Keyword research is an important component of any successful SEO campaign. The trick, however, is figuring out how to do keyword research that drives traffic to your site.
That said, the way we do and accomplish keyword research has evolved considerably over the years. As Google becomes more advanced, so must we.
What is Keyword Research?
Keyword research is the process of discovering search terms that people enter into search engines, in order to use that data for a specific purpose. You can identify which phrases are the best ones to target, and then attempt to rank for these keywords in order to drive the most organic traffic possible to your site.
Here is a guide on how to do keyword research that will help you grow your traffic. After all, deep research is the key to successful SEO marketing campaigns.
- Make a list of key topics and words related to your site.
To help you find keywords to optimize your site, think about each product, service, or other asset on your website, and come up with a few potential search terms related to it. Use keywords that appeal to people at many stages of the sales funnel from brand awareness to conversion. - Research related terms to your keywords.
If you are trying to brainstorm keywords for an online marketing campaign, look at the suggested searches that appear when you plug in a keyword into Google. Keywords related to your topic can help you think of other keywords to consider. For example, when you type “keywords” into Google and scroll to the bottom of the search results, you will see suggestions for related searches such as “keywords tools,” “google keywords,” and “keywords search.”
Try using Google’s autocomplete feature to find alternative keywords to the phrase you are targeting. Autocomplete will show you what variations of your main keyword people are using to find content in your niche. - Check the trends of your selected keywords via Google Trends.
Identify and eliminate keywords with little or no search volume, but examine the trend history through Google Trends to see if a low-volume keyword might be worth investing in. When you know which terms are trending up and gain some insight into what’s been attracting the attention of Web surfers, you can have a good foundation for your SEO strategy. - Verify the search volume of your keyword.
When researching your target terms, it’s important to use tools that are both accurate and legitimate. SEMRush, and Google Keyword Planner are examples of these types of tools. You should verify keyword search volume by finding terms with an average monthly search volume of 100 or more. However, you should also explore other options and find a term with an average monthly search volume of 10 or higher along with a higher relevancy score. - Explore a mix of head terms and long-tail keywords.
Keyword phrases that are called ‘head terms’ tend to be short and generic – they are usually defined by only one to three words depending on who you talk to. On the other hand, long-tail keywords typically contain three or more words.A well-balanced keyword strategy should contain both head terms and long-tail terms since this will give you long-term gains as well as short-term results.
Keywords can be very tricky and no single formula for picking them exists. The best keywords have a high search volume and are specific to your site’s industry. Researching and choosing the right keywords for your website will help you drive traffic, increase your rankings, and ensure that your business reaches the people who are actively looking for it.