From quality link building to creating a positive user experience, there are many branches to a successful SEO strategy. Of course, the biggest component of SEO is keywords — they’re how you connect with existing customers and find new ones. Using the right keywords also helps you build a stronger online presence and stand out from the competition. But how do you locate these magic keywords?
This comprehensive guide will explain how to do keyword research for SEO, discuss keyword research factors you need to consider and share why you might want to consider the advice of an expert for your next SEO strategy.
What is keyword research?
Keyword research involves sourcing and analysing common search terms people type into search engines. Researching keywords is often done as a part of a business’s digital marketing strategy, like search engine optimisation (SEO). SEO keyword research can help you discover customer queries to target and their search popularity.
Why is keyword research important?
The importance of keyword research in SEO cannot be underestimated. Keyword research for your website helps you determine which keywords are most relevant within your industry and are most popular amongst your target audience. You can use these insights as part of your larger digital marketing strategy.
Before you start keyword research
Now that we understand what keyword research is and how important it is for the growth of your website, let’s get into how you can prepare for a successful keyword research strategy.
1. Start with a list of topics
The good thing about keywords is that they are always in large supply. The downside is that it can make nailing the right ones for your digital marketing strategy a little difficult.
We recommend brainstorming topics related to your business before jumping into keyword research to keep the process from becoming overwhelming. Comb through your website and social media channels, highlighting your most common keywords when communicating with customers.
For example, if you are a financial advisory company in Sydney, you might jot down the following topics:
- Budget planning
- Debt management
- Preparation for retirement
- Investment management
- Estate planning
It’s important to list all the categories and areas involved in your business — good keyword research will use multiple levels of categorisation, plus you’ll have a better chance of reaching a wide online audience.
2. Identify your region
Once you’ve got your list of topics ready, you’ll determine which region you want to focus on. This is an essential task for businesses with a wider reach in certain areas than others. Here, you’ll be able to decide whether you want to target existing customers in your most successful regions or reach new customers in other areas.
You’ll also need to consider the search language of the region you want to target, as the search language may vary from country to country.
3. Set goals
Conducting SEO and keyword research to generate traffic won’t do much for your business if you’re unclear about the action you want your customers to take. Goals are an essential part of your SEO strategy and act as a way to measure success. Ask yourself:
- Do I want customers to purchase?
- Am I interested in building authority in your industry?
- Do I want customers to read the information on your website?
- Do I want to generate more leads?
4. Be open-minded
While you may have your own perception of what your digital marketing strategy should look like, you must let the data drive your strategy. You need to be prepared to change how you word your website if you discover people are searching for your products and services another way.
Keyword research for SEO at Online Marketing Gurus has a proven track record of success. We’ve helped hundreds of businesses worldwide reach their goals through keyword research.
How to complete keyword research for SEO
Once you’ve gathered all the information you need, you’re ready to do some keyword research! Learning how to research keywords for SEO can be simple when you’ve got reliable keyword research tools on your side. Here are four tips to get you started:
1. Start by sourcing ‘seed keywords’
A seed keyword is a short tail keyword that is usually only one or two words long — these can be your list of topics. These often have a higher search volume, and because they are among the broadest terms out there, they’re also the most competitive. Seed keywords are a great starting point because they can help you discover other keywords relevant to your field, which brings up our next tip.
2. Find related keywords
To unlock related keywords effectively, you need to use keyword research tools, like Keyword Planner, to find a broad match or phrase match keywords relevant to your core categories. Other free online tools like Answer the Public also give you an insight into the questions people are asking about your industry.
3. Look at what your competitors are ranking well for
Don’t forget to keep an eye on your competition! Third-party keyword research tools like SEMRush can help you find what keywords bring in your competitors’ traffic.
4. Identify low-hanging fruit
Advanced keyword research also means looking at where your traffic is coming from at the moment. Google Search Console can help you see how customers find your website so that you can adjust your SEO strategy accordingly.
What to consider when choosing keywords from SEO keyword research
As you put together your list of keywords, it’s important to keep in mind that you might not be able to use all of them in your SEO strategy. The best way to do keyword research for your website will come down to deciding which keywords will be the most beneficial for your business.
When sifting through your list of keywords, don’t forget to think about the following:
1. Consider search volume
There’s little point in going after search terms with little to no search results. While using them may mean you rank higher for them, because they carry no weight online, no one will use them to visit your website.
2. Keyword intent
Keywords must have a purpose in your SEO strategy or they won’t align with your SEO goals. As these keywords will be used deliberately in your website’s copy, their purpose is to improve your rankings.
How do people use this keyword?
Gather intel on how people use the keyword online. Do they use it to find a product or service? Are they using it to find more information about a particular topic? This plays a big role in deciding how to use these keywords in your copy, whether in a blog, product description or elsewhere.
Do the keywords align with the goals you set?
Whether you’re after more leads or looking to improve your online visibility, ensure your chosen keywords align with your goals. This will ensure you get the results you want and help measure your success more accurately.
3. Keyword competition
Using keywords with a high search volume can mean you’re on the right track, but it also means that more sites are competing to rank for the same keywords. We recommend finding the balance between sourcing keywords with low competition and high search volume.
4. SERP Features
When it comes to keyword research for SEO, there are a lot of opportunities for online wins, particularly with SERP features. A search engine results page (SERP) feature is any result that appears on a Google search results page.
The most common SERP features are rich snippets — these are Google search results that use the URL, the page description and other rich information a user will find helpful to their query. Because of this, rich snippets often have a higher click-through rate.
Using the right keywords could allow you to appear in a rich snippet and overtake your competitors. Nowadays, getting to the number one position doesn’t always mean appearing as the first search result.
Online Marketing Gurus — your go-to for SEO keyword research
As we can see, keyword research is more than just adding random words into a sentence. It’s important to understand how to research keywords for your SEO strategy properly, as it can make a difference in the success of your campaign.
SEO changes almost every day, so businesses must be prepared to keep up with the latest updates and algorithm improvements to guarantee ongoing success — a task many business owners may not feel equipped for. In most cases, SEO and keyword research is best left to experts who understand the ins and outs of digital marketing and can drive the results you want.
Online Marketing Gurus is a highly experienced digital marketing agency specialising in all kinds of SEO. We’ve worked with businesses of all shapes and sizes across various industries — and we can help you too! Our dedicated team of gurus will work with you to create a tailored SEO campaign that aligns with your business goals.
If you want to learn more about our range of SEO services, feel free to get in touch today!
FAQs
How long does keyword research take?
Keyword research is one of the biggest parts of an SEO strategy and can be quite time-consuming if you’re starting from scratch. SEO is an ongoing strategy that must be consistently monitored to ensure it’s working. Many businesses opt to take the guesswork out of SEO by consulting with a digital marketing agency.
These agencies have access to marketing-leading tools and are experts in the field who can create a tailored plan for your business.
How often should you do keyword research?
While businesses should aim to conduct keyword research quarterly, your keyword research requirements will depend on your industry and the type of products you have. You must keep up to date with how people are searching, so you can tweak your SEO strategy and remain competitive.
How do you do keyword research for local SEO?
Local SEO involves improving your online visibility so that nearby users can find your business. Keyword research for local SEO requires a more comprehensive approach and includes other components such as link building, incorporating customer reviews and ensuring your website is user-friendly.
As this can be a more complex task, it’s recommended that you engage with an SEO specialist who can conduct this research for you.