A Beginner’s Guide To SEO Keyword Research
Reading Time: ~ 2 Mins | Written By: Jason Serafica
Keyword research is an important factor when developing an effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. It is the process of using the proper SEO tools that allow you to find what your target audience is searching for on search engines like Google.
The Importance of Proper Keyword Research
Proper keyword research brings you closer to your target audience, providing analysis of recent trends, search volumes, and competition to generate long-term business growth.
Updates on Trends
Researching for the right keywords allows you to uncover the recent trends in your industry which you can use to better understand your target audience.
Develop Content on Relevant Topics
Relevant topics can be created by choosing the most relevant keywords. You’ll be able to compare which keywords to target based on user intent. This content can be created on your current webpages, through new landing pages, and blog posts.
Motivate Action
You can guide users to take an action based on the content you create from your keyword research; target informational (awareness), navigational (consideration), and transactional (purchase) intent.
The 5-Steps to SEO Keyword Research
Step 1: Brainstorm keywords
Start by brainstorming a list of keywords that are relevant to your business. You can begin dividing keywords by priorities - primary and secondary keywords.
Step 2: Cut down keyword list based on search volume
Take your list of keywords and use Google’s Keyword Planner to cut down the list based on search volume, competition, and other relevant traffic insights.
You can also use Google Trends to compare similar keywords and choose the proper keywords to target. The free tool allows you to filter and analyze keyword insights by location, date, categories, and type web search - which is perfect to analyze changes for seasonal trends.
Step 3: Understand search intent & identify topics
You can use “Answer The Public” which provides topic recommendations based on a specified keyword. Topics are categorized under “how”, “can”, “are”, “which”, and “will” type searches.
You can also check the types of content that shows up on the search engine results page. This allows you to have a better understanding of the intent behind the keywords. Additionally, it also provides insights to how competitors are targeting similar keywords.
Step 4: Analyze related search terms
Google’s search engine results page is a great tool to use for some additional search term analysis. The “people also ask” and “related searches” section provides you with queries people are using that are closely relevant to your initial keyword list.
You can also pay close attention to the competitor’s title and meta description, for you to consider when creating content.
Step 5: Create content based on targeted keywords
Now that you have a strong list of keywords and relevant topics, begin creating your content. Remember to ensure that you’re following SEO best practices to maximize effectiveness.
Once your content has been published, don’t forget to keep track of performance and continuously optimize based on initial rankings results.
Check out the Search Marketing Specialist course, if you want to go above and beyond the basics. Taught by industry experts and learn how you can utilize different tactics to best support your search marketing initiatives.
