The basics of keyword research
Keywords can help you achieve your goals
Keyword research is the foundation of SEO and your entire digital marketing strategy. When people think of keyword research, they often think of it in terms of SEO (search engine optimization); however, the truth is that the importance of keyword research goes far beyond SEO. In fact, it’s the foundation of your entire digital marketing strategy.
Whether you’re writing a blog for your website, creating a Facebook post, making a video for your YouTube channel or designing a Google ad, you’ll need to do it with your keywords in mind. Your keyword research will guide almost everything you do to market your business online, which is why it’s so important that you get it right.
Are you new to keyword research and don’t know where to start?
Don’t worry, we’re here to help.
In this blog post, we’re going to give you a crash course in the basics of keyword research.
We’ll cover everything from what keywords are and why they’re important to how to find the right keywords for your business.
What are keywords?
In the world of digital marketing, we often talk about “keywords”. But what exactly are they? Keywords are the words and phrases that people use to search for information on the Internet. For example, if you’re looking for a new pair of shoes, you might type “women’s shoes” into Google. “Women’s shoes” is a keyword phrase.
Why are keywords important?
From a marketing point of view, keywords are important because they give you an insight into the words and phrases that web users use to search for information related to your business. They’re tools you can use to connect with your target audience online. If you want people to find your website, blog or social media profile, you need to use the right keywords.
This is valuable information, as it enables you to create content that is relevant to what people are actually looking for.
If you create content that’s relevant to what people are looking for, chances are they’ll find it when they search. And if they find it, they’re more likely to read, watch or listen to it. And if they engage with it, they’re more likely to remember it and maybe even tell their friends about it. As you can see, keywords can be a powerful tool to help potential customers find your business.
5 steps to help you find the right keywords
Step 1: Draw up a list of potential keywords
The first step in any keyword research is to draw up a list of potential keywords.
To do this, think about the products or services you offer and the topics related to your business that people might be interested in.
When choosing keywords, it’s important to think like your target audience and choose terms that are relevant to your business.
Ultimately, the product or service you offer is there to meet a need. So, when you’re figuring out which keywords to target, it’s important to put yourself in your customers ‘ shoes and think like them. This may require a little reverse engineering of your product or service.
First, think about the benefits or solutions your product or service offers, and then think about the need those benefits or solutions might alleviate.
From there, you need to think about the types of keywords you might use if you were in their shoes.
here are some of the keywords you could include in your list:
If you are a shoe store
- Shoes
- Baskets
- Boots
- Heels
- Loafers
- Sandals
If you are a law firm
- Legal Services
- Lawyers
- Legal advice
Related keywords are keywords that are semantically linked to your main keyword.
For example, if you’re doing keyword research for the term “dog food”, some related keywords might be “puppy food”, “kibble” or “dry dog food”.
Why is it important to find related keywords? Firstly, because they can help you broaden your focus and target a wider range of searches. Secondly, because they can help you better understand the intent behind a particular search. And finally, because they can provide valuable information about the other types of content people are looking for when they search for your main keyword.
So, once you’ve got a solid list of potential keywords, it’s time to do some research and see what other keywords might be related.
To do this, you can use a keyword research tool like Google Keyword Planner.
Type in one of your potential keywords and see what related keywords appear.
If you type “shoes” into Google’s keyword planner.
- Boots
- Slippers
- Baskets
- Shoe stores near me
- Air Force 1
It’s a great way to find even more potential keywords that could be relevant to your business.
Step 3: Check search volume and competition
Once you have a list of related keywords, the next step is to check the search volume. This will give you an idea of how many people are actually searching for each keyword. The higher the search volume, the greater the potential traffic.
To check search volume with Google Keyword Planner, simply look at the column to the right of each keyword.
You’ll see a column entitled “Average monthly searches”, which gives you an idea of volume over the specified period.
Don’t forget to check the competition too.
This will give you an idea of how difficult it is to rank for each keyword.
The higher the competition, the more difficult it will be to rank.
Step 4. Use good old-fashioned Google search
Google offers some excellent tools to help you find keywords for your website and digital marketing strategy. Best of all, they’re free, fast and easy to use, making them perfect for busy small business owners.
The first Google tool you need to know about and use in your keyword research is autocomplete, which shows you the most popular searches related to a given search term.
For example, if you start typing “drain cleaning” into Google, the related terms that pop up are “drain cleaning tool”, “drain cleaner”, “drain cleaning near me”, etc.
When you examine the search results for a specific keyword, you can also easily see who your competitor is for that keyword. When you examine the search results for a specific keyword, you can also easily see who your competitor is for that keyword. Knowing who your competition is will tell you whether it’s worth your time and energy to focus on certain keywords.
For example, if your competitors are other small businesses, you’re much more likely to succeed than if your competitors are big-box stores or huge corporations with unlimited marketing budgets.
Finally, Google also makes it easy to find related search terms at the bottom of the first page of SERPs (search engine results pages).
Step 5: Target long-tail keywords.
There are many types of keywords you can target in your digital marketing efforts, but for most small and medium-sized businesses, the most effective strategy is to target long-tail keywords. In fact, long-tail keywords are more specific keywords, and they’re ideal to target because they generally have lower search volumes, are less competitive and are usually searched for by people who are further along in the sales funnel.
When someone searches for a more generic keyword, such as “vacuum cleaner for sale”, they’re probably still in the research phases of the buying process. This type of general keyword indicates that the searcher doesn’t really know what they’re looking for yet, and is simply looking to see what’s out there.
On the other hand, when someone searches for a more specific keyword, such as “best vacuum cleaner for pet hair” or “Dyson V8 Animal”, it’s clear that they know a little more about what they’re looking for, and that when they find it, they’ll be closer to the act of buying.
Digital marketing is all about reaching your target audience in the right place at the right time.
Keywords can help you achieve this by allowing you to target specific groups of people who are more likely to be interested in what you have to offer.
By taking the time to do your keyword research and target the right keywords for your business, you can ensure that your digital marketing efforts are more effective, efficient and successful.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the keyword research process, Koanthic can help.
Our team of experts will be delighted to meet all your SEO and digital marketing needs, from strategy creation to perfect execution.
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