Keyword research is used by companies across the globe to identify which keywords will help them optimise their website for search engines. During this blog, we’ll look at what a keyword is in SEO, why it’s so important, and how to conduct the correct research so that you pick the right keywords.
What is a keyword in SEO?
Keyword research consists of finding and analysing search terms that have been entered into search engines. The aim of keyword analysis is to access enough information and insight so you can make data-driven decisions regarding your brand’s SEO and digital marketing strategy. Not only can the research of keywords help you uncover questions and queries that arise on the internet, but it can also help you identify the popularity of these questions and their ranking difficulty.
Why is keyword analysis so important?
Keyword analysis is very important to a brand’s marketing and SEO as it helps you to target popular keywords that relate to your product. You’ll be able to see what queries your target audience is searching for on search engines such as Google. This enables you to enhance your website with content that gives you the competitive edge.
When your customers are searching online, they input keywords into search engines to help locate what they’re looking for. Having access to this data is an invaluable resource that can help you to gain more organic traffic on the internet. It’s therefore important to create your content around what your audience wants to discover, not what you want to tell your audience.
There are lots of benefits to keyword research, with three of the main ones being trend insights, traffic growth and increased conversion. Harnessing the power of marketing trend insights helps to provide you with information into current marketing patterns. This means you can centre the focus of your content on specific topics that are of interest to your audience. After identifying these keywords or phrases, they will help you produce a copy that ranks higher on search engines and therefore bring more traffic to your website. With more customers on your website, you can provide clear call to actions to increase conversions for your product or service.
How to conduct keyword research manually
When you’re conducting keyword research there are three main factors you will want to consider. Firstly, the relevance of your content. Google ranks content for relevance, so your copy will only rank for a keyword if the content itself provides relevant information and isn’t just utilising keywords for the sake of it. Google will also list websites in terms of their resource ranking, positing websites in order of their overall relevance based on the search query.
The second factor you will want to consider is authority, with Google providing more ‘air-time’ to websites that it deems authoritative. You must therefore do all you can to ensure your site is a great source of informative content for its visitors. If you aren’t considered authoritative, or if you are up against established sources that you can’t compete with, your ranking will be lower.
Thirdly, you will also want to consider the monthly search volume of a keyword. If the keyword is rarely searched for you might appear on top of a page for searches for it, but it is unlikely to bring you any significant traffic because audiences are searching for alternative keywords. Similarly, if the search volume is too high, you’ll be up against some fierce competition for the top spots. You should focus your keyword search on attainable keywords that work for your business.
To start your keyword strategy you should think about a selection of keywords you want to rank for on search engines. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes, so you can imagine what they are likely to search for. Once you’ve created your keywords, you can use a keyword software, such as Google Keyword Planner, to identify their monthly search volume. Then create phrases around the keywords that you think your customer might input into search engines. You can also get some suggested search terms from inputting your phrases into Google, where some suggestions will appear at the bottom of the page.
Google trends is a very good option to run a manual keyword research. Google Trends is a Google website that examines the popularity of leading search queries in Google Search across diverse regions and languages. Utilizing graphs, the website compares the search volume of various queries over a period of time
When to use keyword services from an SEO consultancy?
A lot of work goes into creating an effective keyword strategy, with it being both time consuming and intricate. That’s why keyword research services are often utilised by businesses that want to outsource their content creation. Not only does this leave the keyword strategy in the hands of the experts, but it also frees up resources so businesses can focus on other important tasks. At Key Content, we have a team of writers, reviewers, editors, and project managers who are hand-picked for each campaign. With over 10 years’ experience in SEO optimisation, working with some of the world’s most recognised brands, we’re proud to be considered one of the leading global content creation providers.
Find out more about our keyword research services and boost your brand’s ranking.
