If you’re looking to grow your SEO, then it’s time to get on the keyword research train. There are a few basic things that newcomers need to know before they start their journey into this sometimes-confusing world of keywords and key phrases. Let me help!
The article will continue with more information about what you should do as a beginner for your blog posts to rank higher than those who don’t take these steps.
What is keyword research and why do you need it?
Keywords are words or phrases that people type into search engines when they want to find something online. Keyword research is the process of finding out what keywords your customers are typing in to search for products/services like yours, so you can use them in your content on your website and on other media channels.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a process that optimises your website content to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). People regularly search for goods and services online, so keyword research can help you increase the amount of traffic to your site. By using keyword-optimised content, you’ll not only get better rankings in SERPs but also attract more customers because your site will show up higher in keyword search results.
For example, a customer types “best smartphone” into a search engine and finds your website because you created content with that keyword phrase. If your website gives them valuable information about the best smartphones, they’ll be more likely to make a purchase from you instead of from another online retailer who’s offering similar products.
Keyword research helps you understand what your audience is looking for and how to give it to them in a way that sets your website apart from your competitors. It also assists you in keyword targeting, which means putting the right keywords on web pages so search engines can find them when users search for those keywords.
Why are keywords important for your blog post?
Keyword research is important to your blog because it helps you understand what your audience is looking for and how to give it to them in a way that sets your website apart from your competitors.
Consequently, keyword research also assists keyword targeting, which means putting the right keywords on web pages so search engines can find them when users search for those keywords.
Keyword research is important to understand your target audience and what they are searching for when looking for content that relates to your niche.
How to find good keywords
There are many different ways to find good keywords such as keyword tools, keyword planning and competitor keyword analysis.
Keyword research using keyword planner tools
If you have a good idea about the keywords that you want to target then keyword planner tools can help pinpoint competitors who are competitive in those search terms.
In comparison, if you have a broad keyword such as the ‘cars’ keyword planners can also provide you with more niche ideas on what to target.
Also, keyword planner tools should take into account word combinations such as ‘where can I buy’ or ‘best car’.
keyword planning method
This method helps me brainstorm keywords that I could be targeting within my niche topic. It also helps me come up with content ideas based on these keywords which are very useful for creating content later on down the line. This method consists of lots of time spent conducting keyword research which you can use to find keywords that are less competitive but still relevant.
First keyword planner tools help me to brainstorm ideas for keywords related to my niche topic. Using keyword planner tools I search for the keyword ‘cars’ and select keyword match types such as broad, phrase and exact. Based on this keyword research I come up with more keywords like “best car” or “reviews of cars” etc. Then I would take these keywords further by looking at keyword combinations i.e. “where can I buy”. By doing this your list of possible keywords should grow much larger than just choosing keywords that are not very competitive because they are just the words in your niche topic plus a few variations here and there!
Common mistakes when doing keyword research
Common mistake 1: Find keywords google actually cares about
If you’ve never done keyword research before, one of the most common mistakes that people make is doing keyword research in a way that doesn’t take into account what Google actually cares about.
What does Google care about when it’s ranking pages in search results? It looks for keywords on-page, but it also looks at social signals, backlinks and more. So if you’re only looking at keyword volume as the main metric then you’re not doing keyword research – you’re just guessing.
Common mistake 2: Only focusing on keyword volume
Another common keyword research mistake is focusing purely on keyword volume. That’s only one of the metrics that you should be looking at when doing keyword research. You can’t decide which keywords to target if you don’t know what they are; you need to look at how much competition there is for any given keyword, whether or not people are searching for it (and how often) and see what sort of traffic potential a keyword has before deciding how relevant it is.
The keyword “Insurance” is searched about 29k times per month in the UK; that doesn’t sound like a lot but I would still include that in my list of keywords to consider targeting because there isn’t much competition around that keyword.
Search for keywords that are searched often with low competition is what you should be aiming for.
The keyword “Insurance” does bring up some very highly ranked sites on page one of Google, but there are still loopholes to exploit. For example, the keyword phrase ‘Life Insurance’ only brings up about 5k search results, which is a big difference from 29k! So if I wanted to target Life Insurance I would have less competition and it would be an easier keyword to rank for than just “Insurance”.
Keyword tools you can use to help with your research
- Keyword planner (Google keyword tool)
- Ahrefs keyword explorer (Paid Tool)
- Ubersuggest
- Related searches or people also ask on Google
- SEMrush Keyword Tool
Most of these tools are free to use, so why not give them a go!
Tips on how to optimize your content for SEO purposes based on what keywords you chose
Optimising your content is the most important thing you can do after you’ve decided on what topic you want to write about. This is because you want to provide an answer to your keyword. The keyword is the question that people are typing into search engines, so it makes sense that if you give them what they’re looking for then you should rank well.
So how do you optimise your content?
One way I like doing things is firstly writing an introduction paragraph telling people what my keyword is about and summarising any other key points I’ve made in the article. Then I break down my keyword into 5-6 subheadings that explain different aspects of the keyword, each with a lead sentence at the start followed by some supporting information. These subheadings are usually short but informative phrases rather than full sentences as Google will want to add them into their Search Engine Results Page (SERP).
After you’ve summarized your content it is important to use the keyword several times throughout the article to improve search engine optimisation. However, don’t use it too much otherwise you’ll sound spammy so use your best judgment. Try to keep it in one paragraph (at least) and try using synonyms if appropriate.
If people like your keyword then they’re likely to click on it which is why keywords should be well-written and keyword-focused. This is also beneficial for social media as people are more likely to share well-written articles that reflect their own keyword choice choices rather than simply writing what you think people want to hear about.
Hopefully, this has helped make keyword research a little easier but feel free to leave any questions or comments below!
Good luck with your research!
