When done correctly, keyword research and strategy is a critical strategic marketing practice that always continues. Although many people consider this a technical aspect of search engine optimization (SEO), I suggest it encompasses much more.
Does it only serve SEO?
If you want your content to rank highly on search engine ranking pages (SERPs), page one, you must conduct keyword research.
However, conducting effective keyword research also helps you better understand search intent— why people are looking for a particular item or service. The key to developing new goods and services is intention.
You can better understand the world of your ideal client by conducting ongoing keyword research, allowing you to speak to them more personally. Individualization fosters trust.
Last but not least, your editorial calendar should be driven by keyword research. SEO cannot function without content. ( If you sell SEO services, keyword research can be exhausting, complicated, and confusing. However, that’s a different topic entirely—Content is Air.) However, in reality, with just a few simple steps and free or low-cost tools, anyone with a basic understanding of their company, their ideal client, and the problems they solve can carry out effective keyword research.
Making a list The first thing you should do is start making a list of keyword phrases and terms that your ideal customers are likely to type into Google when looking for answers.
Your final list is not here; This is a comprehensive and imaginative list of possible key phrases. You will eventually reduce this list to a manageable number, but it is best to consider a large number.
The best list can only be created creatively by thinking like your customers, not like you, the business owner. But unfortunately, there is no exact scientific method for doing so.
There are a few tried-and-true and experimental methods for locating suspects; these methods may turn up gold depending on the circumstances.
Step 1: You and your team already know some answers, so brainstorm. How do customers discuss their issues, what they were looking for when they found you, and which of your products and services generate the most revenue? This excellent group activity frequently yields a dozen or more innovative concepts.
Step 2: Boards and Forums:
There are a few active bulletin boards and forums in almost every industry that people go to for information and conversation like Aimsolutions. Amazing things can be found in these gatherings. People frequently tell you precisely what they are looking for but cannot locate it. Additionally, it’s a great spot to spot recurring themes and trends.
If you search “key term + forum” or “key term + board,” you will likely locate some associated with your company. These can also be excellent venues for networking. [Pro tip I stole from Brian Dean: Go to Wikipedia and search for key terms. Pay attention to the table of contents for the entry, and you might find words you’ve never considered.] Also, check out Boardreader.com.
Step 3: Auto-suggest and related:
Go to Google and type some of your terms into the search box. You may notice that Google suggests terms related to what you are organizing as you start typing. This is frequently a clear indication from Google that those are some pretty well-known terms associated with what you seek. Watch for them because they might help you add more items. Scroll to the bottom of the results page after completing a search, not to what Google calls related searches. Again, this is an easy way to get some great ideas.
Auto-suggest Fourth Step: Google Search Console: Knowing for which keywords you already rank well is another good keyword practice.
Long-tail versus foundational Okay, you should now have 30 to 40 terms with which to work.
A variety of data points are needed to choose your foundational words. For example, if you’re a plumber, you may want to win terms related to your work. However, when making these decisions, you must consider how competitive the word is and how specific the goal is.
The second group of phrases, long-tail phrases, should be considered due to their strong intent. I love to use the phrases on this list as the focus for a monthly blog post or video tutorial.
Tools I Use Of course, now that you have compiled your well-informed list, it is time to put your theories into practice.
We’ll use a few tools for this, the first of which is the Google Keyword Planner. Now, many people who write about keyword research strategy start here, but I think this tool is too restrictive for brainstorming, and starting here will make you make the same list as everyone else. However, you can refine based on data if you arrive here with an expanded world perspective.
The volume of searches is helpful, but it is only a guide. Sometimes, the search terms with the highest volume could be more beneficial for your purpose. You will observe significant correlations when combining search volume with bid price. While a high bid price may not always indicate a high conversion value, you will begin to recognize the bid price variation as an essential indicator as you conduct this research. You want to find and edit your phrase using a combination of search volume and bid price.
Using Google Trends, you can understand how a term changes or compares to other phrases. For example, you should not invest in a search term as a foundational theme if it has a decent amount of searches but has 50% fewer searches than last year.
Using the Google Trends graph above, I love to show how popular marketing terms have changed over the past few years.
Businesses looking for a peek at seasonality in search terms will appreciate Google Trends’ ability to do so.
Okay, the connection between the content and the payoff.
Your editorial calendar is informed by excellent keyword research. Or at least it ought to, which is why you keep doing it.
Based on my list of foundational and long-tail keyword phrases, I use BuzzSumo to see what content people share and write about. BuzzSumo is a search engine that ranks content found on the frequency with which it is communicated.
BuzzSumo This is a great way to get even more specific about the content you might write for your blog posts. You will not imitate; Based on these tried-and-true winners, you’ll twist, expand, and intersect your content.
Your home page must focus on one of these terms, and landing pages or entire sections of your website must be dedicated to the other terms. A variety of data points are needed to choose your foundational words. For example, if you’re a plumber, you may want to win terms related to your work. However, when making these decisions, you must consider how competitive the word is and how specific the goal is.
The volume of searches is helpful, but it is only a guide. Sometimes, the search terms with the highest volume could be more beneficial for your purpose. You will observe significant correlations when combining search volume with bid price. While a high bid price may not always indicate a high conversion value, you will begin to recognize the bid price variation as an essential indicator as you conduct this research. You want to find and edit your phrase using a combination of search volume and bid price.
I use “a combination” or “balance” because a high bid price and volume may indicate a competitive search term. You’re likely trying to find a middle ground between those two factors.
Keywordtool.io, Yoast Suggest, and Google Trends are three additional tools I use to improve my keyword research.
Yoast Suggest is a tool from the company known for its WordPress SEO plugin. Using data from Google suggest, this tool generates an alphabetical list of seemingly endless related search terms.
A couple of additional bonus data points from BuzzSumo: in addition to the number of shares a post has, you can see which websites linked to it and who shared it. Of course, if the base is from Mashable, this won’t be much of a help. However, if it’s from a direct competitor, it might give you some ideas for linking to your next great post.
I use “a combination” or “balance” because a high bid price and volume may indicate a competitive search term. You’re likely trying to find a middle ground between those two factors.
Keywordtool.io, Yoast Suggest, and Google Trends are three additional tools I use to improve my keyword research.
Businesses looking for a peek at seasonality in search terms will appreciate Google Trends’ ability to do so.
Okay, the connection between the content and the payoff.
You will not imitate; Based on these tried-and-true winners, you’ll twist, expand, and intersect your content.
Your final list is not here; This is a comprehensive and imaginative list of possible key phrases. You will eventually reduce this list to a manageable number, but it is best to consider a large number.
The best list can only be created creatively by thinking like your customers, not like you, the business owner. But unfortunately, there is no exact scientific method for doing so.
Step 2: Boards and Forums: There are a few active bulletin boards and forums in almost every industry that people go to for information and conversation. Amazing things can be found in these gatherings. People frequently tell you precisely what they are looking for but cannot locate it. Additionally, it’s a great spot to spot recurring themes and trends.
If you search “key term + forum” or “key term + board,” you will likely locate some associated with your company. These can also be excellent venues for networking. [Pro tip I stole from Brian Dean: Go to Wikipedia and search for key terms. Pay attention to the table of contents for the entry, and you might find words you’ve never considered.] Also, check out Boardreader.com.
Step 3: Auto-suggest and related: Go to Google and type some of your terms into the search box. You may notice that Google suggests terms related to what you are organizing as you start typing. This is frequently a clear indication from Google that those are some well-known terms associated with what you seek. Watch for them because they might help you add more items. Scroll to the bottom of the results page after completing a search, not to what Google calls related searches. Again, this is an easy way to get some great ideas.
Auto-suggest Fourth Step: Google Search Console: Knowing for which keywords you already rank well is another good keyword practice. Knowing that you are already getting traffic for some of your most important terms will help you figure out how to strengthen these. This is precisely where the Google Search Console comes in handy. Interfacing your site to research Search Control centre is a wise thing to do regardless of what, as it likewise permits Google to inform you as to whether they find broken connections or pages or whatever other issues that may be impeding your indexed lists – however, this is additionally where you’ll have the option to check whether your pages rank for any watchwords right now.
Of course, if the base is from Mashable, this won’t be much of a help. However, if it’s from a direct competitor, it might give you some ideas for linking to your next great post.
