If you’re venturing into the world of content creation, whether you own a website or create website content for other business owners and companies, then you must have heard the terms “keyword research” and “SEO optimization.” You might have been given advice such as “Create SEO-optimized content, and it will bring more traffic to your website.” These suggestions are relevant because optimizing content in accordance with search engine optimization (SEO) principles is indeed essential for driving more traffic to your site. But how exactly do you enhance your content using SEO? The journey of optimizing your content is extensive, and the first crucial step in this process is learning how to conduct keyword research. This guide for beginners will walk you through the fundamental aspects of keyword research using Google for free.
1. What is Keyword Research?
Keyword research entails the process of identifying specific keywords that reveal what your customers are searching for, driving targeted traffic to your website. This involves understanding and observing your customers’ search intentions when they are looking for solutions to their problems. When we seek solutions to various issues, we typically turn to the Google search bar and look for answers among the top few results. Often, we find our solutions on the first page of the search engine, also referred to as the Search Engine Result Page (SERP). By examining the SERP, we can ascertain our customer’s search intent, gaining insights into the precise “words”, “phrases”, or “questions” that people around the globe search for daily. The purpose of keyword research is to understand the kinds of questions people ask search engines and how you can provide answers to those inquiries, thereby attracting targeted traffic to your site.
2. The Importance of Keyword Research
To put it simply, keyword research is the foremost task to undertake when creating any SEO-optimized content, regardless of the business type, blogs, eCommerce, or other services. Here are compelling reasons why keyword research is vital: It helps you discover the exact “words,” “phrases,” or “questions” that your target audience is asking, allowing you to convert them into potential customers. It allows you to find an audience that already needs your services, helping you drive high traffic and engagement to your website. Keyword research streamlines the market research process, aiding in identifying your target audience and catering to their needs. Additionally, it enables competitive analysis by giving you insights into the keywords that help your competitors rank on Google’s first page. By spending time creating SEO-optimized content through keyword research, one can save significant amounts spent on PPC advertising to drive traffic. Proper keyword research can boost ad revenue on your website by targeting high CPC (Cost Per Click) keywords. Furthermore, keyword research uncovers unanswered questions, allowing you to address those topics and gain traffic. Finally, it offers insights into trending market and business ideas you need to keep up with.
3. Types of Keywords
Keywords are categorized based on users’ search intent. Search intent is about identifying what your customers want and what they are searching for on search engines. Depending on search intent, there are four main types of keywords: Commercial Keywords, Informational Keywords, Transactional Keywords, and Navigational Keywords. Additionally, keywords can be classified according to their length: Long-tail Keywords and Short-tail Keywords. Long-tail keywords consist of two to three words or short phrases, which are relatively easier to target and rank for on your site. On the other hand, Short-tail Keywords, also known as Head Words, are short terms and are comparatively more challenging to target and rank for.
4. How to Do Keyword Research?
While there are many ways to conduct SEO keyword research, let’s explore three straightforward methods that even beginners can follow and implement to obtain results.
1. By Simply Typing a Word or Phrase in the Search Engine Bar
The simplest method to identify keywords being searched on search engines is by using minimum effort. Google’s increasing sophistication allows it to suggest several relevant results when you type a few initial letters of a word. These results are the exact words, phrases, or questions that people globally are searching for. Focus on these questions or phrases and attempt to answer them in your content to resolve your audience’s issues, because this is essentially what they are seeking.
2. By Using Competitor’s or Leading Site’s Keywords
Another manageable way to conduct SEO keyword research is by leveraging competitors’ or leading sites’ keywords. Identify 3-4 top websites already appearing on Google’s first page for the keywords you seek. Copy the domain names of these top results and input them into keyword research tools like Semrush, Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, Ahrefs, etc. These tools will present you with a list of keywords for that domain, showing which keywords are driving the most traffic and ranking on the first page. Additionally, such tools offer detailed insights regarding traffic distribution, search volume density, and keyword specifics, aiding you in selecting the appropriate keywords. Conducting competitive analysis of top sites in this manner can help you identify several keywords to generate maximum traffic to your site.
3. By Using Seed Words to Generate Keywords
This method is somewhat technical but highly beneficial when understood and practiced accurately. It involves using keyword research tools like Semrush or Ahrefs to search for a ‘seed word,’ the word around which your entire content and query revolve. For instance, “keyword research” is the seed word in this article’s context. Using it, all related primary and secondary keywords that could help in ranking can be identified. By searching for your seed keyword, these tools provide a plethora of keyword options within minutes. Filtering keyword research based on specific geographical locations ensures you select high search-volume and low SEO-difficulty keywords relevant to your target audience.
Conclusion
When it comes to conducting SEO keyword research, there are several effective strategies at your disposal. While the approaches can vary, let’s discuss three simple yet impactful methods that will yield results, even if you’re new to the field.
Firstly, you can start by using keyword research tools like Google’s Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest. These tools allow you to enter a seed keyword and then generate a list of relevant keywords along with important metrics such as search volume, competition level, and cost-per-click. By analyzing these metrics, you can identify which keywords are worth targeting based on their potential to drive traffic to your site.
Another method involves analyzing competitor websites. By looking at the keywords your competitors are ranking for, you can gain insights into which terms are driving traffic in your niche. Tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs can help you see the keywords your competitors are using and how well they’re ranking for them. This can inform your own keyword strategy by highlighting opportunities where you can outperform your competitors.
Lastly, consider using Google Trends to spot keyword trends over time. By examining how search interest in certain keywords changes seasonally or trends upward or downward, you can tailor your content to capture audience interest when it’s peaking.
These three methods offer a comprehensive approach to keyword research that combines quantitative data from tools, competitive analysis, and trend monitoring. By applying these techniques, you can enhance your SEO strategy and boost your site’s visibility, regardless of your level of expertise.
