Effective Keyword Research for SEO 2024
In digital marketing, internet users go to search bars to input specific words or phrases with an aim to find their desired information results from search engines. These words are called keywords, and they are an important element of search engine optimization (SEO). For company and brand websites to achieve visibility in this digital landscape, they must perform keyword research to understand and deliver to the curiosities/needs of their target audience.
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This blog aims to help website owners and marketers understand keyword research better. We will give advice and actionable strategies to get through this process with ease even with the Google core algorithm updates.
What is keyword research?
Keyword research is the process of understanding what your website is about, picking a relevant topic, and looking at how people search for that topic online. The search input usually asks the who, what, where, when, why and how (5W’s & H), for example, it may be “What is keyword research and how does it help to rank higher on Google?”. By strategically using these keywords in your content, you can increase the number of people who visit your site through search engines. This process is important because it helps your web pages rank higher in search results which makes it easier for potential customers to find you.
How is keyword research important?
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Keyword research is the foundation of overall organizational strategies that drives success. As a breakdown, it helps businesses and brands become discoverable on search engines by understanding who their target audience is, the kind of content they consume and how they consume it and use the right keywords to get to their audience effectively.
Which is key to converting audience into paying customers in your business. Many businesses use keyword research tools to find the most accurate keywords to use. According to Kiran on Quora, these keywords can be classified as related keywords, competitive keywords, question-based keywords, time-sensitive ideas, content gap analysis and last but not least feature snippet analysis which all require different tools.
What are keyword research tools?
Keyword research tools are software or online platforms designed to help marketers, content creators and website owners identify relevant keywords for their content.
These tools show which keywords people are searching for and how competitive they are. By using insights or results found on these tools, marketers can create content that’s more likely to be clicked by their target audience which in turn improves website visibility in search results and attract more visitors.
Here is a breakdown of how these tools help:
Keyword suggestions: When you’re brainstorming content or planning ad campaigns, these tools suggest words or phrases related to what you’re focusing on. For example, if you’re writing about “search engine optimization,” they might suggest terms like “on-page SEO” or “off-page SEO” which can help you cover all angles of your topic.
Search volume data: Ever wondered how many people are actually searching for the keywords you’re targeting? These tools give you that information. If you find out that “SEO tactics” gets way more searches than “brand awareness strategies,” you might want to prioritize topics closely aligned to the first one in your content.
Keyword difficulty: This feature gives you an idea of how tough it can be to rank for a particular keyword. If the competition is too high, it might be tough to get your content noticed. So, it helps you focus on keywords where you have a better chance of standing out.
Competitor analysis: By looking at what keywords your competitors are targeting, you can get some information into their strategies. They may be focusing on keywords you haven’t thought of, or neglecting some keywords that could be golden opportunities for you.
Trend analysis: Knowing whether a keyword’s popularity is on the rise, losing value or consistent can help you plan your content calendar perfectly. If a topic with keywords “marketing strategy” is trending upwards for example, you might want to create content around that topic to stay relevant on people’s interest.
Rank tracking: Once you have optimized your content for or with niche-specific keywords, you want to see how well it’s performing in search engine results. These tools let you track your rankings over time, so you can see if your efforts are paying off or if you need to improve your strategy.
Here are the 15 best keyword research tools:
- Google keyword planner
- Semrush
- Ahrefs
- Moz Keyword Explorer
- KWFinder
- Ubersuggest
- SpyFu
- KeywordTool.io
- Long Tail Pro
- Serpstat
- Answer the public
- Google search console
- Moz
- Backlinko
- Jaaxy
What are keyword categories
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Long-tail keywords: Long-tail keywords are phrases made-up of three or more words which forms a sentence-like search query by users. They have a specific focus because they usually produce results that are straight to the point, rather than covering broad topics linked to a single keyword. They can either be typed on the search box or used on the voice search feature for convenience and time-saving purposes.
In simple terms, Public Relations (PR) is the strategic use of communication tools and tactics to build mutually beneficial relationships between organisations and its stakeholders. The primary goal of PR is to create and maintain a positive and highly recommended image and reputation of a brand.
Long-tail keywords are best for both search and content writing. Chances are, when a user inputs a long-tail keywords on a search bar, your website will show up on the first page of SERP’s if you have strategically incorporated them in your content. With SEO techniques, it has proven best and advisable to use long-tail keywords on your headings as they hold a huge role on the rankings of a page.
Here are 5 examples of long-tail keywords:
- How can I reach my audience online?
- Where to buy animal cruelty free clothes.
- How to respond to crisis effectively?
- What are digital friends?
- Tactics for search engine optimization
Short-tail keywords: Short-tail keywords are search queries that are made up of one to three words with an aim to find broad search results on search engines. These keywords can help boost a website’s visibility on search engines, but because they’re so broad, they can also make a website transparent among competitors. Although short-tail keywords are broad, they are still needed to attract traffic to websites, they just need to be used strategically. For example, sprinkling them in your content in such a way that you add a keyword after 100-150 words of your content.
Because short-tail keywords are so general, they might not always attract the right kind of visitors which always results in a high bounce rate. To get more specific traffic, you must consider mixing in some long-tail keywords too.
Here are 5 examples of short-tail keywords:
- PR strategy
- Technology
- Artificial Intelligence
- Voice search
- Crisis
What are the types of keywords
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Knowing which type of keyword your audience is using can help you create content that matches their intent and needs which at the end improves your chances of attracting visitors to your website and converting them into customers.
Informational: informational keywords are words or phrases search engine users type in when they want to learn something or find answers to questions. It usually indicates that the person searching is on the awareness phase of a buyer funnel where they are looking for content such as “what is”, “how to”, “where is” and so forth.
Navigational: Navigational keywords are used when users are looking for a specific website or webpage. They already have a destination in mind and use these keywords to navigate directly to it. Navigational keywords may include searching for brand names or specific URL keywords because a person already knows or has an idea where to find a product, service or information they are looking for. For example, “Google keyword planner”.
Transactional: Transactional keywords indicate that the user is ready to make a purchase or take a specific action. They often use words like “buy”, “order”, “subscribe” etc. Users using transactional keywords are usually at the bottom of the sales funnel and are ready to convert into paying clients. For example, they may type in keywords like “platform sneakers for women buy” or “search engine optimization consultation”.
Commercial: Commercial keywords are used when someone is considering buying something but hasn’t made a decision yet. They might be comparing different options or looking for the best deal. Commercial keywords are words like “best”, “top-rated” or “compare”. For example, the user may type “best PR agency near me”.
Whether you’re new to SEO or looking to improve, mastering keyword research is key. Start improving your SEO now by getting in touch with us now. We will give you tailored SEO strategies and expert advice to boost your digital marketing success.