Using keywords in your content can be tricky if you’re not sure which ones are going to be the most effective. Keyword research can make all the difference by helping you choose the right keywords that will make your site search engine friendly and relevant to your audience, which will ultimately lead to more traffic and better results overall.
Here’s how keyword research works, why it’s so important, and why it’s one of the first steps of any successful SEO campaign.
Keywords Defined
A keyword is a single word or short phrase used to help categorize your content and help it be found by users via search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.
Knowing what keywords to use for your website is important for your overall website optimization strategy.
Many different tools can be used to find popular keywords related to your niche, which will play a key role in helping you rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs).
One of these tools is known as Google AdWords’ Keyword Planner.
What is keyword research?
The first step to an effective search engine optimization (SEO) campaign is to decide what keywords you will use.
With your list of words, you’ll be able to identify and target certain phrases that people would enter into a search engine, like Google or Bing.
With more users using mobile devices over computers to access web content, your SEO strategy needs to emphasize keywords and phrases that are used on smartphones or tablets as well as those used on desktop computers.
The best part is that doing keyword research can actually help you with your content creation! You’ll be better able to focus on what topics might interest your readers when you understand their desires.
Your website traffic will thank you!
Overview of how keyword research works
The most obvious place to do keyword research is Google. But what you might not know is that Google isn’t just one place—it’s actually a collection of sites with many tools for researching keywords. (It can also be overwhelming.)
So where should you really start? Consider these three places: YouTube, Bing, and Quora. Here’s why… Keywords are important because they tell us which terms people are using when they search online.
You want your content to show up in search results when someone searches for those terms. That way, people who are interested in your content will find it.
It’s important to figure out what people are searching for before deciding which topics you’ll cover in your content.
This way, you’ll make sure that your target audience finds your content when they’re looking for it! Use keyword research to get started by finding out which words or phrases people are using when they search online!
Choose the right place to do your keyword research
To conduct thorough keyword research, you’ll need access to a variety of tools that reveal related keywords, keyword search volume, and other information.
But if you’re just starting out, it can be hard to know where to go first. Fortunately, we’ve already done most of your work for you.
We used a site called Ahrefs to analyze our current and potential client’s competitors from an Search Engine Optimization perspective.
This is great because it provides us with a good idea of what terms they are ranking for and gives us ideas on how to improve their rankings.
If you don’t have access to any SEO tools, then there are some free ones available on Google as well as some paid options like Moz Pro or Raven Tools.
The basics of keyword research
The foundation of any solid (Search Engine Optimization) SEO campaign is keyword research. Whether you’re working with paid advertising, organic search, or anything in between, finding out what people are searching for on Google can be a major boon to your efforts.
It helps you make informed decisions about where to put your limited resources and how to better tailor content toward your target audience.
So whether you’re just starting out or need some help picking up a few new tricks, here are some basic steps for getting started with keyword research
Step 1 – Decide on a topic
You could throw a dart at a map and find out there’s something to write about. However, it will be much easier for you to come up with good keywords and content ideas if you choose an area that interests you or one you have some knowledge of.
You also should think about your audience when selecting a topic. You wouldn’t want to pick an obscure topic just because it would give you more content but not interest your readers (no matter how much revenue it could generate!).
Step 2 – Get a list of long tail keywords from this article
Long Tail Keywords Come up with keywords that you might use. If you’re writing a post about How to Write a Business Plan, your keyword research may lead you to want to include words such as business plans, startup business plans, or even more generic terms like a business.
You don’t have to incorporate all of these keywords into your page; using some will naturally improve your ranking on Google.
Add your main keyword phrase at least once in bold text somewhere on your page, then add 2-3 other important key phrases in italics underneath each bolded phrase for secondary emphasis.
Step 3 – Figure out the number of monthly searches for these keywords
Now that you know what keywords you want to target and focus on, it’s time to figure out how many monthly searches each of these terms gets.
The most common way of determining keyword search volume is by using the Google AdWords Traffic Estimator tool. It shows you both the average number of searches per month (across all locations) and the top ten countries where people search for these keywords.
While calculating exact numbers may be difficult, your overall goal is to find a good balance between high search volume and low competition – if your country has very few searches compared to other countries, chances are that there’s not much money in it for you.
Step 4 – Write in-depth content around your keywords
There are many articles written about keyword research, but to begin with, it’s important to note that keywords can be broken down into two categories: high volume and low volume.
High-volume keywords have an average of hundreds if not thousands of searches a month, whereas low-volume keywords are less popular and may only receive a few hundred monthly searches.
As you begin your writing process, keep in mind that high-volume keywords will likely require more in-depth content since they’re so highly sought after.
However, low-volume keywords may serve as your foundation piece where you can link back to high-quality content when building a list of similar posts for (Search Engine Optimization) SEO purposes.
Conclusion
A strong keyword research strategy is essential for every online business. It allows you to focus on building your website’s content around popular and relevant terms, which can significantly boost traffic to your site.
Even if you’re just starting out, a good keyword research strategy will help your business grow quickly and achieve success sooner rather than later. While learning how to rank might seem challenging at first, it actually helps grow your overall knowledge of search engine optimization in addition to helping you gain valuable insights into how people are searching for information online.
If you’re struggling with learning how to rank or want more tips on improving your search engine optimization skills, contact one of our team members today!
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