Appearing in the top search result is not possible without a properly developed keyword research strategy as it is the groundwork of a great search engine optimization campaign.
Keyword research for SEO is the process of finding out and analyzing the search terms and phrases that people enter into the search engines to find the stuff they need. We can define it as a practice to with a list of keywords that you want to rank for your business or company. Results obtained from the keyword research not only help you build a content marketing strategy but also evolve your overall digital marketing strategy.
Importance of Keyword Research for SEO
Conducting keyword research is vital as it provides you insights about which search terms your target audience uses to find out the stuff they need. It helps you to optimize your online presence according to the keywords or key phrases that internet users use. For instance, if you are using a single keyword to describe your product or service but potential customers are using a couple of words to find your products, they will not be able to find your product or service. That is the reason, you must have a list of keywords that you want to rank (and people are also using them for finding the products or information they need) for your business or company.
How to do Keyword Research for SEO?
Here is a step-by-step guide for SEO keyword research that can work well for both beginners and individuals already struggling to secure visible positions in the search engines.
1- Make a List of Important & Relevant Topics/Keywords about your Business
To start with the process, think about the topic ideas you want your business to rank for in search engines. Once you have 5 to 10 ideas in your mind you think that are vital for a successful online repute of your business, it would be easier for you to come up with the specific and widely used keywords. For this purpose, you must have the mission of your business in mind to get into the heads of the target audience. Ask yourself questions like what kind of keywords or search terms they could be using. Having a clear business mission in your mind helps you end up with a clear image of the industry or niche you are about to embark on.
2- Look at Search Intent of Potential Users
Search engines like Google usually rank web pages higher that are perfectly answering the questions users have. Everyone searches on the web with a specific quest in mind which refers as search intent. Every search query needs a specific answer and search engines rank the keywords higher that are optimized for different search intents. In order to find out the best keywords, one should understand things clearly such as why users are searching, what they need, are they looking for information or goods, etc.
There are four common types of search intents people may have in their minds when entering a search query in search engines:
- Informational intent: When people search on the web for information regarding a specific subject, product, or thing, it is known as informational intent.
- Navigational intent: People trying to find a website, location, or any other thing on the web are known as users with navigational intent.
- Commercial intent: A search query entered by a user to make purchases is considered as commercial intent.
- Transactional intent: When people are about to purchase desired products or services right after conducting commercial intent are the users with transactional intent.
In order to get more from the keyword research for SEO strategy, one should find out that which intent applies to the content or a specific landing page he or she is about to publish.
3- Make Sure the Keywords Fit your Site
Relevancy matters a lot. If you have a big list of fertile keywords that are irrelevant, the bounce rate for the website will be higher than your imagination. If a technology blog is optimized for health-related keywords, the users would be disappointed and will never come back to visit the site again. That is the reason, try to find out the keywords that are fit for your site if you want to grow.
4- Make Use of Research Related Search Terms
Finding out the research-related search terms (also known as LSI keywords) is a superb idea to boost your strategy of keyword research for SEO. These terms appear at the bottom of Google’s search result page when you enter a specific keyword in the search bar. These are the search suggestions most relevant to an original query entered. It offers more fertile keywords that you can use in your content strategy to appear in more search results. The use of research-related search terms could be a plus point for digital marketers to rank higher for many keywords than the keywords in consideration.
5- See what Competitors are Doing to Rank Higher
A keyword important for your competitor doesn’t mean that it is important for you too, but spying your competitors to find out what keywords they are trying to rank in search engines will provide you an opportunity to take your strategy of keyword research for SEO to the next level. If there is a keyword that your competitors are trying to rank, it makes sense that you too should struggle to improve the ranking for such keywords.
Conclusion
Keyword research should be the most important and primary element of a sustainable search engine optimization strategy as it will end up with a big list of useful keywords that can help your business or company rank higher in top search engine result pages. Moreover, be sure to re-evaluate the list of keywords obtained from the keyword research process every few months to get the desired outcomes.
