Through keyword research, you can uncover what your target audience is searching for online, the exact words they use, and the type of content they wish to consume. This process not only influences your content strategy but also has a direct impact on driving more organic traffic to your site, enhancing your online visibility and presence. Let's break down this concept further and provide you with actionable steps to get started with keyword research, even if you're a total beginner.
1. Understand the basics of keyword research
What are keywords?
At their core, keywords are phrases or terms people use to search for information online. These can range from single words to complex phrases and are categorized into two main types: head keywords and long-tail keywords.
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Head keywords are broad, general terms that are typically one to two words long. They have high search volumes, meaning lots of people are searching for them, but they’re also highly competitive.
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Long-tail keywords consist of three or more words. They're more specific and less common, but they're easier to rank for because they have less competition.
Understanding the intent behind search terms is crucial. Search intent refers to what users are actually looking for when they enter a query into a search engine. Are they looking to buy something (transactional)? Are they seeking information (informational)? Or are they trying to navigate to a specific website (navigational)?
By targeting keywords that match the intent of your audience, you’re more likely to attract visitors genuinely interested in what you offer.
2. Set goals and understand your audience
Before diving into keyword research, it's important to set clear SEO goals. Do you want to increase website traffic, generate leads, boost sales, or improve brand awareness? Your goals will influence the keywords you target and the content you produce.
Next, understand your audience. What are their pain points, interests, and preferences? An effective way to get insights into your audience is by creating Buyer Personas—semi-fictional characters that represent the employees within your Ideal Customer.
Here are a few practical tips and tricks to get started:
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Survey your current customers: This can give you direct insights into the terms they use and what they care about.
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Use social media: Platforms like Reddit and Quora are goldmines for understanding your audience’s questions and concerns.
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Analyze competitors: Look at competitor websites and note which keywords they seem to target. This can give you a starting point for your own research.
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Use tools like Growf: Growf swiftly creates Buyer Personas from actual research data, offering immediate understanding of your target market's challenges, goals, and everyday tasks.
By setting clear objectives and having a deep understanding of your target audience, you're laying a strong foundation for your keyword research and, ultimately, your entire SEO strategy.
3. Use the right tools for keyword research
To dive into keyword research, you'll need the right tools. These tools can help you discover what your potential customers are searching for, the popularity of these search terms, and how difficult it might be to rank for them. Let's look at some of the most user-friendly yet powerful tools available.
Growf: Growf uses insights of data-driven audience profiles to automatically generate relevant keywords and lets you find up to 50 related keywords per search.
Google keyword planner: This free tool, offered by Google Ads, is a great starting point. While it's designed for advertisers, it can also provide invaluable data on keyword search volume and competition. To use it, you'll need a Google Ads account, but you don't have to run an ad campaign.
SEMrush: SEMrush is a comprehensive tool that not only offers keyword research capabilities but also a suite of SEO, content marketing, and social media tools. It’s particularly handy for analyzing your competitors’ keywords and strategies.
Ahrefs: Known for its backlink analysis capabilities, Ahrefs also has a powerful keyword research tool called “Keywords Explorer.” It provides detailed information on keyword difficulty, search volume, and more for various search engines, not just Google.
Ubersuggest: Ubersuggest is a user-friendly and wallet-friendly tool that offers keyword suggestions, competition data, keyword difficulty scores, and more. It's an excellent option for beginners or small businesses on a tight budget.
When starting, experiment with different tools to see which one you prefer. Many offer free trials, which can be a great way to explore their features without committing to a subscription immediately.
4. Conduct your first keyword research
Now that you're equipped with tools, it's time to conduct your first keyword research. Here's a step-by-step approach to getting started:
Start with broad keyword ideas related to your niche or industry
Think about the terms your potential customers might use to find your products, services, or content. These broad ideas will serve as your seed keywords.
Input your seed keywords into your chosen keyword research tool
You'll then see a list of related keywords, including long-tail keywords, which can offer more opportunities to rank.
Evaluate keywords based on search volume, keyword difficulty, and clicks data
Look for keywords with a decent search volume but lower difficulty scores, as they might offer the best chance for a new website to rank.
Keep an organized list of your chosen keywords
Use an SEO tool or spreadsheet to track your keywords, search volumes, difficulty scores, and notes on how you might use them in your content strategy.
Conducting keyword research is an iterative process. As you get more comfortable with these steps, you'll find it easier to uncover valuable keywords that can drive targeted traffic to your website. Remember, the aim is to understand your audience better and to provide them with the content they're searching for.
5. Analyze and prioritize your keywords
Once you have a list of potential keywords, it’s not just about choosing the ones with the highest search volume. Your focus must shift to analyzing and prioritizing these keywords to ensure they align with your goals and are feasible to target. Here’s how you can do it:
Understand the metrics
The first step is understanding the key metrics associated with your keywords:
Search volume: Indicates the average number of searches per month. A higher search volume means more potential traffic but usually comes with higher competition.
Keyword difficulty or competition levels: This score estimates how hard it would be to rank for a keyword. Lower scores mean less competition.
CPC (Cost Per Click): Though more relevant for PPC campaigns, CPC can also indicate the commercial intent behind a keyword.
Assess your competition
Use your keyword tool to analyze the top-ranking pages for your chosen keywords. Look at their domain authority, content quality, and backlink profiles. If the top results are dominated by high-authority sites, it might be tough to compete.
Match keywords with intent
Align your keywords with the user’s intent. Are your chosen keywords for informational, navigational, or transactional queries? Ensure they align with the content you plan to create or already have.
Prioritize by opportunity
Prioritize keywords that strike a balance between high search volume, low competition, and high relevance to your content. Keywords with a medium-to-high search volume and low-to-medium difficulty are often sweet spots for newer sites.
Track and adjust
Keyword priorities can change. Regularly review your keyword performance and be prepared to adjust your strategy based on what’s working.
6. Integrating keywords into your content strategy
With a prioritized list of keywords, the next step is integrating them into your content strategy effectively. Doing so ensures that your content not only resonates with your audience but also stands a strong chance of ranking well in search results.
Plan your content
Map out content ideas that naturally incorporate your keywords. Each piece of content should target a primary keyword and relevant secondary keywords without forcing them into the text.
Focus on quality
Create content that thoroughly answers the questions and needs signified by your keywords. Quality content is more likely to earn backlinks, social shares, and ultimately, a higher ranking.
Use keywords naturally
Include your primary keyword in your title, headings, and throughout the body in a way that feels natural. Remember, your primary audience is humans, not search engines.
Don't overlook technical SEO
Ensure your keyword is included in your URL, meta title, and meta description for each piece of content. These elements help signal to search engines what your content is about. Check out our on-page SEO checklist to learn more!
Monitor and optimize
Use tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to track how your content performs. Look at metrics like page views, average time on page, and rankings. Use this data to refine your approach over time.
Remember, SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. It can take time to see results, but consistent effort in integrating keywords thoughtfully into high-quality content will pay off.
7. Measure the success of your keyword strategy
Once your content is live and integrated with your targeted keywords, the next crucial step is evaluating the effectiveness of your keyword strategy. Measuring your success not only shows how well your content performs but also guides future SEO efforts. Here’s a practical guide to tracking and interpreting your keyword strategy’s success.
Set up tracking tools
Before you can measure anything, ensure you have Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and any other SEO tool you prefer (like Growf, SEMrush or Ahrefs) set up for your site.
Monitor your rankings
Use Google search console or Growf to track where your pages rank for their target keywords. Keep an eye on these rankings over time. Moving up in rankings is a good indicator that your SEO efforts are paying off.
Analyze traffic sources
Google Analytics lets you see which keywords are driving traffic to your site. Look specifically at organic search traffic to understand which keywords are the most effective. A rise in organic traffic related to your targeted keywords signals success.
Keep an eye on conversions
Traffic is great, but conversions are better. Set up goals in Google Analytics to track conversions from organic traffic. Whether it’s newsletter sign-ups, product purchases, or contact form submissions, knowing which keywords drive conversions can help you focus your efforts more effectively.
Evaluate engagement metrics
Beyond rankings and conversions, look at engagement metrics such as bounce rate, pages per session, and average session duration. These metrics can tell you if visitors find your content relevant and valuable, which impacts your SEO performance.
Competitor benchmarking
Regularly check how your competitors’ content is performing for the same keywords. If they’re consistently outranking you, delve into what they might be doing differently. This could involve better content quality, stronger backlinks, or more effective keyword use.
Adjust based on findings
Lastly, use the insights you’ve gained to adjust your strategy. If certain keywords aren’t performing as expected, consider whether you need to improve content quality, gain more backlinks, or maybe select less competitive keywords.
Measuring the success of your keyword strategy is essential in understanding the ROI of your SEO efforts and making necessary adjustments. By focusing on the right metrics and being willing to adapt your strategy based on performance, you'll find opportunities for improvement and growth in your SEO efforts.
Use Growf to accelerate keyword research and content creation
The right SEO tools are crucial, and Growf is a key player for keyword research and tracking SEO performance. You can use Growf's keyword tool to create an extensive list of targeted keywords, and dive into related terms - complete with metrics like search volume, difficulty, and CPC.
When you've finished your research, Growf excels in proposing content ideas that engage your audience and have high ranking potential, aligning with your SEO objectives. Last but not least, you can track your keywords' performance with Growf's real-time ranking updates.
