Keyword research for SEO is crucial for ensuring that your content stands out and is properly optimised for search engine rankings. But how do you make sure you’re choosing the right keywords?
Keyword research is the process of finding relevant words and phrases that people use to search for content related to a certain topic. It provides the basis for almost all SEO efforts, as it helps inform the content you create and the topics you cover so that it’s what your target audience is looking for and satisfies their search intent.
Of course, you don’t want to be creating content that no one is going to find or that nobody is searching for.
By researching keywords, you can determine which words and phrases you should use in your content to make sure you show up in search engine results.
Why is SEO Keyword Research Important?
Keyword research for SEO gives you the foundation to create content that is useful and engaging for your visitors. It helps you identify topics relevant to your target audience and ensure the content created will be found when those people search.
Creating content optimised for the right keywords will rank higher in Google and other search engines so that more people find it. This means a whole lot more benefits for your business.
1. Increased Visibility
SEO keyword research helps to identify the most relevant and popular search terms and phrases that can boost your website visibility in search engine results pages.
By researching the right keywords, you can ensure that your content is properly optimised and stands out amongst the competition.
2. Improved Targeting
Keyword research for SEO is essential to ensure that your content stands out and reaches the right people.
Researching the language and terminology used by your target audience means you can create content that speaks to them directly and resonates.
3. Increased Traffic
SEO keyword research enables you to understand what people are searching for and how they are looking for it, enabling you to create content that is more likely to be found by your target audience.
It helps you identify the most popular search terms and phrases related to a certain topic, as well as the language used by your target audience. This information can help you create content that is more likely to rank higher in search engine results pages and drive more organic traffic to your website.
4. Increased ROI
Keyword research is essential for creating content that stands out, targets the right people and drives organic traffic to your website.
By understanding what customers are looking for, businesses can produce more optimised and engaging content, which leads to higher conversions, and, therefore, results in an improved ROI.
Types of Keywords
It’s important to recognise a customer’s search intent in order to provide the most relevant results. There are different types of keywords, including:
- Informational keywords: These keywords indicate that someone is looking for information on a certain topic.
- Navigational keywords: These refer to searches where people are looking for specific websites or pages.
- Transactional keywords: These keywords indicate that someone is looking to purchase something or take an action.
It is important to research the right keywords and determine their intent so that you can create content that satisfies the user’s search query. If you’re creating content that speaks to all of these types of keywords, you’re more likely to show up in the search results and drive organic traffic.
Alongside search intent, you also need to be aware of long-tail and short-tail keywords. Short-tail keywords are generally one or two words, whereas long-tail keywords tend to be longer phrases that are more specific and targeted.
Generally, you will find it easier to rank well in search engines for long-tail keywords. It indicates to search engines that you are providing more relevant content for a particular search query, and they typically have lower search volumes.
But short-tail keywords can help you to generate more traffic as they tend to be more popular and have higher search volumes.
Using a combination of long-tail and short-tail keywords is the best practice to help you to drive more organic traffic to your website.
What You Need to Look for When Carrying Out SEO Keyword Research
It can be challenging to identify keywords that will give you the best chance of ranking in search engine results pages, especially if you are new to SEO.
There are a few key elements to look out for when you’re determining which to add to your list of keyword ideas and which to pass up.
Difficulty
Keyword difficulty level gives you an indication of how difficult it is to rank for a specific keyword. The difficulty score is determined by looking at the number of websites currently using the same keyword and their search engine rankings.
This metric can be used to help guide SEO strategy and determine which keywords are most likely to give your website visibility in search engine results pages.
You don’t want to target keywords that are too difficult to rank for, as it may be a waste of your time and resources. Instead, look for keywords with lower difficulty scores that are attainable and will give you a better chance of ranking.
Search Volume
When conducting keyword research, it’s important to look at the monthly search volume of a keyword. This will give you an indication of how often people are searching for that term in search engines, which can help inform your SEO strategy.
If you’re looking to drive more organic traffic to your website, it’s best to look for keywords with higher search volumes, as this indicates there is greater demand and interest in the topic.
Competition
It is important to determine how much competition you are up against for each keyword when conducting SEO keyword research. This can be done by looking at the number of websites that appear in the search engine results pages (SERPs) for a specific keyword.
If you see well-established websites ranking for the keyword, it may be more difficult to compete.
However, if the competition appears to be lower, it may be worth investing the time and resources into targeting that keyword as you may have a better chance of ranking in the SERPs.
How to Carry Out Effective SEO Keyword Research to Make Your Content Stand Out
Having a solid keyword research process and strategy in place is essential for creating content that stands out in the search engine results pages. Without proper keyword research, you may end up writing content that is not fully optimised for the right keywords and, therefore, will not attract organic traffic – a waste of time and resources.
1. Brainstorm Relevant Topics
Start by brainstorming relevant topics related to your business and industry. Think about the types of questions that people may be searching for, as this can provide you with inspiration for keywords and content ideas.
2. Use Keyword Research Tools
Once you have a vague list of keyword ideas, you’ll now need to turn them into more concrete terms. To do this, you’ll need to use keyword research tools to help you identify the most relevant keywords to target.
Type in your ideas into the keyword research tool, and it will generate related keywords, their search volumes, difficulty levels, and more.
Popular Keyword Research Tools
There are multiple keyword research tools available, some of which are free to use. Popular keyword research tools include:
- Google Keyword Planner
- Ahrefs Keywords Explorer
- Moz Keyword Explorer
It’s best to explore different keyword tools to see which fits in best with your strategy, as each slightly differs in its features and capabilities.
3. See What Keywords Your Competition is Ranking For
It can be helpful to analyse what keywords your competition is using and ranking in the search results. You can do this by using keyword research tools or simply by typing in your competitor’s URL into a search engine and seeing what keywords they appear for.
You can attempt to target these same keywords or use them to inspire new content ideas.
4. Create a List of Keywords and Narrow Them Down
Curate a list of all the keyword ideas you have generated, and then narrow them down to the ones that will be most beneficial for your website.
Rank each keyword based on its search volume, difficulty score, and relevance to your business. This will help you create a list of keywords that are realistic and achievable.
5. Incorporate Your Keywords Into Your Content
Once you have finalised a list of keywords, you should start incorporating them into your content. This includes titles, headings, meta descriptions, body text and even for ads.
If you overuse keywords, however, it could lead to your website being penalised. Google prohibits “repeating the same words or phrases so often that it sounds unnatural” and warns against keyword stuffing.
When it comes to including keywords in your content, it’s important to ensure that they are relevant and used in a natural way.
Monitoring Your SEO Keyword Performance is Crucial
Monitoring the performance of your SEO keywords is essential for understanding how well your content is performing on search engine results pages.
Tools – such as Google Search Console and Google Analytics – can be used to track keyword performance, as they provide detailed information regarding website rankings, traffic and conversions. Using these tools can help you identify where there are opportunities for improvement, as well as areas of success.
If you aren’t monitoring your keyword performance, you won’t be able to properly measure the success of your content and, therefore, won’t know what tweaks need to be made.
Analytics tools are powerful for understanding what keywords are generating the most traffic and conversions, allowing you to optimise your content and focus on more successful tactics.
By taking the time to research keywords properly and track their performance, you can ensure that your SEO efforts are effective and successful.
Finishing Up: Perfecting Your SEO Keyword Research Strategy
Investing in keyword research is a smart move for any business looking to grow online presence and increase website visibility. If you’re not using the language of your target audience, then you will never be found by them.
By following the tips above, you will be well on your way to creating a keyword research strategy that works for your website.
At Neural Edge, we can develop an effective data-driven keyword strategy for your business and integrate these keywords into your website content to ensure maximum search engine visibility.
If you’d like to find out more about our SEO services, get in touch today.
