Demystifying keyword research for beginners
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Table of contents
Keywords hold the key to unlocking your content’s visibility and reach
In the digital world, mastering keyword research is essential. With the right approach, you can boost your content and connect with your target audience. Let’s explore how keyword research can enhance your content strategy.
Lay the foundation: Define your goals
Before starting keyword research, it’s important to define your goals. Ask yourself what you want to achieve with your content, whether it’s increasing organic traffic, boosting conversions, or establishing thought leadership. Outlining your objectives will guide your research and help you focus on the right areas.
Understand your audience: Walk in their digital footsteps
Keyword research is not just about optimizing for search engines; it’s about understanding your audience’s needs and preferences. Put yourself in their shoes and think about what they might be searching for when looking for content similar to yours. Consider their pain points, desires, and questions. By gaining insights into their search behaviour, you can craft content that resonates deeply with them.
Brainstorm relevant topics: Get creative
Once you have a clear understanding of your audience, it’s time to brainstorm relevant topics. Start broad and then narrow down to specific subtopics within your niche. Look for trending subjects, industry news, and popular discussions. Tools like Google Trends, social media platforms, and online communities can be excellent sources of inspiration. Remember, the goal is to identify topics that align with your audience’s interests and optimize them with relevant keywords.
Keyword research tools are your secret weapons in uncovering valuable keywords. Tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and Moz Keyword Explorer provide valuable data, including search volume, competition level, and related keywords. Use these insights to refine your topic ideas, identify high-potential keywords, and uncover content gaps in your niche. Leverage the power of these tools to make data-driven decisions and stay ahead of the competition.
Long-tail keywords: The hidden gems
Don’t overlook the potential of long-tail keywords. These are longer, more specific keyword phrases that have lower search volume but higher intent. Long-tail keywords allow you to target a more niche audience, increase your chances of ranking higher in search results, and attract users who are closer to making a purchase or taking a specific action. Incorporate long-tail keywords strategically throughout your content to tap into these hidden gems.
Analyze and refine: Rinse and repeat
What is keyword research?
Keyword research is an SEO and content marketing practice where you identify and analyze terms that people use in search engines. This knowledge helps you create content that matches your target audience’s queries. The process includes brainstorming topics, using tools to find high-ranking keywords, analyzing search volumes and competition, and choosing appropriate, less competitive keywords to boost your content’s SERP rankings. By understanding and incorporating your audience’s language and interests, you can enhance your website’s visibility, draw organic traffic, and optimize your content for search engines.
Importance of keyword research
Keyword research boosts SEO by optimizing content with terms users search for, improving SERP rankings, visibility, and potential conversions. It helps reach targeted audiences, enhances engagement, and reduces bounce rates. The insights gained ensure content relevance, aid in competitor analysis, and help carve unique content strategies. It’s essential for effective PPC campaigns, enhancing ad effectiveness, and ROI. Regular research keeps content fresh, relevant, and appealing to audiences.
How to perform keyword research
Performing keyword research involves several steps to gather valuable insights and identify the most relevant and effective keywords for your content. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to perform keyword research:
- Define your goals: Before you begin keyword research, clarify your objectives. Determine what you aim to achieve with your content and who your target audience is. Understanding your goals and audience will guide your keyword research process.
- Brainstorm initial keyword ideas: Start by brainstorming a list of initial keyword ideas related to your content, industry, or niche. Consider topics, products, services, and terms that are relevant to your target audience. Include both broad and specific keywords.
- Use keyword research tools: Utilize keyword research tools to expand and refine your initial keyword list. There are various tools available, such as Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, Moz Keyword Explorer, and Ahrefs Keywords Explorer. Enter your initial keywords into these tools to generate additional keyword suggestions, search volumes, competition levels, and other valuable metrics.
- Analyze search volumes and competition: Evaluate the search volumes and competition levels of the keywords you’ve gathered. Look for keywords with a balance of sufficient search volume and manageable competition. High search volume indicates popularity, while lower competition increases your chances of ranking well for those keywords.
- Consider long-tail keywords: Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific phrases that often have lower search volumes but higher intent. They can be valuable for targeting a more niche audience and capturing users closer to the conversion stage. Identify relevant long-tail keywords related to your content.
- Analyze competitor keywords: Research your competitors and analyze the keywords they are targeting. This helps you understand their strategies, identify potential content gaps, and find opportunities to differentiate yourself. Tools like SEMrush and SpyFu can provide insights into your competitors’ organic and paid keywords.
- Refine your keyword list: Review and refine your keyword list based on search volume, competition, relevance, and user intent. Remove irrelevant or low-performing keywords, and prioritize those that align closely with your goals and target audience.
- Consider user intent and relevance: Evaluate the intent behind each keyword. Consider whether users searching for those keywords are looking for information, products, or services, or making purchasing decisions. Focus on keywords that align with the intent of your content and match what your target audience is seeking.
Organize keywords into groups or themes
Categorize and group related keywords into themes or topics. This helps with content planning and organization, allowing you to create targeted content for specific groups.
Monitor and iterate
Keyword research is an ongoing process. Regularly monitor and analyze performance, search trends, and changes in your industry. Continually iterate and refine your strategy based on new insights and evolving user behaviour.
Analyze competitors’ keywords to improve search results
To improve your keyword strategy, analyze competitors’ keywords using tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs. Identify high-volume keywords driving traffic to their sites, and evaluate their paid ad. Improve your content by identifying high-ranking keywords and filling content gaps. Study competitor content and SEO strategies for potential tactics to adopt. Focus on high-potential keywords that cater to audience intent and distinguish your content. Regular monitoring and adaptation of strategies can enhance your competitive edge.
What is Google search console?
Google Search Console, a free service from Google, helps website owners optimize site visibility and performance in Google’s search engine. It provides performance data like impressions, clicks, and click-through rates, identifies technical issues impacting visibility, such as crawling errors or mobile usability problems, and suggests remedies. Users can submit and analyze sitemaps to enhance the site’s Google search performance.
How can I use Google Search Console for keyword analysis?
Use the Performance report to review keyword data like impressions, clicks, CTR, and average position. Identify high-performing keywords to optimize content, and improve page ranking for low-performing keywords. Explore the “Queries” section for new opportunities and monitor performance over time. Combine with tools like Planner or SEMrush for additional insights and suggestions.
What is Google autocomplete?
Google Autocomplete is a feature provided by Google Search that suggests and completes queries as users type in the search bar. It is designed to help users find information quickly and improve the search experience. As you start typing a query, Google Autocomplete dynamically generates a dropdown menu with suggested phrases based on the popularity and relevance of previous searches. These suggestions are influenced by various factors, including the search term’s popularity, user location, and search history. Google Autocomplete aims to predict and provide relevant search suggestions to save users time and help them find the information they are looking for more efficiently.
Google autocomplete for keyword ideas for your blog
Google Autocomplete, also known as Google Suggest, is a feature used in Google. Its purpose is to speed up the searches performed by users on Google. It does this by suggesting possible completions to the query as you type. This can also be an effective tool for generating ideas for content creation, SEO, or digital marketing strategies. Here’s how you can use it:
Go to Google.com and start typing a phrase related to the content you’re creating or the product/service you’re marketing. For example, if you’re writing a blog post about digital marketing, you could start typing “digital marketing strategies”.
As you type, Google will automatically suggest completions for your phrase. These suggestions are based on popular and relevant searches that other users have performed. This can give you insights into what people are searching for in relation to your initial phrase.
Don’t just stop at one phrase. Try variations of your initial phrase to get different suggestions. This can be especially helpful for finding long-tail keywords (keywords or key phrases that are more specific and less common but can still have value for SEO or content creation).
Typing questions into Google can be a great way to generate keyword ideas. Try typing “how to”, “why does”, “what is”, etc., followed by your topic. The autocomplete suggestions can give you ideas for topics that answer questions your target audience may have.
This isn’t strictly part of Google Autocomplete, but it can still be very useful for keyword research. After you’ve searched for a phrase, Google will often display a “People also ask” box with related questions. These questions can also be used as keyword ideas.
Remember, while Google Autocomplete can provide valuable insights, it should be only one part of your keyword research process. Using a variety of tools and methods can help ensure that you find the most effective keywords for your needs.
Use Google Search Console for keyword analysis
Google Search Console is a powerful tool for website owners, publishers, and SEO professionals to track their website’s performance in Google Search results. It provides insightful data which includes your website’s traffic, performance, indexing issues, and more. It’s also a useful tool to analyze and improve your website’s keywords. Here’s how you can use Google Console for keyword analysis:
- Set up Google Search Console: Before you start, you need to verify your website on Google Search Console. You can do this by adding a piece of code to your website or through your website’s DNS settings.
- Access Performance Report: Once you’re set-up, access the “Performance” report from the left-hand navigation. This section will provide you with detailed information about how your website is performing in Google’s search results.
- Analyze Queries: In the Performance report, the “Queries” tab provides a list of keywords (queries) that users have typed into Google to find your website. Here you can find data about:
- The total number of clicks each keyword has received.
- The total number of impressions (how often a user saw a link to your site in search results).
- The average click-through rate (CTR) for each keyword (the percentage of users who saw your site in results and clicked on it).
- The average position of your site in the search results for each keyword.
- Discover New Keywords: Review the Queries report regularly to discover new keywords that are bringing traffic to your site. These might be keywords you haven’t optimized for yet, presenting potential opportunities.
- Find Underperforming Keywords: Look for keywords that have a high number of impressions but a low CTR. These are keywords for which your site is appearing in results, but users are not clicking on your site. Consider whether you can improve your content or meta descriptions for these keywords to increase CTR.
- Compare Data: Google Search Console allows you to compare data between two different periods. This can help you track the performance of specific keywords over time and measure the effectiveness of any changes you’ve made.
Use SEMrush for keyword analysis
SEMrush is a renowned tool for search engine optimization (SEO), assisting in comprehensive search term analysis, tracking term rankings, examining backlinks, and performing thorough SEO audits. It’s widely adopted by digital marketers and SEO experts. Here’s how you can leverage SEMrush for search term analysis:
Create an SEMrush account and select a subscription plan fitting your requirements.
In the dashboard, under the “Keyword Overview” section, input a term. SEMrush will deliver extensive data on the term, including search volume, difficulty, cost-per-click (CPC), and more. Additionally, you’ll see a trend graph demonstrating the term’s popularity shifts over time.
The Keyword Magic Tool is an exhaustive tool for research, providing an extended list of terms for seed terms. Filters include broad match, phrase match, exact match, and related terms. It further categorizes results into subgroups for easier analysis, providing details such as volume, trend, difficulty, CPC, and competitive density.
The Keyword Gap Analysis tool allows comparison between your site and competitors, identifying terms they’re ranking for that you’re not. After entering your domain and your competitors’ domains, the tool generates a report displaying common terms and unique terms.
The Position Tracking tool monitors your term positions over time, indicating the impact of your SEO efforts on term rankings and helping adjust your strategy.
The Organic Research tool identifies the terms driving organic traffic to your website or competitors’ sites. You can also view your organic competitors and their top terms.
Lastly, the Keyword Difficulty Tool aids in understanding the ranking difficulty for a specific term, considering factors such as competition and search volume.
Google keyword planner
Google Keyword Planner, a free tool from Google Ads, aids in understanding search behaviors and keyword competitiveness, useful for SEO and ad campaigns.
To use it, create a Google Ads account, select “Keyword Planner” under “Tools & Settings”. Enter relevant terms or a URL in “Discover new keywords” to get ideas and data like average monthly searches, competition level, and bid ranges. Review trends for each keyword to detect seasonal shifts or new opportunities.
Use “Get search volume and forecasts” to get projections like estimated conversions and cost, aiding in gauging potential organic performance. The listed competition level provides an estimate of the ranking difficulty for each term.
Ahrefs keyword explorer
Ahrefs Keyword Explorer is an advanced tool providing comprehensive insights into search terms, their difficulty, volume, and potential ranking opportunities. The tool is compatible with several search engines, enhancing its versatility.
- To use Ahrefs Keyword Explorer: Log into your Ahrefs account, create one if needed, and choose a subscription plan. Navigate to the Keyword Explorer tool.
- Input the term or phrase of interest in the search box. Specify the search engine and the target geographical location, then hit “Explore”.
Post-exploration, the tool will present a plethora of data related to your term. Major metrics include:Difficulty Estimation: An indication of the complexity involved in ranking on the search results’ first page. - Search Volume: This shows the frequency of the term being searched monthly.
- Clicks: Indicates the number of clicks received by search results for the term.
- Return Rate: Displays how often the same user searches for the term within a 30-day period.
- Term Ideas: The tool suggests related terms under “Keyword Ideas”. Categories include “having same terms”, “questions”, “also rank for”, and “search suggestions”.
- SERP Overview: Lists top-ranking pages for your term, along with metrics like backlinks, domain rating, and traffic.
- Traffic Potential: Estimates total search traffic achievable if ranked #1 for the term, considering traffic from all related queries.
This tool offers valuable insights into prospective terms, enabling data-driven decisions. However, it’s essential to understand your audience, align with your specific goals, and create high-quality, relevant content for best results.
Keyword metrics analytics
Keyword metrics are the data points used to evaluate the potential effectiveness and competitiveness of a keyword. They are crucial for SEO and PPC campaigns because they help determine which keywords are likely to drive the most traffic and conversions. Here are some of the key keyword metrics you should know:
- Search Volume: This is the average number of times a specific keyword is searched for in a given time frame, usually monthly. High search volume keywords tend to be more competitive, but they also have the potential to drive more traffic.
- Keyword Difficulty or Competition: This metric estimates how hard it would be to rank on the first page of search results for a specific keyword. It takes into account various factors like the number and quality of websites currently ranking for the keyword.
- Cost Per Click (CPC): This is the average cost of a click for a paid ad targeting a specific keyword. It’s primarily used in PPC advertising, but it can also give you an idea of the keyword’s value in organic search.
- Click-Through Rate (CTR): This metric shows the percentage of people who see your link in the search results and click on it. High CTR indicates that your title and description are appealing and relevant to users.
- Return Rate: This is a metric used in Ahrefs that shows how often the same person searches for a given keyword over a 30-day period. A high return rate indicates that users didn’t find what they were looking for with their first search.
- Traffic Potential: This is an estimate of the total search traffic you could get if you ranked #1 for a specific keyword. It takes into account not only the search volume of the main keyword but also that of all related keywords.
- Relevancy: While not a quantifiable metric, relevancy is crucial. Even if a keyword has high search volume and low competition, if it’s not relevant to your content, it won’t drive quality traffic or conversions.
- SERP Features: These are featured on the search results page that can affect how much traffic a keyword will drive. They include things like featured snippets, local packs, knowledge panels, etc. If a SERP feature takes up a lot of space on the results page, it might reduce the traffic potential for organic listings.
CPC and PPC
CPC and PPC are two important terms used in digital marketing, particularly in online advertising. They represent different but related concepts.
- CPC – Cost Per Click: This is a metric that measures the price you pay for each click in a pay-per-click (PPC) marketing campaign. In other words, it’s the amount an advertiser pays to a search engine or other internet publishers each time a user clicks on the advertisement, leading them to their website. The CPC is determined by complex algorithms and bidding systems, taking into account factors like the quality of the ad and the competition for the keyword. A lower CPC is generally better as it means you’re getting more visitors to your site for less money, though this also needs to be balanced against the value of the traffic being driven.
- PPC – Pay Per Click: This is an online advertising model where advertisers pay a fee each time their advertisement is clicked. It’s a way of buying visits to your site, rather than attempting to “earn” those visits organically. Search engine advertising is one of the most popular forms of PPC, allowing advertisers to bid for ad placement in a search engine’s sponsored links when someone searches for a keyword that is related to their business offering. Google Ads (previously Google AdWords) is the most well-known PPC advertising system. Advertisers select keywords they want to bid on, set the bid for how much they are willing to pay per click and create ads related to those keywords. When a user performs a search with those keywords, the ads may appear in the search results.
The main goal of both CPC and PPC is to drive traffic to a website, with the aim of converting that traffic into sales, leads, or whatever the desired outcome is. They are both key aspects of digital marketing and can be highly effective when managed properly. However, they require careful planning and management to ensure that the cost of the advertising (the CPC) is justified by the value of the traffic it drives (which is the principle of the PPC model).
Optimize for rich snippets
Rich snippets are a type of search result in Google’s SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). They display more detailed information about a page compared to regular search results, including star ratings, images, prices, and more, depending on the content of the page.
They are created using structured data, a specific kind of HTML that tells Google what the information on your page means, not just what it says, so the search engine can display this additional information.
Here’s how to optimize your website for rich snippets:
- Use Structured Data: This is the most important step. You need to mark up your content with structured data in a format that Google understands. Google supports structured data in the form of Schema.org, JSON-LD, Microdata, and RDFa.
- Choose the Right Schema Type: There are different types of structured data depending on what your page is about. For example, there are specific schema types for recipes, products, events, reviews, and more. Choose the one that fits your content the best.
- Fill Out All Necessary Properties: Each type of schema has a set of properties that you can fill out. The more properties you can provide, the better chance you have of getting a rich snippet.
- Test Your Markup: Use Google’s Rich Results Test tool to see if your markup is correct. This tool will show you any errors or suggestions for your structured data.
- Add High-Quality Content: While not directly related to structured data, having high-quality content on your page will increase the chances of your rich snippet being shown. Ensure the information is accurate, up-to-date, and helpful to users.
- Monitor Your Results: You can use Google Search Console to see how your rich snippets are performing. This tool shows you how often your rich snippet is shown and how many clicks it’s getting.
- Make Adjustments as Needed: If you’re not seeing the results you want, make adjustments to your structured data or content and test again. SEO is an ongoing process and it may take some trial and error to get the results you want.
Differences between SEO and PPC keyword research
SEO and PPC aim to boost website traffic but differ in their keyword research approach due to their unique purposes.
PPC targets immediate conversions with transactional queries, while SEO employs a long-term strategy, targeting varied queries to drive organic traffic. The cost-per-click in PPC is dictated by keyword competition, making high commercial intent keywords valuable despite higher costs. In contrast, SEO strives for organic ranking, considering competition-based keyword difficulty.
Google Ads provides detailed data for keyword optimization, including impressions, clicks, and conversions. Conversely, SEO relies on ranking data and overall organic traffic due to privacy-related data limitations.
Long-tail keywords, indicating clear intent, are crucial in SEO but need careful consideration in PPC due to the balance between specificity and search volume.
Both strategies require a relevant landing page; however, SEO also considers user experience factors, while PPC emphasizes conversion rate through strong calls to action and clear user pathways.
Integrating SEO and PPC keyword research can lead to a more comprehensive approach to search engine marketing. Data from PPC can inform SEO strategies and vice versa.
Types of search query
Search queries, also known as search terms, are the words that users type into a search engine when looking for information. There are typically three main types of search queries:
- Informational Queries: These are searches conducted to find information on a particular topic, concept, or idea. Users might not have a specific site in mind, so they use general phrases. Examples include “symptoms of the flu,” “how to bake a cake,” or “latest news on climate change.”
- Navigational Queries: These queries are made when users already know which website or page they want to visit but use a search engine as a navigational tool to get there. For example, typing “Facebook” or “New York Times” into a search engine because it’s easier or more habitual than typing the URL into the browser’s address bar.
- Transactional Queries: These searches indicate an intent to complete a transaction, such as making a purchase, signing up for a service, or downloading a file. Examples include “buy iPhone 13,” “download Photoshop,” or “sign up for online yoga class.”
Why do marketers love keyword research?
Marketers love keyword research because it helps them understand the language their audience uses, their interests, and their needs. It guides content creation, enhances SEO efforts, improves website visibility, attracts more targeted traffic, and ultimately, increases the likelihood of conversions.
What tool can I use for YouTube keyword research?
- TubeBuddy is a browser extension that provides keyword suggestions and scores based on search volume, competition, and optimization strength.
WordPress itself
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WordPress Theme Directory
wordpress.org/themes – The official WordPress theme directory is a great place to find free and premium WordPress themes. You can browse themes by category, feature, and popularity.
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