Keyword research can improve your search engine optimization (SEO) projects. It is therefore crucial to understand the importance of each step.
In this short guide, we'll explore the process of keyword research. We will present the necessary terminology, the main steps to follow and the most dangerous pitfalls to avoid.
1. How to research keywords?
Keyword research involves understanding the phrases that potential customers use when searching for your business online. These phrases are called search terms and can be entered into any search engine. Most of the advice given here is tailored to Google but can work with any other search engine.
If your website has keywords related to the correct search terms, it will rank higher on the search results page. This ranking is simply the place in the list of search results. Websites that appear first receive more traffic.
Before defining keywords, mark a few topics associated with your business. The topics themselves aren't keywords yet, but they will give you a good idea of where to start. Refine them by specifying what exactly customers might be looking for.
Single-word keywords are often too broad because the user intent is unclear. It is difficult to get a good ranking for these words because the competition is tough. Generally, the sweet spot is around 2 or 3 words.
Long tail keywords (4+ words) can be peculiar, they are not searched for a lot. Some advise avoiding these low-volume keywords, but don't underestimate them. They are easier to rise to the top and more likely to convert visitors into buying customers, and this task is essential when you are just starting out.
2. The Keyword Research Process
Now that we have a rough idea of what keywords are, we can begin our research. The first step is the discovery phase.
Make a list of root keywords that are most likely to be used when searching for your website online. These short keywords will allow you to “cultivate” other relevant expressions. Take note of their frequency and volume.
To a large extent, SEO is market research of your customers online. Thus, analyzing user behavior is of utmost importance. The second step is to ask questions about your customers:
- Who and how searches for your brand?
- When and where do they do it?
- Why is your product worth exploring?
You need to ask these questions from the customer's perspective. Often a mistake here is to assume that the way you see your brand is the same as how your customers see it, and be careful that this is not necessarily the case.
The third step is to research competitor keywords. Competition is defined here in terms of ranking in search results pages. So it’s not just about your company’s direct competition. With this in mind, you need to determine low and high competition keywords. In general, the greater the search volume, the more competitive and difficult the keyword is to find.
Depending on your strategy, it may be best to target low-difficult keywords. In general, they are easier to use to attract at least some traffic to your website. Later, you can leverage this traffic for even better results.
3. Keyword Scraping
This step brings us to a burning question: the problem of collecting keyword data. The most relevant searches are generally from the last 12 months. So, knowing keyword search volumes and page rankings requires a lot of information.
When the data is collected, you need a tool to adjust your keyword wording at no extra cost, generate relevant suggestions, and organize it all in a convenient way. All this and also can be achieved with Google Keywords API at SERPMaster.com.
No need to spend long hours collecting keyword data – a web scraper will go to Google and search for relevant information on your behalf. You will then have relevant data, and you can move on to the next step: analysis.
4. Analysis and action plan
Now is the time to turn the raw data into guidelines for your SEO strategy. Spot seasonality and location variations. Classify data based on patterns found and your priorities. Don’t forget to include existing keywords so they perform well too.
Finally, match all keywords to specific pages on your website and create an action plan. Many websites have one main page that most keywords are directed to – the landing page, and it connects your best keywords to your most compelling promotional material. It would be a great idea to think about this first.
5. Conclusion
It’s safe to say that keyword research is one of the most fundamental pillars of your online marketing. Of course, other factors may come into play, and changes will need to be made over time. But whatever your online marketing strategy, keyword research should not be forgotten.