SEO is incomplete without keyword research. It is essential to rank your site in search engine results. However, beginners lack the basic knowledge of how to conduct keyword research in a proper manner, which ultimately harms their SEO efforts.
If you are a beginner with insufficient knowledge of keyword research and want to learn how to implement it properly, this blog will help you find the solutions.
In this blog post, we will explain everything you need to learn about keyword research, from its importance for SEO to tips on conducting it effectively.
What Is Keyword Research?
Keyword research is the process of exploring the popular search terms that users frequently browse in search engines. Therefore, it is important to find keywords that align with users’ search intent. The main purpose of keyword research is to identify keywords that drive organic traffic to your site and improve rankings on SERPs.
The Importance of Keyword Research
Keyword research helps you find keywords that are often used by users to search on Google, which boosts online visibility and enhances search engine rankings.
Here, we have given the reasons why, as a beginner, you should prioritize keyword research for SEO.
Understand Users’ Search Intent:
By conducting keyword research, you will be able to know the most-used terms people use to search online. This information provides you with an understanding of which keywords bring more traffic to your content.
Understanding of Current Marketing Trends:
Doing proper keyword research offers you insights into the ongoing marketing trends, which enables you to create content on relevant topics and use keywords that people are looking for.
Increase Traffic:
When you add the most relevant keywords to your content, you will have a better chance of ranking higher in search engine result pages. This approach also attracts organic traffic to your site.
Discover Content Opportunities with Minimal Competition:
Keyword research proves to be an effective SEO techniques for finding content opportunities with lower competition. By doing keyword research, you can identify keywords that have less competition. Using them strategically in your content increases the chances of attracting more visitors and generating quality traffic for your website, resulting in improved rankings on search engines.
Additionally, with keyword research, you can also come to know about the keywords you should avoid using in your content that has already been dominated by established domains.
Provide Insights into Your Competitor's Keywords:
Keyword research not only helps you find the search terms that suit your content but also provides insights into the keywords your competitors are using to rank their sites. This clear picture of your competitors’ keywords allows you to make changes to your strategies accordingly to enjoy the same rankings.
Key Elements of Keyword Research
Keyword Relevance:
Make sure that the keywords you use should align with your content and your audience’s needs. This relevancy will surely drive higher user engagement and lead to improved rankings.
Keyword Volume:
It is an important factor to consider when conducting keyword research. You won’t rank the specific keyword if it is never searched by anyone. Such keywords have no traffic potential.
It is essential to measure the search volume of keywords, which is done through monthly search volume. Analyzing how often a keyword is searched monthly to identify terms that have the potential to drive traffic to your website.
Authority:
Google gives higher rankings to sites that are trusted and authoritative. You can gain the status of an authoritative source by enriching your website with high-quality and informative content that users find a reliable source of information. Provide the relevant content your audience is looking for. Your authoritative content can improve your site’s rankings on SERPs.
How to Conduct Keyword Research for SEO?
Make a list of Potential Keywords:
Making a list of possible keywords is the first step to conducting keyword research. You can expand these keywords by incorporating anything related to brand, product, or services. Besides, you can also add your location to these keywords that represent your country, city, or region.
Analyze Competitors Keywords:
You navigate to your competitor’s sites and find the keywords they are leveraging to effectively describe the same products or services you are offering and rank them in search engine results. Tracking your competitors’ keyword strategy helps you streamline the process of researching keywords with a new approach and execute your ideas effectively.
While researching keywords, make sure you visit the websites that often appear in top search results because you can use them as sources to explore new keyword ideas for your website for better rankings.
You can visit SEO.com to get insights into the site's keyword rankings. You can filter your search by topic, URL, or ranking position to explore relevant ideas. However, when checking competitor data, make sure your topics match your audience's needs.
Make a List of Long-Tail Keywords:
Now it is time to create a list of long-tail keywords with lower competition that can rank easily compared to short keywords. Long-tail keywords are more effective as they provide more details.
For example, your keyword is “best women’s clothing,” but there are other brands with similar services adopting all strategies to rank for the same keyword. As a result, it becomes difficult for you to rank it. Instead, you can try “best women’s clothing shop near Sydney, Australia”, to optimize the search intent.
Keyword Competition:
To assess the ranking difficulty of a keyword, make sure that you thoroughly analyze competitors and the authority of their domains.
Search Intent:
Understanding the reason behind a user's query (informational, navigational, transactional, or commercial) helps you influence your target audience with relevant content.
Use Different Tools for Keyword Research:
Numerous tools are available for accurate keyword research. We recommend using some of the best tools, such as Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, and Semrush.
When you enter your keyword, these tools generate relevant keywords along with their search volumes and competition. This information helps you choose keywords that drive traffic and achieve the best rankings on the search results page.
Conclusion:
By following the above-given tips for keyword research, you can easily identify the keywords that can target, align your content with user intent, and uncover low-competition opportunities. This strategic approach not only improves your site’s search engine rankings but also drives valuable organic traffic.
