SEO Keyword Research

A keyword is any phrase or word that describes your website or web page content. You can also think of it as a search term.

A keyword or keyword phrase is what a user types into Google’s search box. Keyword research is about understanding the search habits of your potential audience so we can determine which search phrases to rank for.

Search engine optimization (SEO) campaigns must identify the search phrases for which your blog or website should be optimized. It is important to search for relevant keywords with high traffic that are less competitive from an optimization perspective.

You will have a better chance of ranking at the top for your chosen keyword phrase if there is less competition. This takes some effort, but it is worth it.

It is important to choose keywords strategically. Optimizing for keywords strategically will make your optimization efforts more efficient and result in the best possible organic results.

It’s easy to assume that our audience searches for certain words and phrases based only on our opinions. However, factless assumptions have no real outcome. In fact, it will distract us from our main goal. Marketers can find many free digital marketing tools to assist them with SEO keyword research.

Keyword Researching and Selection

SEO keyword research is the initial task and the most important element of digital marketing. It can make or break your website’s ranking. Don’t let this scare you.

Why are keywords so important to search engines? Search engine algorithms are heavily based on keywords and keywords phrases -keywords in your code, keywords on your page, and keywords in the links.

Be aware that keyword research is an art form, not science. These steps will make it easier to choose a keyword.

Define Your Site’s Content in General Terms

Digital marketing is all about content. Content is not just text, even photos and videos can be taken as content. Content brings traffic to the website. If your website has quality content then visitors will stay longer on your website otherwise leave quickly. What’s your website about? Hotel? Shoe Jacket? Non-Profit Organization? Photography? Videos?

Search for Keywords that are Related to Your Topic

Every topic can be optimized to a specific keyword. It is important to first identify the keyword you wish to optimize your content for. The AdWords keyword planner is a free tool that allows you to find keywords search volume and competition.

Select New Keywords

It is hard to perform well on competitive keywords. Big industries already capture the top position on those keywords. So, it is better to find new keywords and optimized content for those keywords.

To Search Further, You can Choose from Ten to Thirty Keywords Phrases

Take a look at your list. Choose a few keywords phrases that best represent your website. If you are not in a niche, ensure that your keywords have at least seventy-eight hundred monthly searches.

Remember that a keyword is more popular if it has more searches than its counterparts. Keywords that receive more than 10,000 searches per month should be eliminated.

You might ask, “Why not pick the phrase that has the most searches?” The answer is obvious: the more searches you have, the more people visit your site. There are also other factors that you should consider, such as how difficult it will be for your website to rank high for the search term.

SEO Competitiveness

Ranking well does not depend on the volume of searches for particular keywords. It’s important to search for keywords that bring qualified traffic to your blog or website, and are not too competitive.

You can take your list of 30 keyword phrases and assess their SEO competition by either looking at Adwords competition or more effectively by using the Moz SEO keyword research tool.

SEMrush and other resources can also be helpful in this area. Start with a free trial, or research online for a coupon if you don’t have access to these tools. Do not be afraid to use them. As these tools continue to improve, mastering them becomes easier.

You will find new tools constantly on the market that provide this information at a cheaper price. Don’t be afraid to try out free tools that offer both on-page insights and SEO competition information.

Keywords with high competition in SEO are not just random. They become more competitive as more websites create content around specific terms. Ranking well for a keyword can take time, website authority, and lots of optimization.

The best way to rank for keywords that are most closely related to your site is to select keywords with minimal SEO competition.

Research the Competition

No matter what tool you use for researching keyword phrases or creating them, you will need to assess the competition. This step is crucial for keyword research.

Google is a voting system. You need to consider whether you can optimize your website on-page or off-page better than your competitors and get more votes.

It is important to research the best-performing websites for your final keyword phrase selection. This takes some work but gives you ideas regarding how to move ahead in the future.

Firefox and Google Chrome both have many plugins or addons that can make your final analysis much easier. Moz and SEOquake plugins do a lot of the on-page analysis fast, which is much better than doing it manually.

Keyword Challenges

Generic Search Terms

Most of us won’t be able to achieve number one for generic search terms. At least not in the short term. This is because we don’t have the time or financial resources to do so. We would also waste a lot of time.

Why would large organizations search for generic terms? Below are some reasons.

• They may be ignorant about SEO.
• It is valid for long-term use. If you’re willing to work hard at it, it is possible. It can also be part of a mixed keyword strategy.
• If you sell online advertising you might be more interested on volume than quality. Online ads are usually sold CPM (cost-per-mille) or cost per 1,000 views. You make more money the more pages you have, regardless of whether the visitor was interested in the topic.

Long Tail Search

Two-word phrases account for 65 percent of all searches. The more specific the search phrase, the better we can pinpoint what we want and the more likely it is that a search will lead to action.

As marketers, we want to see some form of action (such as a purchase or download), so long-tail phrases, also known as “long tail”, should be our main focus.

The idea of a long tail search phrase is that there are many search phrases that can be combined with multiple words. Although they may not drive a lot of traffic, they are more likely to lead to conversion.

Keyword Variations

It is also important to know how people search and what order they use words. Google wants to match exactly what users search for. This is why the distinction between “SEO keyword research” and “SEO research keyword” is so important. What variation of the search term do people most often use?