What is Keyword Research?

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Do you understand Keyword Research?

Keyword research is when people use keywords to find and research actual search terms that people enter into search engines. The knowledge about these actual search terms can help inform content strategy, or marketing strategy overall.

Keyword research is the first step in the SEO copywriting process and an essential part of any SEO strategy. Before you write your website content you need to think about which search terms you want to be found for and this means getting inside people’s heads to find out which words they use when searching. Then you can use these exact terms in your content so that you start ranking for them.

 

A few key phrases.

Keyword research can be defined as the work you do to come up with an extensive list of keywords you want to rank for.

  • Keyword strategy is about the decisions you make on the basis of that keyword research.
  • Keyphrases are keywords containing multiple words. We tend to use the word keyword all the time, but we don’t necessarily mean it’s only one word. [WordPress SEO] is a keyword, as is [The best Google Analytics plugin]. Keywords usually consist of multiple words.
  • Long tail keywords are more specific and less common because they focus more on a niche. The longer (and more specific) search terms are, the easier it will be to rank for the term. Keywords that are more specific (and often longer) are usually referred to as long tail keywords.
  • Focus keyphrase is the word or phrase you most want your page to be found for.
  • Search intent is all about discovering what a searcher actually wants. These are not just keywords, but the underlying goals of what a searcher wants to know, do or buy.

How to decide on your keywords.

To do it properly and find the best keywords for your business, take your time and do the research. Getting it right at the start helping to attract your ideal client from day one.

  • Make a list of important, relevant topics based on what you know about your business.
    • Think about questions like: What is your website about? What makes you special? Who is your ideal client?
  • Make a list of keywords for the topics you have identified in step 1.
    • With your mission in mind, try to get into the heads of your potential buyers. What will these people be looking for? What kind of search terms could they be using while looking for your amazing service or product?
  • Review your list of keywords and rank them in order of importance to your business.
  • Research the keywords to see how often it is searched for (volume of traffic) and the level of competition (how many sites are looking for that keyword).
    • You can use varies different sites and tools for this but I personally love the simplicity of Google AdWords Keyword Planner. Answer The Public (screenshot below) and SEMrush are also great tools.
Look at Search Intent.
  • Search intent has to do with the reason why people conduct a specific search. Why are they searching? Are they searching because they have a question and want an answer to that question? Are they searching for a specific website? Or, are they searching because they want to buy something?
    • Think about why people will be searching for certain keywords. The main reasons are:
      • Informational intent: Just like it says on the tin, people are trying to find information on a specific topic.
      • Navigational intent: People want to access a specific website by entering the term in a search engine.
      • Commercial intent: People want to buy something sometime soon and are doing research before making a purchase.
      • Transactional intent: People are looking to buy something after doing their commercial intent searches.
    • Decide on the main keywords for your website.
      • Ideally you need one main keyword for each page of your website and one main keyword for each blog. You can have additional keywords, but staying focused on one improves your chances of appearing high for that keyword.
      • Try to aim for high monthly searches (over 10k) and low competition. Medium competition is ok but you need to have well-written, engaging content on that subject.
      • Don’t have high competition keywords unless you are willing to pay for ads at the high rates or happy to really fight for the first page on Google.
  • Decide on the additional/supporting keywords you would like to rank for. These are great to have in mind when creating blog posts, however, don’t confuse the content by trying to fit 100’s of keywords in one post.

Once you have your keywords, you can put together a keyword strategy. This feeds into your marketing strategy including your blog post schedule.

Answer the Public | Keyword Research | AMPH Consulting Limited

Singular or Plural Keywords.

Should you aim for the singular or the plural keyword? Well, this depends on the query. As Google is learning more about the search intent of your query, it is able to better guess what you’re looking for. For instance, if you search for book, you get a different result than if you search for books. Apparently Google thinks that in the first case you’re looking for a definition or certain stories; in the second case it believes you’re looking for books to buy. So make sure you know what you offer on your page and that it fits with the query and results Google gives on that query.

 

Notes.

Keywords are constantly changing and therefore, keyword research is not a one-off activity. To stay ahead and keep your website on page one, you need to review your keywords quarterly. If they are still performing well, interest is still high and competition is low (or medium), you could choose to stay as-is until the next review.

Keyword research should be the start of any sustainable SEO strategy. The result will be a long list of keywords for which you’d like to be found. But the hardest part is still ahead; writing relevant content that captivates your audience. That’s quite a challenge!

Need some help understanding keyword research or where to start?

It can take a while to understand all the information the tools give you. For some people, this can become overwhelming. Don’t let it scare you and make you put it off. Keyword Research is one the important parts of SEO and needs to be done if you want to be found online.

If you would like a complimentary 30-minute chat to discuss how I could help you move forward, feel free to get in touch. I am always happy to answer any questions you may have.