all else fails…get creative!
Keyword research tools are a great way to generate ideas and come up with relevant terms, but sometimes the best way to find the right keyword is simply to use your own creativity and common sense. Think about what terms you would search for if you were looking for your product or service. Also, don’t be afraid to ask your customers directly what keywords they use when searching for businesses like yours.
Researching keywords can seem like a daunting task, but it is essential if you want your SEO strategy to be successful. By following these tips, you can be sure that you’re on the right track to finding the perfect keywords for your business needs.
Trimming the List: How to Analyze/Prioritize Keywords
Not all keywords are created equal. Some may be more relevant or have more potential than others. That’s why it’s important to prioritize your keywords so that you can focus your efforts on the ones that will have the biggest impact on your business. To do this, you’ll want to consider factors like search volume and competition level.
The first step in doing this is to come up with a list of keywords that are relevant to your business. You can use a tool like Google’s AdWords Keyword Planner to help you come up with a list of keywords.
Once you have a list of potential keywords, it’s important to analyze them to see which ones are most relevant and most likely to convert. There are a few different factors you’ll want to consider when analyzing keywords, including search volume, competition level, and click-through rate.
- You’ll also want to make sure that the keywords have a high enough search volume so that you can generate enough traffic to your site.
- The competition level is also important, as you don’t want to compete with too many other businesses for the same keywords.
- The click-through rate could also be a good metric to see how likely people are to click on your content when they see it.
How to Analyze Keywords
Any good marketing campaign starts with keyword research. After all, how can you hope to attract the right kind of traffic to your website if you don’t know which keywords to target? However, simply knowing which keywords to target isn’t enough. You also need to know how to analyze those keywords so that you can make informed decisions about which ones are worth your time and effort. Here’s a quick rundown of the four most important things you should look at when analyzing keywords for your B2B marketing campaigns.
1. Search Volume
One of the most important things to look at when analyzing keywords is search volume—that is, the number of people who are searching for that keyword each month. The higher the search volume, the more potential clicks and traffic you can generate by ranking for that keyword.
However, you should also keep in mind that competition is generally higher for keywords with high search volumes. As such, it’s often a good idea to target a mix of high- and low-volume keywords.
You can use Keyword Surfer Chrome extension to check Search Volume and CPC, Google Keyword Planner and other SEO keyword tools to look at the word’s search volumes (specific to the targeted country).
2. Clicks
When analyzing keywords, it’s also important to look at how many people are actually clicking on the results that appear for that keyword. This metric is known as “click-through rate” (CTR), and it’s a good way to gauge how relevant and useful your content is for a particular keyword.
In general, you should aim for a CTR of around 2-3%. You can use Google Keyword Planner to get forecasts on CTRs and Search Volume just click on “Get Search Volume and Forecasts”.
3. Traffic Potential
Once you’ve determined how many people are searching for a particular keyword and how many of them are clicking on the results, you can start to estimate the traffic potential for that keyword.
To do this, simply multiply the monthly search volume by the CTR. For example, if there are 1,000 searches per month for a particular keyword with a CTR of 2%, then the traffic potential would be 20 visits per month.
4. Keyword Difficulty
Finally, you’ll also want to take into account the difficulty of ranking for a particular keyword. Keyword difficulty is determined by a number of factors, including the strength of your competition and the quality of your content.
In general, it’s best to start by targeting easier keywords before moving on to more difficult ones. You can use Ahref’s free keyword difficulty checker. But it could be a little tedious if you’ve got a long list of keywords:
5. Cost Per Click (CPC)
The CPC is the amount of money you would need to spend on ads in order to get one person to click on your ad. The CPC is determined by factors like the competition level and the relevance of your ad to the keyword. You can use tools like Google AdWords Keyword Planner to research CPCs for different keywords.
CPC is also how much advertisers are willing to pay per click on their ads when someone searches for a particular keyword. Generally speaking, keywords with higher CPCs are going to be more difficult (and more expensive) to rank for than those with lower CPCs—but not always.
That’s why it’s important not only to look at CPC when evaluating keywords but also other metrics like difficulty score and traffic potential as well.
As you can see, there’s more to analyze than just pure search volume when it comes to keywords. By taking all four of these factors into account, you can develop a more well-rounded picture of which keywords are worth targeting and which ones aren’t worth your time. Do your research and choose wisely—and you’ll be well on your way to driving more traffic (and more sales) from your SEO campaigns!
Tips for Choosing Keywords for Your Website
If you’re starting a new website (or revamping an old one), one of the most important things you can do is choose the right keywords.
The right keywords will help you attract the right audience, get more traffic to your site, and improve your chances of ranking higher in search engine results pages (SERP). But with so many factors to consider, it can be tough to know where to start.
Never fear! Here, let me walk you through everything you need to know about how to find and choose keywords for your website. By the end, you’ll be an expert at choosing keywords that will help you achieve your business goals.
Using the Right Tools
One of the most important things you can do when choosing keywords is to use the right tools. Google Keyword Planner is a great place to start.
This tool helps you cut down your keyword list by allowing you to enter seed keywords and get ideas for related terms. You can also use Keyword Planner to check monthly search volume (MSV) for different keywords, which we’ll talk more about later.
Here is a video that can show you some Google Keyword Planner tips and lessons that you may want to know first before using this tool.
Prioritizing Low-Hanging Fruit
Once you have a list of potential keywords, it’s time to prioritize. Start by looking for low-hanging fruit—that is, phrases with a lower MSV that you’re still likely to rank for. These are often referred to as “long-tail” keywords because they typically consist of three or more words. Long-tail keywords may not get as much traffic as more general terms, but they’re often easier to rank for and can be just as effective in driving leads and sales.
Checking Monthly Search Volume
Once you’ve identified some potential keywords, it’s time to check their MSV. This will give you a good idea of how popular a given keyword is and how much traffic it could potentially bring to your site. To do this, simply enter the keyword into Google Keyword Planner and check the “Avg. monthly searches” column.
Factor in SERP Features
In addition to monthly search volume, it’s also important to factor in SERP features when choosing keywords. These are elements that appear on a SERP above or below organic listings and can include things like image packs, paragraph snippets, list snippets, and video snippets. Including these features in your keyword strategy can help you attract more clicks and drive more traffic to your site.
How to Target Keywords
After you’ve analyzed your list of keywords, it’s time to start to plan on how to put them into your pages/website, typically known as keyword targeting. There are a few different ways to do this, but one way is to create separate pages on your website for each keyword (known as landing pages).
This allows you to optimize your website so that it ranks higher in search results for those particular keywords. Your branded keyword and seed keywords should also be targeted on your homepage.
Ideally, I recommend targeting one long-tail seed keyword PER PAGE but also having multiple related keywords (can be mixed short tail and long tail kws). You can do this through your blog posts.
For example, if you are using “Free Keyword Research Tools” as your seed long tail keyword, you can find related keywords to this keyword and create content around it.
If you are offering services, your short-tail keywords would be quite expected to be the title of your most important pages (service pages, archives., etc), for example, “Gardening Services”.
There are a few tried-and-true methods for targeting keywords that will help you reach your target audience.
1. Identify the Parent Topic
The first step in targeting keywords is to identify the parent topic. The parent topic is the main subject on which all of your content should be based.
Basically parent topic =. core/seed keyword.
For example, if you are a B2B software company, your parent topic could be “B2B software.” Once you’ve identified the parent topic, you can begin to brainstorm all of the different keyword variations that fall under that umbrella.
And yes if you’re writing an article you can there is still such a thing as additional keyword research other than your seed long-tail keywords.
2. Identify Search Intent
The next step is to identify search intent. Search intent refers to the reason why someone is searching for a particular term or phrase online.
- Are they looking to make a purchase? Keywords used are “…near me”, “… price/pricing”, “…sale/promo”
- Are they looking for information? Keywords can be part of questions (who/what/when/where/why)
- Are they looking for something else entirely?
By understanding search intent, you can more effectively target keywords that will result in conversions. Search intent is the primary core of the content marketing pyramid.
So basically you need to group/identify keywords that aim to serve the information, those that could drive conversion, and those that needs lead nurturing.
3. Content Type/ Format
When it comes to keyword targeting, content type is also important. There are a variety of different content types that can be used to target keywords, including blog posts, infographics, eBooks, and more.
The best way to determine which content type will be most effective is to test and see what works best for your particular business and audience. For example, keywords that rank great on YouTube may not be the same for search engines. What may work on a social platform like TikTok may not work the same for Twitter.
Will your content be text-based? Audio? Video? Knowing the answer to this question will help you determine which keywords to target. For example, if you’re creating a text-based blog post, you’ll want to focus on long-tail keywords that people are likely to use when searching for blog posts online (e.g., “how to target keywords for b2b marketers”).
5. Content Angle
Finally, you’ll also want to consider content angle when targeting keywords. What unique perspective can you bring to the table? Why should people care about what you have to say? When you’re able to answer these questions, you’ll be in a better position to target keywords that will result in traffic and conversions.
By following these five steps—identifying the parent topic, identifying search intent, choosing the right content type, considering content format, and selecting the right content angle—you can effectively target keywords that will reach your target audience and help achieve your marketing goals.
If you’re unsure which keywords are the best ones for your business, you can ask your customers what they would type into Google if they were looking for your product or service. This will help you come up with a list of keywords that are relevant to your business and that people are actually searching for.
Keyword Research Tools
There are a few different tools that can help with your keyword research, including Google AdWords Keyword Planner and Google Trends. These tools can help you find new keyword ideas and track how popular those keywords are over time.
If you’re in the business of marketing, then you know that keyword research is a essential part of your job. After all, how can you target your audience if you don’t know what they’re searching for? That’s where keyword research tools come in. These tools allow you to see which keywords are being searched for most frequently, and they also provide insights into how difficult it would be to rank for those keywords.
To help you in your keyword research efforts, we’ve compiled a list of 8 great tools that every marketer should be using. Read on to see which ones cut!
1. Google Keyword Planner (Free)
2. Google Trends (Free)
3. Google Search Console (Free)
4. Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (Free)
5. Keyword Surfer (Free)
6. Keywords Everywhere (Free)
7. Ahrefs Keyword Research Tool (Paid)
8. SemRush (Paid)
9. Moz (Paid)
As a marketer, keyword research should be an integral part of your job. Luckily, there are a wealth of great tools out there to help you with this important task.
If you want to check out how to use each of these tools for keyword research (free and paid) check out these other articles:
The Importance of Keyword Research
If you’re running a business, chances are you’ve heard of keyword research. But what is it, and why is it so important? In short, keyword research is the process of finding words and phrases that potential customers are using to search for products or services like yours. By understanding what keywords your target audience is using, you can more effectively reach them with your marketing efforts.
We’ll discuss four reasons why keyword research is important for your business. Keep reading to learn more!
1. Marketing Trend Insight
One of the main benefits of keyword research is that it gives you insight into customer trends and desires. By understanding what keywords your target audience is searching for, you can better gauge what they’re interested in and adjust your marketing strategy accordingly.
For example, if you see that a particular keyword is gaining popularity, you can create content around that topic to attract more traffic to your site.
2. Traffic Growth
In addition to helping you better understand customer desires, keyword research can also help you grow the traffic on your website. This is because when you use relevant keywords in your content, you make it more likely that people will find your site when they search for those terms.
And the more traffic you have on your website, the more opportunities you have to convert visitors into customers.
3. Customer Acquisition
Keyword research can also be helpful in acquiring new customers. This is because when you use relevant keywords, not only are you more likely to attract organic traffic from searchers, but you’re also more likely to show up in paid search results.
And being visible in both organic and paid search results makes it more likely that people will click through to your site and become customers.
4. Keywords vs. Topics
Finally, it’s important to understand the difference between keywords and topics when doing keyword research. Broadly speaking, a topic is a general subject area that includes a number of related keywords. For example, “SEO” would be considered a topic, while “keyword research” and “SEO tips” would be considered keywords within that topic.
When conducting keyword research, therefore, it’s important to focus on both broad topics and specific keywords within those topics.
As you can see from the four points discussed above, there are many reasons why keyword research is important for businesses. By understanding what keywords your target audience is using, you can more effectively reach them with your marketing efforts and grow your business as a result!
The Three Most Important Elements of Keyword Research
If you’re a marketer, then you know that keyword research is a integral part of your job. After all, without keywords, how would you know what terms to target in your content marketing efforts?
But not all keywords are created equal. In order to ensure that your content is seen by as many people as possible, you need to focus on keywords that are relevant, have high volume, and come from a credible source.
Relevance
The first element of keyword research that you need to consider is relevance. When choosing keywords, you need to make sure that they are relevant to the products or services that you offer. There’s no point in targeting keywords that no one is searching for.
Not only will this result in little to no traffic to your website, but it will also waste valuable time and resources.
Authority
In addition to being relevant, your keywords also need to come from a credible source. This means choosing keywords that come from websites with high domain authority. Domain authority is a measure of a website’s credibility and indicates how likely it is to rank high on search engines.
The higher the domain authority of a website, the more likely it is that its keywords will be given more weight by search engines.
Volume
The final element of keyword research that you need to take into account is volume. This refers to the number of searches that are being performed for a particular keyword each month. In order for your content to be seen by as many people as possible, you need to target keywords with high monthly search volume.
Otherwise, you’ll be missing out on valuable traffic.
Keyword research is an essential part of any content marketing strategy. In order for your content to be successful, you need to focus on choosing relevant, high-volume keywords from credible sources.
By doing so, you’ll be well on your way towards driving traffic and generating leads for your business.
The Importance of SERP Features when Selecting Keywords
When it comes to search engine optimization (SEO), keywords are everything. The right keywords can mean the difference between ranking on the first page of Google search results or getting lost in the depths of the internet.
Here are some examples of SERP Featured Snippets that you may want to optimize for:
1. Image Packs
2. Paragraph Snippets
3. List Snippets
4. Video Snippets
But what many people don’t realize is that the algorithms used by search engines are constantly changing. That means that the keywords that were once effective may no longer be relevant.
As a result, it’s important to factor in SERP features when choosing keywords.
How to Optimize for featured snippets in search
Let’s take a closer look at a few of these features and how they can impact your keyword selection.
1. Image Packs
Image packs refer to the images that appear at the top of Google search results for certain queries. These images are often pulled from sites like Pinterest and Instagram, and they can give your website a major boost in traffic if you’re able to get your images featured.
When selecting keywords, consider using terms that are likely to generate image pack results. For example, if you sell handmade jewelry, you might want to use keywords like “handmade jewelry” or “custom jewelry.”
While featured snippets are not guaranteed it’s best to optimize your images by adding alt texts to them that include keywords that you are targeting but make sure to make it sound natural. For the example, it’s likely that the images are tagged as Nike SB Blue or have alt text, or are has been in a content/post that has those keywords.
2. Paragraph Snippets
Paragraph snippets are short paragraphs of text that appear beneath the link for a website in Google search results. These paragraphs provide searchers with a brief overview of what they can expect to find on your website.
Being featured for a paragraph snippet is unpredictable, so best to make your content on point and make your paragraphs short (2-3 sentences only) but rich in information.
3. List Snippets
List snippets are very similar to paragraph snippets, except they’re typically list-based instead of paragraph-based. They usually appear for queries where searchers are looking for specific information, such as a list of symptoms or side effects. As with paragraph snippets, it’s important to use keywords sparingly so that your list snippet is both informative and keyword-rich.
They usually appear for queries where searchers are looking for specific information, such as a list of symptoms or side effects. There is no guaranteed method to get into a list snippet but the best way is to optimize your content by using headings (H2-H6) for important parts of your post
4. Video Snippets
Video snippets refer to the videos that appear at the top of Google search results for certain queries.
Like image packs, video snippets can give your website a major boost in traffic if you’re able to get your videos featured. When selecting keywords, consider using terms that are likely to generate video snippet results. For example, if you have a cooking channel on YouTube, you might want to use keywords like “cooking tips” or “easy recipes.”
By taking SERP features into account, you can ensure that your website is optimized for maximum visibility in Google search results.
So there you go! I hope my guide will help you on your keyword research journey!
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