keyword research strategy

How to Do Keyword Research for SEO: A Beginner's Guide

Published: April 04, 2024

While Google keeps us on our toes with all the algorithm updates they keep rollin' out, one thing has stayed pretty consistent for inbound marketers looking to optimize their websites for search: keyword research.

In this post, we’ll define what keyword research is, why it’s important, how to conduct your research for your SEO strategy, and choose the right keywords for your website.

Table of Contents

What is keyword research?

Why is keyword research important, elements of keyword research, how to research keywords for your seo strategy, how to find and choose keywords for your website.

Keyword research is the process of finding and analyzing search terms that people enter into search engines with the goal of using that data for a specific purpose, often for search engine optimization (SEO) or general marketing. Keyword research can uncover queries to target, the popularity of these queries, their ranking difficulty, and more.

Keyword research helps you find which keywords are best to target and provides valuable insight into the queries that your target audience is actually searching on Google.

Insights from these actual search terms can help inform your content strategy as well as your larger marketing strategy.

People use keywords to find solutions when conducting research online.

So if your content is successful in getting in front of your audience as they conduct searches, you stand to gain more traffic. Therefore, you should be targeting those searches with content that features those keywords in a meaningful way.

Additionally, inbound methodology focuses less on creating content around what we want to tell people. Instead, we should be creating content around what people want to discover.

In other words, our audience is coming to us for helpful content that provides the answers they’re looking for.

In a nutshell, all of this starts with keyword research.

Conducting keyword research has many benefits, the most popular being:

Marketing Trend Insight

Conducting effective keyword research can provide you with insights into current marketing trends and help you center your content on relevant topics and keywords your audience is in search of.

Traffic Growth

When you identify the best-fitting keywords for the content you publish, the higher you’ll rank in search engine results — the more traffic you’ll attract to your website.

Customer Acquisition

If your business has content that other business professionals are looking for, you can meet their needs and provide them with a call-to-action that will lead them into the buyer journey from the awareness stage to the point of purchase.

By researching keywords for their popularity, search volume, and general intent, you can tackle the questions that most people in your audience want answers to.

Keywords vs. Topics

More and more, we hear how much SEO has evolved over just the last 10 years and how seemingly unimportant keywords have transformed our ability to rank well for the searches people make every day.

And to some extent, this is true, but in the eyes of an SEO professional, it’s a different approach. Rather, it’s the intent behind that keyword and whether or not a piece of content solves for that intent (we’ll talk more about intent in just a minute).

But that doesn’t mean keyword research is an outdated process. Let me explain:

Keyword research tells you what topics people care about and, assuming you use the right SEO tool, how popular those topics actually are among your audience.

The operative term here is topics, plural. By researching keywords that are getting a high volume of searches per month, you can identify and sort your content into topics or buckets that you want to create content on.

Then, you can use these topics to dictate which keywords you look for and target.

Keyword Research Template

Build your SEO strategy with this free template.

• Search Volume
• Keyword Difficulty

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

There are three main elements I have discovered that you should pay attention to when conducting keyword research.

1. Relevance

Google ranks content for relevance.

This is where the concept of search intent comes in. Your content will only rank for a keyword if it meets the searchers’ needs.

In addition, your content must be the best resource out there for the query. After all, why would Google rank your content higher if it provides less value than other content that exists on the web?

2. Authority

Google will provide more weight to sources it deems authoritative.

That means you must do all you can to become an authoritative source by enriching your site with helpful, informative content and promoting that content to earn social signals and backlinks.

If you’re not seen as authoritative in the space, or if a keyword’s SERPs are loaded with heavy sources you can’t compete with (like Forbes or The Mayo Clinic), you have a lower chance of ranking unless your content is exceptional.

You may end up ranking on the first page for a specific keyword, but if no one ever searches for it, it will not result in traffic to your site. It's like setting up a shop in a ghost town.

Volume is measured by MSV (monthly search volume), which means the number of times the keyword is searched per month across all audiences.

• Make a list of important, relevant topics based on what you know about your business.
• Fill in those topic buckets with keywords.
• Understand how intent affects keyword research and analyze accordingly.
• Research related search terms.
• Use keyword research tools to your advantage.

I’m going to lay out a keyword research process you can follow to help you come up with a list of terms you should be targeting.

That way, you’ll be able to establish and execute a strong keyword strategy that helps you get found for the search terms you actually care about.

Step 1. Make a list of important, relevant topics based on what you know about your business.

To kick off this process, think about the topics you want to rank for in terms of generic buckets.

You’ll come up with about five to 10 topic buckets you think are important to your business, and then you’ll use those topic buckets to help come up with some specific keywords later in the process.

If you’re a regular blogger, these are probably the topics you blog about most frequently. Or perhaps they’re the topics that come up the most in sales conversations.

Put yourself in the shoes of your buyer personas . What types of topics would your target audience search that you’d want your business to get found for?

Don't forget to share this post!

Related articles.

The 12 Best Keyword Research Tools to Find the Right Keywords for SEO

Finding the Best Search Terms for Your Business: 10 Tools and Tips

6 Ways That Nonprofits Can Improve Their Keyword Research

How to Figure Out What Keywords Your Potential Customers are Using

The Definition of a Long-Tail Keyword [In Under 100 Words]

Keyword Research 101: How to Discover New Keywords for Your Business

How to Use Keyword Tools to Brainstorm Blog Topics [Quick Tip]

Is 2013 the Year Marketers Lose Keyword Research?

7 Keyword Research Mistakes That Stifle Your SEO Strategy

How to Identify Long-Tail Keywords to Fuel Your PPC Strategy

Discover opportunity for growth in your keyword strategy with this easy-to-use template.

Marketing software that helps you drive revenue, save time and resources, and measure and optimize your investments — all on one easy-to-use platform

• Do Not Sell My Personal Info

•  ⋅ 

Keyword Research: An In-Depth Beginner’s Guide

Keyword research is the foundation of search engine optimization. This guide covers what it is and how you should do keyword research.

Keyword research is the foundation of search engine optimization, and without it, you cannot expect to create sustainable and repeatable visibility.

Today, SEO is a much wider discipline than in the early days of the industry and has been segmented into many verticals.

But, at the core, SEO is about finding opportunities online and capturing relevant traffic to a website through visibility in search engines. Keyword research is at the heart of that SEO strategy.

This guide explains what keyword research is, why it’s important, and how you can make a start for a successful SEO strategy.

What Is Keyword Research?

Keyword research is a process of finding words, queries, and phrases that users are searching for, which means a keyword that has search volume.

Research involves connecting the relevance of keywords to a website and its individual pages so that the user can find the best page to answer their query, known as search intent.

Keyword research also involves categorizing search queries into the different stages of a user journey and different categories of search, such as transactional, navigational, and informational.

Good keyword research enables users to find what they need:

• Shoppers who want to buy something can find the right product page.
• A user that wants to know ‘how to’ can find a page that explains a process in-depth.
• Users who want to research a person or brand can find out about that entity.

Keyword research should also carefully consider if ranking on a keyword is worth the effort it would take to rank highly and get visitors. Not all traffic is equal.

Download the ebook, How To Do Keyword Research For SEO .

Why Keyword Research Is Important For SEO

A search engine is an information retrieval system built around the queries that a user inputs to find an answer or relevant information to their search query.

The predominant focus of Google is to connect a user with the best answer to their query and the best website page so that a user is satisfied. Understanding this underlines SEO.

Good keyword research is the foundation of how a business can connect with its potential customers and audience. Understanding this helps to understand a good SEO strategy.

A business strategy starts with understanding its audience and their needs.

• What do they want?
• What do they need?
• What keeps them awake at night?
• What could solve their problem?

Keyword research is an extension of understanding your audience by first considering their needs and then the phrases, keywords, or queries they use to find solutions.

Keyword research is also important for SEO because it can show you where the opportunities are by knowing what your audience is searching for.

This will help you to find new areas of business and to prioritize where to focus attention and resources.

Keyword research will also help you to calculate where you can expect a return on investment to justify your efforts:

• Can a keyword deliver relevant traffic that has the possibility to convert to an end goal?
• What is an estimation of that traffic, and how much is each visitor worth to your business?

Basically, keyword research is the ultimate business research tool.

Read more: Why Keywords Are Still So Very Important For SEO

Keyword Research Basics

Monthly search volume.

Monthly Search Volume (MSV) is a predominant measure of keyword value. It’s a useful metric as a starting point to consider if anyone is searching for that keyword, but it shouldn’t be used in isolation or as the only measure of value.

Just because a keyword has a high MSV doesn’t mean it is the right keyword for you to rank on.

High-volume keywords generally deliver ‘browsing’ traffic at the top of the funnel. They are useful for brand awareness but not for direct conversion.

Low-volume keywords can be much more valuable because they can deliver users who are ready to buy a product.

Read more: A Complete Guide To Keyword Search Volume For SEO

User Intent

User intent refers to what type of result they want to see when they search for a query – the intention of their search.

You will hear user intent talked about a lot in keyword research, as it is one of the most important factors in the process.

User intent is important in two ways, firstly because your primary aim in creating content and pages on a website are to provide a user with information that they want to know.

There’s no point in creating a page about what you care about – your user only cares about their problems and needs.

You can have the best page in the world about the history of cupcakes, but if a user searching for [cupcake] wants a recipe for cupcakes, then they will not click on your link.

Secondly, Google considers relevance when serving results pages (as we said above, they want to deliver the best result for a query). So, the better your page fits user intent, the better it might rank.

Read more: How People Search: Understanding User Intent

When Google considers which pages it will show in search results, the algorithm will look at other pages that users are clicking on for that query.

If we have a query such as [cupcake], Google has to consider if a user wants to know what a cupcake is, how to make a cupcake, or wants to buy a cupcake.

By looking at a search result page, you can get a good idea of user intent from the other results.

Reviewing the search results page of a query should be part of your research process for every keyword you want to consider.

Keyword relevance and user intent are much the same things. It’s about knowing what the user really means when they search. This is more ambiguous for head keywords and less so for long-tail queries.

Long-Tail keywords

Long-tail keywords are called long-tail because they fall to the right of the search demand curve – where the graph looks like a long tail stretching to the right.

The search demand curve is a graph that shows keywords with high volume to the left and lower search volumes to the right.

Longer queries that are more focused fall to the right. Head terms with broad meaning and high volume fall to the left.

The value of long-tail keywords is that they are usually highly focused terms that convert well, as users are actively looking for something very specific.

For example, [iPhone 13] is a head term with high volume (2.7 million MSV), and [Best affordable iPhone 13 cases] (210 MSV) is a long-tail keyword with far fewer searches but would have a high conversion rate.

Long-tail keywords are useful to include in a keyword strategy because they are usually much easier to rank for and achievable for a new website, and the cumulative volume of many long-tail keywords adds up to considerable targeted traffic.

This is a much more stable strategy than focusing on one high-volume ambiguous keyword.

Read more: Long-Tail Keyword Strategy: Why & How To Target Intent For SEO

Types Of Search Query

There are four types of keywords that are useful to understand as they categorize the different user intents and can help when planning a keyword strategy.

• Informational – users looking for information or an answer to a question (top of the funnel).
• Navigational – users wanting to find a specific brand, site, or page (brand searches).
• Commercial – users researching brands, products, or services (middle of the funnel).
• Transactional – users ready to complete a purchase or action (bottom of the funnel).

Local keywords can also be considered another category.

How To Do Keyword Research

Now that you have a better understanding of the basics of keyword research, we can look at where you would start with your research and keyword strategy.

1. How To Find Keyword Ideas

The first stage of keyword research is to brainstorm ideas for seed keywords, and there are several ways to do this.

Your Target Audience

Everything starts with your audience and what they want. Think about their needs, wants, and especially their pain points and problems.

Start to compile your wide list of words, ideas, and topics that surround your niche or business.

Think About Questions

Question-based keyword queries are valuable as they can help you to capture featured snippets and can be a way to jump rank on highly competitive keywords.

Ask your sales team and review CRM data to find the questions that your audience is asking.

Also, think of question modifiers that will start to build out your list:

• What [is a road bike].
• How to [ride a road bike].
• When is [the best time to service a road bike].
• What is [the best road bike].
• Where is [road bike shop].

Current Site Queries

If your site already has some online history, then Google Search Console can tell you what Google thinks your website is relevant for. This is insightful to tell you if your site is conveying the right message and to find opportunities.

If Google is showing a lot of queries that have nothing to do with your product or brand, then you need to apply more keyword focus to your pages.

Look for queries that are position 10 or greater, have reasonable impressions, and you think are relevant to your business.

These are potential quick-win opportunities that you can capture by making improvements and optimizing pages for the query.

Read more: A Complete Google Search Console Guide For SEO Pros

Competitors’ Keywords

Your competitors are a gold mine of information because they might already have invested in extensive research.

A business should be constantly monitoring its competitors anyway, so keep an eye on what content they are producing and the terms they target.

A keyword gap analysis will help you find opportunities your competitors are targeting that you might not have considered.

Read more: Competitor Keyword Analysis: 5 Ways To Fill The Gaps In Your Organic Strategy & Get More Traffic

Seed Keywords

Start with high-level ‘seed’ keywords that you can use as a starting point to then open up variants and related queries.

Seed keywords are ‘big’ head terms such as [iPhone], [trainers], [road bike], or [cupcake].

For each seed keyword, start to think of topics that are related:

• Road bike maintenance.
• Road bike training.
• Road bike clothing.
• Road bike lights.

Also, use question modifiers and buying modifiers such as:

• Best [road bike].
• Buy [road bike].
• Price [for women’s road bike].
• [road bikes for hire] near me.
• Reviews [of road bikes under $1,000].

When you have finished this process, you should have a raw list of potential keywords grouped in topics – such as maintenance, clothing, training, etc.

2. How To Analyze Keywords

Once you have your raw list, it’s time to start to analyze and sort by value and opportunity.

Search Volume

Search volume will tell you if anyone is actively searching for this term.

For a first-stage strategy, you should aim for keywords with a mid-range and long-tail volume for quick wins and then build up to approach more competitive terms with higher volumes.

Head keywords with super high volumes (like ‘iPhone’) are not the best keywords to focus on as they can be too ambiguous and rarely have a specific intent.

Also, the amount of work that is needed to rank can be too high a barrier for entry unless you have an established domain of significant authority.

If a tool shows a keyword with zero search volume, this doesn’t always mean you should discard the term.

If the keyword is shown in the tool, then there can be value to consider targeting it in your strategy. However, make sure you know your audience and what is relevant to them before you invest resources in a zero-volume keyword.

Read more: Why You Should Target Zero Search Volume Keywords

Search Intent

After you have sorted your raw lists by search volumes, it’s then time to review the intent for each keyword that you would like to target.

The SERP will tell you everything that you need to know, and you should always review SERPs for clues on how to construct content and rank.

Look at the other listing that rank highly:

• Are they ‘how-to’ guides that indicate it’s informational?
• Do the titles say ‘buy,’ ‘best,’ or include product names?
• Is there a shopping carousel that indicates a buying keyword?
• Is there a location map that indicates it’s a local search?

Tag each keyword type and then consider which are the strongest keywords from each group.

You can also use a research tool that will tell you the type of keyword.

Topic Clusters

Grouping keywords into topic clusters is an advanced keyword strategy that can help to strengthen the topic authority of a site.

To do this, you would start with a high-volume head keyword and then research a series of keywords that supports that head term.

After creating pages of content that target each keyword, you use internal linking to connect pages with the same topic.

Read more: Keyword Clusters: How To Level Up Your SEO Content Strategy

3. How To Choose Organic Keywords

After sorting the volumes, intent, and topics, you will need to decide if you have a chance of ranking on a term by looking at how much competition there is for each keyword.

Keyword Difficulty

Keyword difficulty is one of the most important keyword metrics when doing your research.

If a keyword is so competitive that you need hundreds of thousands of dollars to rank, then you need to get strategic.

The easiest way to calculate keyword difficulty is to use a research tool that gives a score for each keyword.

Or, you can refer to Google Keyword Planner Tool and look at the CPC and level of difficulty. The higher the CPC bid, the higher the competition.

If you are starting out, first approach the lower competition keywords that are achievable and then build your way up to more competitive terms.

Read more: Why Keyword Research Is Useful For SEO & How To Rank

Connecting To Your Objectives And Goals

Unless a keyword can actually deliver a result for you – do you want to target it?

As we said above, targeting head terms is not the best strategy as they will, at best, deliver browsing or drive-by visitors. Unless you are a big brand with a big budget that is aiming for brand awareness, this is not the best application of your resources and budget.

Choosing your keyword priority should start with what can give you the best return in the shortest time frame.

Good keyword research is not just about trying to target a high-volume popular keyword. A good keyword strategy is about finding the right keywords for your needs and outcome. Always keep that front and center.

Read more: How To Calculate ROI For SEO When Targeting A Set Of Keywords

Watch John Mueller talk about ranking for head keywords in this video from the 38:55 minute mark.

Using Keyword Research Tools

Doing your research without a tool is limited; for the most in-depth keyword research, you need help to find keyword opportunities you had not thought of.

The following keyword research tools are all free versions that you can start out with.

Google Keyword Planner

The original keyword tool has evolved over the years, but it still remains one of the best free keyword tools and a good starting point to find seed keywords and keyword ideas.

The Google tool is aligned with Google Ads, so the data is skewed towards paid ads but is still valuable for research.

You need a Google Ads account to access the tool. Google will try to force you to set up an active campaign, but you can access the account by setting up an account without a campaign.

Without a campaign running, you will only get limited search volumes displayed in ranges, but the tool is still useful for its suggestions of keyword ideas. If you have an active campaign, Google will show you the monthly search volume.

You can add up to 10 seed keywords and get a list of suggested keywords, and run competitor URLs in the tool to find keywords they are targeting. Doing this is a great place to start building out raw lists of keywords to work from.

Read more: How To Use Google Keyword Planner

Read more: 9 Creative Ways To Use Google’s Keyword Planner Tool

Google Trends

Google Trends offers data based on actual search query data. It doesn’t provide search volumes, but the data in Google trends can be compared with actual search volumes from other tools so you can get a comparative feel of what the actual volumes are.

Where Trends excels is to identify trending topics and subtopics in a niche and to find geographic search trends in a local area. Trends will recommend related keywords that are currently growing in popularity.

As part of a keyword strategy, this can show you where to focus resources and when to stop investing in terms.

Read more: How To Use Google Trends For SEO

Google Autocomplete

Previously known as Suggest, Autocomplete is integrated into the Google search box to help users complete their search with what Google calls ‘predictions.’

Google takes its predictions from common searches and trending searches.

As the suggestions are all variations around the topic you are typing, the results shown give you an insight into other related terms that users could be looking for.

Checking the predictions that Google provides in Autocomplete can help you find more variations and keywords to consider.

Read more: Google Autocomplete: A Complete SEO Guide

Answer The Public

Answer The Public is a powerful tool that scrapes data from Google Autocomplete and connects a seed keyword with a variety of modifiers to produce a list of variants.

Answer The Public will quickly provide a list of suggestions, especially based on questions that you can use as a raw list to then review.

Read more: More Free Keyword Research Tools

Paid Keyword Research Tools

Free keyword tools are great to get you started and to create raw lists of keywords that you can then drill into.

However, for the best results, you might want to invest in a paid competitive analysis tool that can help you get monthly search volume and keyword difficulty data.

Some tools will also help with assigning topics and clustering for more advanced keyword strategies.

Anyone who does keyword research in-depth or to an advanced level will have their own process. They will also use a variety of tools and a combination of paid and free resources to get the best results.

Read more: Best Keyword Research Tools

Advanced Keyword Strategies

Now that you have an understanding of how to get started with keyword research, experiment with a few different websites and niches. Doing the work yourself is the best way to learn.

Once you have a better understanding in practice, move into more advanced methods and strategies to take your keyword research to the next level.

Advanced Keyword Research

• B2B Keyword Research Done Right With Practical Examples
• Keyword Clusters: How To Level Up Your SEO Content Strategy
• Building A Keyword Strategy For Comparison Content

Featured Image: Paulo Bobita/Search Engine Journal

Shelley Walsh is the SEO Content Strategist at SEJ & produces the Pioneers, a series about the history of SEO ...

Subscribe To Our Newsletter.

Conquer your day with daily search marketing news.

Keyword Research Ultimate Guide: Step-by-Step Strategies for more traffic

Going after organic traffic is tricky.

On the one hand, you must know what to write about - the unique angle that no tool can help you with. On the other hand, you need to know which topics are relevant to your audience and frequently searched for on Google. 

While you’re responsible for crafting a unique perspective as a content creator, finding the right keywords to serve as a foundation for your topic is just as important.

Keyword research is a critical step in SEO because if you don't choose the right keywords, you won't be able to reach your target audience. But keyword research isn’t just limited to just search engine optimization. Performed correctly, it will increase your chances of turning visitors into customers and help build your brand.

In this guide, I’ll explain what keyword research is, why it’s important in SEO and how to discover the RIGHT keywords for you and make the most out of your keyword research with the right kind of content. Read on!

Keyword Research Basics Explained

What is keyword research.

Keyword research is the process of identifying and using the right keywords and phrases in your content to help you rank higher in search results, attract more visitors to your website and convert them into customers. 

Why is Keyword Research important for SEO?

The main purpose of keyword research is to determine which keywords are most relevant to your target audience and business and which of those you should include in your content marketing efforts to get more traffic from search engines. 

Performing keyword research for seo allows you to verify that people are actually searching for the topics you want to write about on your website. According to Ahrefs, over 90% of pages get no traffic from Google . Ignoring keyword research in your SEO strategy will land you on this list.

If your page ranks well for its target keyword, you will receive consistent traffic from people who are interested in what you have to offer.

Remember that keyword research is not a one-time task. Search queries and audience preferences change often, and your content should keep up. 

How to find keywords and content ideas

To start the keyword research process for your blog, you need to think about words and phrases that your customers might use to search for solutions to their problems. Conducting keyword research will provide you with many content ideas , but starting with a seed keyword idea is essential to discover more topics that you can write about. 

In this section, I’ll give you a few tips on how to get your creative juices flowing and find keyword ideas.

1. What would you like to write about?

Start as simple as that. Think about the product, service, or topic you want to discuss.

Think about your business’s strongest selling points, things customers can do with your product or offer, and your area of expertise.

For example, if you run an SEO agency, you might want to write about thin link building, on-page optimization, or guest post opportunities.

But these ideas are not keywords yet! Let’s take this a step further and…

2. Analyze the SERPs

What does your audience want to hear about? There’s an easy way to find out: analyze the search engine result pages.

To look at the top-ranking keywords for your topic, follow these steps. 

• Log into Surfer SERP Analyzer
• Select your country and device preferences. Leave the rest unchecked for now. 
• Click Create SERP Analyzer

For example, if I put “link building” as my main keyword and choose the United States, and scroll past the graph on the interactive dashboard, I’ll be presented with a list of the top 10 search results. Clicking on the Keywords tab presents a ton of keywords that are common to the top-ranked pages. 

In addition, I’m also given access to monthly search volume and their relevance to my main keyword. 

Taking a step further, my favorite report is actually the Prominent words and phrases tab. Clicking on it and then selecting phrases, throws up even more keyword ideas that I can write about. 

If you don’t want to use keyword research tools, you can also use Google to search for “link building.” Your first hint of what readers might want to learn about is right here, in the “People Also Ask” section. 

Look at all these questions:

And that’s not all, if you click on them, Google will present you with more ideas!

Also, check out the “related searches” section at the bottom of the SERP. These short phrases will help you narrow down your list of ideas.

And that’s still not the bottom of the barrel. You can keep clicking for more suggestions and navigate the SERPs until you find a niche that interests you.

This step will help you make sure your keywords are niche-relevant in Google’s eyes. 

3. Consult Wikipedia

As a community-moderated encyclopedia backed by experts and enthusiasts, Wikipedia is bursting with ideas for keyword research.

Let’s carry on with our “link building” example. Your go-to place should be the table of contents.

It’s a great source of inspiration for long-tail keywords and subtopics for your primary keyword. In most articles, there’s a neat “See also” section that you use to fuel the next batch of keyword ideas and continue exploring your niche.

4. Check Quora, Reddit, and online communities

Where else should you search for keyword ideas, if not in places where people head when they want immediate answers to their questions?

Hit up communities gathered around your niche. Depending on what you write about, these might be many different places⁠— online forums, Slack groups, Facebook groups, Reddit - it depends on whom you’re trying to reach.

You could probably find everyone you’re looking for on Quora or Reddit.

Let’s take a look at our “link-building example.”

A quick search revealed a very active link-building community on Reddit gathered in r/linkbuidling:

By searching “link building” on Quora, I can also find a bunch of related questions.

And these are community-asked questions you KNOW people want answers for right now. So whenever you see a thread with many comments, explore it further to be inspired.

This is a gold mine if you want to write content that meets people where you want to be met.

How to select the right keywords and topics

This is the fundamental goal of keyword research for SEO.

You have to find the right balance between keywords you can rank high for and keywords you want to rank high for.

Okay, so you should have a bunch of ideas now. But not all of them are going to be equally good.

You have to check every keyword and pick your very best opportunities carefully. Even if you have a lot of content marketing resources, you still need a proper keyword research strategy to be discovered.

There are different approaches to finding the right keywords. The most popular way to choose a keyword is to assess the ranking difficulty for each SERP and determine if you can make it to the top 10 search engine results. 

And don’t get me wrong. It’s a super important thing. Kind of what SEO is about. But the ranking potential is not everything that matters to finding the PERFECT keyword.

What good is ranking high if the content does nothing for your business goals and general niche authority?

(Hint: not much. Especially in the long run.)

To find the ideal keywords for your blog’s content, you must keep three things in mind:

• Ranking opportunities
• Business goals 
• Brand & niche relevance.

I will explain how to investigate all three categories.

1. What is the right keyword for your business?

Does “right” equal easy?

No, it doesn’t.

The right keyword is not necessarily the one you can easily rank for now and will bring quick results.

When you’re researching keywords, stop thinking about quick wins only.

Sure, there is merit in targeting easy keywords, especially if you’re starting your content efforts. But you won’t always be a beginner.

SEO is a game of endurance. You can’t feed your content marketing with low-hanging fruit all the time.

Keyword research will help you determine what you need to have a chance at attempting the keywords you like.

Ranking for difficult keywords (with more search volume and closer to the bottom of the sales funnel) will require more work. You’ll need to have the following: 

• Outstanding content
• Unique approach to the topic
• Link building activities
• Build topical relevance of the whole domain
• Strong internal linking strategy

You have to answer yourself: Are you going to follow the niche-specific phrases or are you ready to conquer high-volume keywords? 

You have to decide between following niche-specific phrases or conquering high-volume keywords. 

2. Cluster your keywords together

If you want to rank high in Google, your domain needs topical relevance and authority.

Basically, your website content needs to be more than just a bunch of loosely connected topics. You need to find your niche, track down all the related keywords, and cover these topics with your content.

Sounds like quite a task? Well, it is, but it gets easier when you’re smart about it. You don’t have to target every keyword with a separate piece of content. You can easily group a few in one text. 

So, the merits of keyword clustering are clear: higher rankings AND fewer resources spent. 

How do you find relevant topics with keyword research, and how to group them into clusters? Google holds all the answers, and there are tools that will help you find them quickly, like Surfer’s Keyword Research Tool .

Differentiate between your primary keywords and supporting keywords

This is the most critical first step of keyword research. 

Because it will tell you what exactly you should prioritize when selecting keywords. Is it ranking difficulty, search volume, search intent, or maybe something else altogether?

Remember the topical relevance we talked about before? In short, one way to build your domain’s authority is to provide many expert-led articles in a given niche. Every piece of content you produce should be relevant to that niche.

You can achieve it by organizing your content into topic clusters . 

Topic clusters are groups of interlinked web pages. At the center of a cluster, there’s the main page (called a pillar page) that covers an entire broad topic, “surrounded” by a couple of smaller pages (called supportive pages) that support the main page, covering the related sub-topics more narrowly. ‍

All of them rank for a set of related, niche-related keywords. 

Usually, the pillar page ranks for the main keyword , which is the broadest and most competitive. We want it to be the crown jewel of our cluster—represent our brand, bring traffic, and generate leads.

Supporting pages cover a variety of less popular, supportive keywords . Their main goal is to build the domain’s topical authority and help the pillar page rank high.

For example, suppose you have a running equipment store. In that case, your target keyword could be “running equipment,” which is supported by pages with related topics like “accessories for runners,” “summer running gear,” “gear for running” etc.

You can get ideas for topics clustered by keywords and supporting pages from Keyword Research Tool. To do this, follow these steps. 

• Head to Surfer's Keyword Research Tool
• Enter your target keyword and country
• Hit Create Keyword Research

For “running equipment,” I got 189 relevant topic ideas I can use. Each card represents a single article or landing page. Each card includes the monthly search volume, keyword difficulty, and related keywords. 

Creating such a content structure aims to tackle every keyword in a cluster and establish topical authority.

Here, I won’t go into the details of keyword clustering philosophy and guide you through every step of a new website organization. If you’d like to know more about it, I recommend this keyword clustering guide from Moz.

Now you see the distinction between main keywords and supporting keywords. 

But to create successful content clusters, you need to know two more categories of keywords: similar keywords and niche-related keywords.

Similar keywords

Keyword similarity is when the SERP results for two different keywords have a lot of overlapping pages

People use many phrases and keywords for the same search query. For example, I may find five identical pages ranking in the top ten SERPs for both search queries - “running equipment” and “running gear,” leading to a similarity of 50%. 

In this case, you don’t have to publish two different pages to rank for both queries since Google understands synonyms and keyword variations and will rank one page for both searches. You can target similar keywords with one piece of content to take over as many SERPs as possible. 

Why publish multiple content pieces when you can rank with just one?

That’s precisely why Surfer organizes keywords per single topic in Keyword Research Tool : 

Find similar keywords for every piece of content you write to eliminate additional tasks.

But choose them with extra care for your pillar page! 

You want it to be visible and bring traffic, so it should appear in as many relevant SERPs as possible.

Don’t let any keyword that’s similar to your main keyword escape! Make sure to catch them all, so your article can rank for hundreds or thousands of keywords, drawing in all this traffic. 

Niche-relevant keywords 

Keyword research and content strategy go beyond just producing one page. You want all your pages to be semantically related to your main topic. 

When you have many well-ranked optimized pages within the same topical cluster, that signals to Google that you’re an authority in your field. And search engines crawling your supporting pages can easily reach your main pillar page via internally linked anchor text passing on their link juice to your main page. You get the gist.

So, the purpose of your supporting pages is to lift your pillar page and raise topical relevance. It’s nice when they bring decent traffic, but it’s not their main goal.

When you do keyword research for your supportive pages, you must choose keywords within the same semantic field as your main keyword but with low keyword similarity. You don’t want your supporting keyword clusters to compete with your pillar page. 

It’s also helpful to begin with low-competition keywords so you can rank quickly with low effort.

Let’s assume an example where we want to rank our pillar page for “coffee grinders.” We decided to tackle this keyword because we can compete for it, and it will bring us decent traffic. I set out to look at ideas for supportive pages. This time, I’ll try to look for them straight in Google search.

In the “People also ask” box, it’s evident that Google finds these queries topically relevant since they’re showing up.

“Are blade coffee grinders really that bad?” looks promising. 

The results in this query are different than in the “coffee grinder” query. And the competition is not cutthroat, so it’ll be possible to rank for.

It won’t bring tons of money and traffic, but it falls within a reader’s area of interest, and Google will connect the two topics. We should dedicate resources to creating a supporting page for this keyword.

And that’s the very simplified keyword research process of looking for your primary and supportive keywords and clustering them. For more seo keyword research and to uncover many topics, you can use tools like Surfer Keyword Research Tool I showed above.

To sum up: 

You want your pillar page to rank for your main keyword and similar keywords, bring in traffic and leads, and ultimately sales and revenue. And you want your supporting pages to rank for keywords that are semantically relevant but don’t compete with the main keyword. They should also have low keyword difficulty scores and competition so you can rank quickly and without much effort.

Remember when I said that “right” doesn’t always mean “easy”? This rule applies 100% to creating content clusters. When you find the “right” head keywords, it won’t and SHOULDN’T be that easy to rank for them! 

3. Estimate your keyword’s ranking difficulty

To maximize your chances of ranking for a keyword, you need to assess its general ranking difficulty.

But how to recognize if a query is difficult or not? It’s not like it gets a badge from Google.

Here are a few indicators.

Head terms vs. long-tail keywords

Have you ever heard of this distinction? If not, here’s a crash course:

Head keywords are popular keywords that have the most search volume but are also the most competitive.

Long-tail keywords are less popular and much more specific keywords that have less search volume but convert better since users have a specific need when they search for them.

Some also differentiate “body keywords,” the middle ground between the two.

They’re good for your supporting pages and a good starting point for any new site that can’t compete with the big players yet. Because of the higher conversion rate, they are good for sales. 

Strong domains in SERPs

To rank well for competitive keywords, you will need a strong domain authority. And when you have a strong domain, ranking for any keyword becomes much easier.

This is why it’s hard to compete in SERPs packed with strong domains when yours is not on the same level.

But how to check the quality of the domains in your SERP of choice?

Some are just easy to guess. When most links you can see lead to Amazon, Wikipedia, BestBuy, etc., it’s obvious the SERP is challenging.

But you don’t only have to use your best judgment.

(Of course, it’s an oversimplification, but it can help us in the first stage of keyword research or when we don’t have access to paid tools).

There are a lot of free keyword tools that can help you check the search volume. I’ll use Keyword Surfer , a free Chrome extension since it lets you see estimated traffic directly in SERPs.

Let’s imagine we run a shop with pet accessories. Take a look at this “dog grooming tools” SERP.

Most of the domains have a LOT of monthly traffic. Beating them will be hard if your website isn’t established in the same niche. 

But now, let’s take a look at the SERPs for “dog grooming scissors”.

There are strong domains here, but there are also ones that don’t get that much traffic. Apparently, it’s possible to rank high in this SERP even without a killer domain.

So a better idea may be to start with this keyword and slowly work your way up.

“Keyword difficulty” metric inside SEO tools

Nowadays, most SEO tools offer a keyword difficulty checker. It’s usually displayed as a rating. Such metrics can help you avoid tedious research and are arguably the most accurate method versus manual analysis (given that the tool’s algorithms can crunch more data than a human brain could in a matter of seconds).

How is “keyword difficulty” made into a measurable number? What sort of metrics are taken into account?

To find out if it is possible to rank for your target keyword, follow these steps. 

For example, when I type in “seo tools” as my primary keyword, Keyword Research Tool suggests that I create a topic around the keyword “list of seo tools”. On this card, I’m shown the relative difficulty for my specific domain to rank for this keyword. 

Also important to note is that while a backlink profile is extremely important, it is not all that matters for high rankings. There are over 200 ranking factors. And Google itself revealed that the two signals that matter most are links and content.

Judging from Google’s algorithm updates, like the huge BERT update from 2019, content as a ranking factor is rising in importance.

That’s why in Surfer’s tools, we offer two metrics to measure the difficulty of SERPs:

• Content Score , which shows the page’s content quality on a scale from 0 to 100. 
• Authority, which ranks the strength of a page’s backlink profile on a scale of 0 to 10.

We don’t draw the average but assign a score to each domain so that you can judge the SERP by yourself.

What does it say about SERP difficulty? Easy: you can check if you have enough resources to beat, or at least match, the content scores and authority of your competitors.

Why? Because that’s how we can be certain that with these SERPs, Google values content quality first.

And writing great content is always within your reach while improving the backlink profile can take additional resources over months.

4. Check keyword search volume

Search volume is the classic keyword research metric.

In short, the higher the search volume, the more people are likely to click your post.

There is no way to check traffic volume straight in Google, so you need an SEO tool. There are both free and paid options that will help you check it out.

But there are two things you need to remember before you embark on your high-traffic search.

First, there is no objective “high traffic number.”

If you’re in a popular niche, your numbers will be high. Look at this “sports shoes” query.

But if you’re a locksmith near Brentwood, UK, your number will be significantly smaller:

Secondly, traffic doesn’t always matter. Really.

It all depends on the purpose of your page.

High-volume keywords are good for pillar pages when your goal is to increase visibility and reach the broadest possible audience. You don’t care about the conversion rate.

But if your page is about selling your services, the sheer monthly traffic doesn’t matter. It’s better to have 200 visitors of which 20 will make a purchase, than to have 2000 out of which one or two will convert.

People looking for our super popular “sports shoes” keyword are probably just browsing before they make a purchase. 

But when someone types in a specific brand and size, like here:

They’re probably ready to buy. Their mind sure seems to be made up! So the keyword might have less traffic, but you have higher chances of actually selling to someone with higher purchase intent. 

Traffic doesn’t matter that much for supporting pages, either. Even if they don’t get tons of views, they’ll be ranking for keywords in your chosen topical niche and still give your website an SEO boost. So don’t dismiss these long-tail keywords with 20 monthly searches. 

To find keyword search volume, do this. 

• Head to Surfer Keyword Research
• Enter your keywords and select the country of choice
• Click Create Keyword Research

For the keyword “best seo tool” and related variants, Keyword Research shows me their monthly search volume followed by related keywords that I can use in my content. 

5. Check for the traffic potential of each keyword

You should check the number of clicks a keyword receives once you find one with sufficient  search volume.

Organic CTRs (Click-Through Rate) in Google keep falling because of on-SERP features like Featured Snippets that answer readers’ questions before clicking on the page.

Or the “People also ask” box that helps expand the search query without any clicks.

Or other special features appearing thanks to structured data, like Knowledge Boxes.

For most keywords, many on-SERP features reduce CTR.

So, if your keyword has a lot of them, like the “how to build a bird box” SERP where we can see a video, a People Also Ask box, and another batch of videos, it’s safe to assume your site might not get a ton of clicks.

But if you don’t want to rely on guessing, you can easily check CTR in Ahrefs, for example. 

However, clicks aren’t a make-or-break metric. 

First of all, with a large enough search volume, you can still fight for clicks with exciting title tags or meta descriptions, rich results, etc. It’s risky and could take a long time, but if you have enough resources and you REALLY want that keyword, go ahead and try!

And secondly, for your supportive pages, clicks are not crazy important. So if the only thing you’re after is more cluster juice, you can disregard this metric whatsoever. 

How to prioritize keywords

So far, you’ve learned how to come up with keyword ideas and analyze them for your content. It’s likely that you now have a list of over 20 keywords, if not hundreds, in your arsenal. But unless you have the resources of a rather large content team, you’re probably constrained in how many keywords you can begin developing content for at a single time. 

If you find yourself in this position, worry not. Because I’m going to show you exactly how you can prioritize which keywords you should begin with. 

We’ve already spoken about search volume and traffic potential, as well as competitors, but I want to highlight the importance of relevant keywords to your business. Because you could have all the traffic in the world, but it would mean nothing without business potential.

1. Focus on your business goals

People invest in content marketing for a reason. 

And this reason is not just SERP visibility and traffic. These are just ways to achieve different goals.

Each piece of content should have its purpose beyond SEO. You need to do something with the traffic you get. Do you want to:

• get leads with a lead magnet?
• drive more traffic to your blog?
• sell your product right away?
• support your pillar page?
• something else? Or combine a few of these?

You need to think about the state of mind of the users visiting your website from SERPs.

Some keywords might seem attractive on the cover but will do nothing for your business.

There’s no point in trying to rank for “YouTube video downloader” if you’re in a car rental business just because it’s a popular keyword.

I’ll show you what I mean.

A keyword fits your niche/ but not our business

Okay, so I’m in the content and on-page SEO business. And I want to create a cluster supporting the pillar page ranking for “on-page SEO.” 

In Surfer’s Keyword Research Tool, I’m getting a suggestion that I should write an article on “technical SEO.” 

It’s related to my niche, has decent traffic, and I have knowledge on the subject.

Sure. But Surfer doesn’t offer technical SEO services. Even if my article ranks high, what will happen with the traffic? I’ll just gain a bunch of visitors interested in technical SEO who aren’t likely to convert because my tool just won’t give them what they want. They’ll just go somewhere else.

So it’s better for me to skip this keyword.

Whenever you find a promising keyword, think if a person who finds your pages in the SERP would be happy to come across your site, or would they feel unsatisfied?

A keyword fitsy our business but won’t fulfill your current goals

This time, let’s assume that we want to write content for a company that sells vegan beauty products.

During keyword research, we find a great keyword “vegan peeling mask.” We realize we can totally compete here. Face masks are in the store’s offer, we want to sell them, and they definitely fit the niche. 

While there are some ads at the top, I quickly spot a video box with instructional films on how to make scrubs at home. 

The “People also ask” box has got a similar DIY vibe.

And so do high-ranking pages.

We can assume that most visitors looking for this query ended up visiting pages about making masks at home, and that’s why Google is pushing them forward.

This means that we might not be able to sell a product that easily.

Always check if the content in your dream query aligns with your current business goals!

Summing up, you should always think about your content goals first and only then decide if a keyword is right for you. Otherwise, your high rankings and traffic will just go to waste.

Tip: Re-check promising keywords you gave up on every once in a while. Who knows, maybe the SERP changed?

2. Identify the best form of content for a search query

Once again, when you’re performing keyword research, all you can find are traditional SERP results and maybe a lonely “People Also Ask box” for some SERPs.

But some are filled with different types of SERP features.

SERP features are everything you can see when you Google a keyword that ISN’T the traditional link plus description. Just take a look at this “how to tie a tie” query:

It is dominated by a how-to video from Youtube followed by image tutorials.  

 And even more videos that have been segmented by the stages of tying a tie followed by a “People also ask” section.  

You can see all these features before the first link even appears.

If you wanted to rank high for this keyword AND get traffic… your best bet would be to make a video. Or at least provide a few well-tagged graphics.

When you research your keyword, check out what type of features you can see.

If your SERP is filled with videos, pictures, or maybe recipe boxes, then why not take a shot at this form of content?

You don’t have to resign from the written form. Have the other types of content supplement your blog post or landing page. 

This doubles your chances of ranking high.

3. Assess the resources each keyword needs

No SERP is created equal.

Some are just “typical” SERPs filled with a bunch of standard links without image packs or other add-ons:

But some have pretty much all the SERP features . Take a look at my search query for “building birdhouses”. How to style videos dominate the top search results in Google. 

Followed by a carousel of images and a People also ask section. 

And some really media-rich blogs that are filled with examples of images to back up the text. 

And well presented competitive content with videos and great UX design.

If you include keyword difficulty evaluation to the keyword research, and you should, you can determine just how many resources you need to compete in a given SERP. And this can save you a lot of time and money.

It’s best to always go for the average of what your top competitors are doing. Why waste your time producing a batch of graphics, for example, if neither users nor Google cares?

How to create content based on keywords

Now that you’re familiar with keyword research and have enough ideas to begin creating content, you can publish well-optimized content that can rank high in search engine results pages and drive organic traffic to your website. 

To ensure that you're producing the right kind of content for maximum impact, you’ll want to consider if it satisfies the search intent behind the keyword and also plan out content hubs that are semantically related. 

1. Uncover the search intent for a query

Search intent is the “WHY” behind a query. It’s why people look for stuff and is categorized into four types.

• Informational
• Navigational
• Transactional

If your content doesn’t match the search intent of its main keyword, it won’t rank. You’ll just waste your time and resources.

Lucky for us, recognizing search intent is quite easy. Google holds all the answers.

For example, when you google “espresso machine with grinder,” pretty much the whole SERP consists of listicles with reviews. 

This SERP is clearly for people with commercial intent.

If you’d like to rank here with an informational piece on “what kind of coffee is best” for this type of machine or maybe a purely transactional landing page for your product you will have a hard time.

Run a similar analysis for every keyword you want to rank for. I promise you, it’s worth it.

There are also in-tool ways of determining search intent that can save you time researching every SERP one by one.

For example, in a keyword tool like the Surfer Keyword Research Tool, you can find search intent for every supportive page sub-cluster.

Let’s talk about how to use the information you gathered about search intent to choose the right keyword.

Search intent helps you determine what users want to see for a given search query.

Remember our “best espresso machine with grinder” example? Listicles and reviews with commercial intent dominate the whole SERP. Ranking high with a landing page or an article is going to be really difficult. 

So now, it’s up to you to decide what’s important for your business right now:

• Is it about ranking for this particular keyword,
• or is it about pushing out a specific type of content in the “espresso machine” topical cluster?

If it’s about the keyword, let go of your other plans and write that listicle.  

If it’s not, just search for another keyword. If you wanted to write an informational article to raise your niche authority, “are espresso machines worth it” might be a better idea.

And if you wanted to sell, sell, sell, maybe try ranking for a keyword that’s a specific espresso machine model.

My point is: if you don’t like what you’re seeing in a given SERP, don’t just give up and produce content that doesn’t align with your business goal.

It’s okay to think about search intent first, and only look for keywords that fulfill it. Even if that “best espresso machine with grinder” query looks tempting.

Are you focusing on building topical authority right now? Getting quick wins and more money? Or building a client base? These are questions that you should ask yourself before you get to work.

Recommended Reading: Top SEOs share search intent advice + case study

2. outline topics and secondary keywords for your pages.

You can plan an article outline for a text that will leave no room for a content gap just by scanning the SERP features (like the “People also ask” box and related searches) and your competition,

For example: if you run a store that sells hair extensions and you want to write a piece on “hair extension brands,” all you have to do is Google this keyword and look at this delicious section:

These are four ideas for your article found in less than four seconds that will make both Google and your users happy. You can even make them into headlines.

The “related searches” box can give us even more ideas for secondary keywords and topics:

We can also scan the competing articles to check out what they wrote about and cover these topics as well. After all, they must have done something right to rank this high.

So, you get the gist. By researching what people who google the terms are interested in, we get to know what we should write about in our article and how to structure it.

And it’s all just from Googling the term. Most SEO tools allow you to go deeper into related topics in a matter of seconds with their handy lists of related keywords and phrases. 

For example, Surfer Content Editor provides you with a ready list of questions to answer in your content (based on the “People also ask” box, your competitors, Google’s NLP API, and Surfer’s own algorithms .

Bonus Step: Maximize your chances of getting “position 0”

Don’t neglect optimizing for the featured snippet when you’re developing keyword research into website content. It’s called “position zero” because the site featured in the Snippet usually jumps above the traditional first-ranking page.

According to Ahrefs, the regular first-ranking pages still get more traffic than “page 0.”

But position zero gets a significant chunk of the traffic and it might become easier for you to get the Snippet than to jump to the top of the SERPs.

Because while the sites moved to position 0 have already been ranking in the top 10 in 99% of the cases, they’re not necessarily ranking in “number ones.”

How to optimize for position zero? Keyword research will help you do it!

Your safest bet is only to target keywords that already have a Featured Snippet and try to dethrone the current position 0 pages.

You can find the right queries by simply Googling phrase after phrase until you find one with a promising Featured Snippet.

You can also do Snippet-centric keyword research to find more Snippet opportunities (snippertunities?) using a tool like Ahrefs.

Source: https://ahrefs.com/blog/find-featured-snippets/

But I still encourage you to visit your SERP of choice afterward to check how the Featured Snippet is presented. You’ll need to know it to format your content properly.

There are four common types of Featured Snippets:

• Definition boxes,
• And videos.

Check which type of Snippet your SERP has, and structure your text similarly. Do you need a list? Provide one at the top of your page. A definition box? Write a concise definition in your text and bold it. And so on.

The important thing is this part of your text must be easy for Google bots to find and follow the rules of how Google format their Snippets. Semrush has a handy infographic on this. 

Since the number of Featured Snippets continues to increase, it will get increasingly harder to drive traffic to your site even if you rank number one.

The best tools for keyword research

Now that you know how to identify keywords for SEO, here are a few free keyword research tools that will help scale your process and speed things up. 

‍ Keyword Surfer Chrome Extension

Keyword Surfer is a free Chrome extension that reveals monthly search volume and estimated CPC for Google Ads campaigns in the search bar next to the keyword.

Unlike other keyword research tools, Keyword Surfer offers a whole swiss army of features. On the right, you get a panel with keyword ideas, which can really speed up your keyword research process. You can check their volume and similarity, which will help you plan keyword clusters.

You can also check correlations between traffic (that reflects domain strength), the number of words, or exact keyword matches, and the position in Google.

But that’s not all. You can also set up Content Editor for your keywords and get to writing.

The free Content Editor will give you suggestions on related keywords and phrases to use as well as their frequency, based on the top SERP results. 

Answer the Public 

Answer the Public is a good keyword research tool for getting keyword ideas and researching your niche.

You can find long-tail keywords sorted by questions and comparison phrases to use as subheadings in your content. You’ll also find related searches that can help you build your keyword clusters. 

Google Trends 

Google Trends is a free, easily accessible tool that doesn’t have a ton of features, but has one significant advantage. 

It’s an official Google tool, so the data comes directly from Google.

Google Trends helps you see the popularity of given keywords.

Any time you’re about to write a big money page that you want to be evergreen content, it’s worth checking what Google has to say about its future! Plus, it can help you decide between semantically similar keywords.

Google's Keyword Planner

A descendant of Google Keyword Tool, one of the first keyword research tools, GKP is another keyword research tool that takes data directly from Google. Google’s Keyword Planner is made with Google Ads in mind, but it’s fantastic for seo keyword research as well.

All you have to do is type in your main keyword. You’ll get a list of relevant keyword ideas along with their average monthly searches directly from Google. Note that you need to have an active Google Ads account to use Google’s Keyword Planner. 

KeywordTool.io

Keyword Tool.io analyzes search trends beyond Google. You can use it to conduct keyword research for eBay, Amazon, Bing, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Play Store as well.

In the free version, you can find keyword suggestions only. It’s a simple tool with reliable data that you’ll find especially useful if you want to rank on Google and other search engines! 

Keyword research matters not just for SEO, but your entire content strategy.

And, as with most things SEO, there are no “one-size-fits-all” solutions. Each keyword is different and for each, you need to pay attention to different things.

I hope this step-by-step guide gave you a framework for effective keyword research.

After you figure out the following:

• The purpose of this keyword in your domain’s structure (main vs. supportive);
• Ranking difficulty;
• Search intent;
• Search volume;
• Your business expectations for ranking in this SERP,

You’ll get the full picture of any keyword and be ready to make an educated decision based on hard data and your priorities.

Keyword research is just the first step of an effective content strategy. If you want to dig deeper into the process of SEO content creation….

• What are Keywords? How do you use them for SEO?
• Top SEOs on User Intent + Big Data Case Study on Intent Changes
• Search Intent In SEO: How to Get It Right [A Quick Guide]

The article was co-written with Sławek Czajkowski, an SEO expert with over 13 years of experience and Surfer's co-founder and CEO. As the KS SEO Agency manager, he created and conducted successful data-driven digital marketing campaigns for over 500 businesses. 

https://surferseo.com/blog/keyword-research-guide/

Get started now, ‍7 days for free

Choose a plan that fits your needs and try Surfer out for yourself. Click below to sign up!

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) & Keyword Research

Effective Keyword Research for SEO: The Complete Guide

• May 7, 2024

When one opens their browser and searches for anything, even the littlest of the littlest things there are hundreds of websites displayed. Here, every website wants the reader to open their website and go through the information provided there. But what directs the Traffic to one’s website?

It is none other than the infamous SEO. SEO or Search Engine Optimisation is what directs organic traffic to a website. In this process what role does research of keywords have to play? Without research, it is mostly webmasters creating content blindly without any real “business” justification or reason.

One of the foundational pillars of Search engine optimization is Keyword Research. If businesses want their websites on the top of the search list, gain more organic search, and have a strong online presence, one needs to understand how keyword research is essential.

In this article we will dive right into how to find the right and best keywords and Techniques for Keyword Research and everything related to it gives you the best that keywords will need for their businesses to grow and thrive.

Procedure For Effective Keyword Research For SEO

1. getting the basics right.

Before diving deep into mastering keyword research in SEO, it is crucial to understand the basics of the same. Let us start with what a keyword means. Keywords are words or phrases that are used when people look up something online. Keyword Research is where one can identify and analyze the right keywords for search engines.

The goal here is to identify and target the right keywords that align with your business or your content. This determines one’s website visibility to the customers. Adding on, having effective keyword research can help one curate content that is relevant to the user’s interest, increase popularity, and divert organic traffic to the website.

2. Define your Content Goals

The first and foremost thing in Keyword research in SEO** is** to establish search engine optimization Goals. As important as it is to get the right keywords to navigate the traffic to one’s page, it is also important to understand the audience that one is dealing with.

The All-in-One Platform for Effective SEO

Behind every successful business is a strong SEO campaign. But with countless optimization tools and techniques out there to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start. Well, fear no more, cause I've got just the thing to help. Presenting the Ranktracker all-in-one platform for effective SEO

We have finally opened registration to Ranktracker absolutely free!

Or Sign in using your credentials

A few things to be considered are the demographics, interests, and the words that they commonly use in their searches. Having an understanding of this will help resonate with the target audience and also give one the data that is needed to start.

3. Powerful Techniques for Keyword Research

There are a few techniques that can help in mastering SEO keywords and also increase keyword research rate success. The job is made easy, there are multiple tools across the internet that help identify and analyze the right SEO keywords to increase the website's visibility in the search engine.

Usually, the tools can identify and provide the right SEO keyword with the help of data based on what the audience is searching for. Here is a list of keyword analysis tools if you have no idea where to begin

• Ranktracker Keyword Finder

Find the best SEO keyword opportunities by searching our up-to-date global database. Just enter a word or phrase to see a list of relevant related keywords, complete with search volumes and difficulty ratings.

• Google Keyword Planner

This tool is a great starting point for research. It is free and focuses on search volume, competition levels, and keyword data.

• Ubersuggest

This is known to be a very user-friendly tool. This mainly focuses on content ideas and gives data on search volume and competition.

This is famous for backlink analysis. It is also known for providing extraordinary keyword research capabilities and organic keywords.

It is one of the most comprehensive tools in the market; it is sure to take your search engine optimization (SEO) game to the next level. This is a free tool in which you can set your account up and can conduct in-depth keyword analysis, competitive research, and even sort your list of SEO Keywords based on how specific you need them to be.

• Moz Keyword Explorer

Moz’s tools are known to offer valuable insights about search volume, click-through rate (CTR), and keyword difficulty.

4. Executing Keyword Research into Action

Now that we have learned various tools to research, identify, and analyze keywords. But all of this would mean nothing if one cannot take the necessary action afterward. A few ways of converting your SEO** Keyword **research into action are via blogs and website copies. These can be used to create heavy keyword content. As much as this enhances one's search engine optimization (SEO) efforts, it also contributes to positioning B2B or B2C branding as an authority in one’s niche.

Also, never stop diving into keyword research. The market around us is ever-evolving. So should be your SEO Keyword** **Strategy. Regularly monitor industry trends and oversee website analytics. Make sure to update and modify keywords according to changing users’ needs to stay upbeat in directing organic traffic to one’s website.

5. Consider Keyword Metrics

While one does SEO Keyword Research and continues with the following steps like blogging and so on, there are a few factors that are to be considered. The best SEO companies in India also refer to similar metrics Listed below are 3 metrics that can enhance keyword optimization.

• Click Through Rate (CTR)

The higher the Click Through Rate, the more attractive the blog is. But first, let us understand what Click-through rate means. It is simply the likelihood of the keyword that will result in clicks. Hence, do give this metric the needed importance.

• Search Volume

This is the number of times that a word has been searched in a month. It is advised to have a high search volume but one must not forget that competition can be fierce.

• Keyword Difficulty

This metric is known to assess how difficult it is to rank a specific SEO Keyword . Newer websites can try Lower-competition Keywords.

6. Keep an eye out for Long-Tail Keywords

Head terms are keywords that are usually short and generic to an extent. They range from just one to three words. On the other hand, Long-tail keywords are relatively longer phrases. They range up to 3 or more phrases. But, it is advised for one to look out for Long-tail Keywords. These keywords are known to be more specific and less competitive than the short-tailed ones.

Because they are known to be more specific, it is much easier to tell what people are looking for. They help enhance the target to a nice audience and are known to increase sales conversion rate. Although ideally, there has to be an equal mix of both head term and long-tail keywords, one should get whatever wins one can by Long-tail keywords.

**7. Analyze, Create and Monitor **

Conduct extensive research on competitors to know which keywords are they banking on. Understand their content and strategies, and try implementing the same keywords as them. This does not mean one has to follow their footsteps but it would be foolish to ignore it completely as well.

Understanding the ranking of SEO Keywords of your competitor is one way of making sure that your list is re-evaluated.

Parallelly look for gaps that they haven’t considered. Just because your competitor decides to ignore a few words does not mean you have to as well. This serves as a great opportunity to own market share on important terms.

Now that you have an update on the list of keywords yet again, make sure to craft compelling high-quality content. Make sure that the content created is user-friendly, informative, and valuable.

SEO Keyword Research is a never-ending and ongoing process. Keep regular tabs on the keyword rankings and make necessary changes to your strategy. Trends and markets change all the time, so it is important to stay up to date.

Keyword Research is a basic fundamental pillar of Search engine optimization. In the digital era where having a strong online presence is the need of the hour, it is an absolute necessity to master SEO Keyword** **Research. By nailing the basics, laying out your goals, and making use of the right tools, one can identify the necessary keywords that will divert organic traffic to one’s website.

But, It is important to understand there is no such thing as the “best” keyword, it just happens to be the one that is most frequently searched by the user. Considering this, one has to carefully come up with a strategy that will help drive organic traffic and rank pages accordingly. A few considerations for best SEO Keywords** **are volume, authority, and relevance. Make sure that the list of keywords can fulfill some long-term and short-term goals. Re-evaluation of keywords is a must.

Once a quarter is an ideal time for the same, but some businesses prefer to do it more often. Here are all the Keyword research secrets that one has to know to obtain the most relevant keyword and divert traffic from the search engine. If this seems daunting at any point, there is always an option for professional SEO services that offer great and professional services that would make one’s work a lot easier.

Felix Rose-Collins

Ranktracker's ceo/cmo & co-founder.

Felix Rose-Collins is the Co-founder and CEO/CMO of Ranktracker. With over 15 years of SEO experience, he has single-handedly scaled the Ranktracker site to over 500,000 monthly visits, with 390,000 of these stemming from organic searches each month.

The all-in-one platform for effective SEO

• Rank Tracker
• Keyword Finder
• SERP Checker
• Backlink Checker
• Backlink Monitor
• Website Audit
• AI Article Writer

Create your account today. No credit card is needed.

Start using Ranktracker… For free!

Find out what’s holding your website back from ranking.

Want to create a new Google Ads account?

You’re about to create a new Google Ads account. You can create multiple campaigns in the same account without creating a new account.

• How it works
• AI-Powered Ad Solutions
• Performance Max
• Local Services Ads
• Google Analytics
• Keyword Planner
• Manager Accounts
• Google Ads Editor
• Reach Planner

Google Ads Mobile App

• Conversion Tracking
• Work with a partner
• Become a partner
• Case Studies & Articles
• Growth Formula
• Grow My App

Choose the right keywords

The right keywords can get your ad in front of the right customers, and Google Ads Keyword Planner is here to help.

Find new keywords

Search for words or phrases related to your products or services. Our keyword research tool will help you find the keywords that are most relevant for your business.

Analyze keywords

Our keyword research tool gives you insight into how often people search for certain terms–and how those searches have changed over time.

Get bid estimates

Keyword Planner will give you suggested bid estimates for each keyword to help you determine your advertising budget.

Make your plan

Once you’ve found the keywords you like, you can add them to your advertising plan. Save your plan or share it with others. When you’re ready, you can finalize and launch your campaign.

Partner with a Google Ads expert to set up your first campaign

• We’ll get you up to speed on the latest platform updates
• We’ll design a media plan that makes the most of your budget
• We’ll help you launch your first campaign with hands-on guidance

Get started with the Keyword Planner

We know that using a new tool can be complicated. Click on the text below to learn how you can get started.

Create a keyword plan

Understand your keyword forecast

Create campaign based on your plan

Tools and campaigns that can help you meet your goals.

Interested in learning more about what Google Ads has to offer? Click on the cards below to explore more related campaigns and helpful tools.

Insights Page

Grow your business with insights and trends that are tailored to your business.

Recommendations Page

Improve your campaign performance and efficiency with suggestions that are tailored to your needs.

Stay connected to your campaigns on the go, monitor your campaigns in real-time, and take quick action to improve performance.

Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library

Backwards searching: deconstruct a keyword search strategy from an article abstract.

TechBullion

Complete guide to creating a content strategy.

Did you know that businesses that have a documented content strategy are more likely to achieve their marketing goals? According to a recent study by Content Marketing Institute, companies with a documented content strategy are 60% more successful in their content marketing efforts compared to those without one. With 2024 just around the corner, it’s crucial to understand what content strategy is and how to develop an effective one to engage and grow your audience in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

Understanding Content Strategy

In today’s digital landscape, having a well-defined content strategy is essential for the success of your digital marketing efforts. But what exactly is content strategy, and how can it drive results for your business in 2024 ?

A content strategy is a comprehensive plan that outlines how you will create, distribute, and manage your content to achieve specific business goals. It involves understanding your target audience, building a strong brand identity, and creating valuable and engaging content that resonates with your audience.

Content strategy focuses on more than just creating content; it encompasses understanding your audience’s needs and preferences, conducting competitor analysis, and optimizing your content for search engines. A well-executed content strategy can help you establish thought leadership, build brand awareness, drive organic traffic to your website, and ultimately convert leads into customers.

The key components of a content strategy include:

• Goals and Objectives: Defining the specific outcomes you want to achieve with your content, such as increasing brand awareness, generating leads, or driving sales.
• Target Audience: Identifying and understanding the demographics, interests, and pain points of your ideal customers to create content that resonates with them.
• Content Creation: Developing a plan to create valuable and engaging content in various formats, such as blog posts, videos, infographics, or podcasts.
• Content Distribution: Determining the channels and platforms where you will distribute your content, such as social media, email marketing, guest posting, or search engine optimization (SEO).
• Content Management: Establishing processes and systems to organize, update, and repurpose your content to ensure its relevance and effectiveness over time.
• Performance Measurement: Tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate the success of your content strategy and make data-driven decisions for improvement.

By aligning your content strategy with your business goals and target audience, you can create a cohesive and impactful digital presence that resonates with your customers and drives meaningful results. Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise, investing in a well-defined content strategy is crucial in today’s digital landscape.

So, now that you have a better understanding of what content strategy entails, it’s time to explore the next step: conducting keyword research . In the following section, we will discuss the importance of keyword research and how it can drive organic traffic to your website. Stay tuned!

Conducting Keyword Research

Keyword research is an essential component of developing a successful content strategy. By understanding the keywords your target audience is using, you can optimize your content to increase visibility and attract organic traffic. In this section, we will explore the importance of keyword research and provide practical tips on how to conduct it effectively.

The Importance of Keyword Research in Content Strategy

Keyword research enables you to uncover the specific words and phrases your audience is searching for in search engines. By incorporating these keywords into your content, you can improve your website’s visibility and relevance to the search engines. This, in turn, can drive more organic traffic to your website and increase the chances of converting visitors into loyal customers.

Without keyword research, your content may not align with your target audience’s search intent, making it difficult for them to find your website. By conducting thorough keyword research, you can gain insights into the language and terminology your audience uses, allowing you to optimize your content accordingly.

Tips for Effective Keyword Research

When conducting keyword research, it’s important to use a combination of tools and techniques to gather comprehensive data. Here are some tips to help you conduct effective keyword research:

• Start with a clear understanding of your target audience and their demographics, interests, and search behavior.
• Use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and Moz Keyword Explorer to identify high-volume, low-competition keywords.
• Look for long-tail keywords that are more specific and have lower competition, as they can help you attract a more targeted audience.
• Analyze your competitors’ websites and identify the keywords they are targeting successfully. This can provide valuable insights and inspiration for your own keyword strategy.
• Consider user intent when selecting keywords. Think about the purpose behind each search query and ensure your content aligns with that intent.

An Example of Keyword Research Process

Let’s say you have an e-commerce website selling sustainable fashion. To conduct keyword research for your content strategy, you can follow these steps:

• Start by researching general keywords related to sustainable fashion, such as “sustainable clothing,” “ethical fashion,” and “eco-friendly fashion.”
• Use keyword research tools to find related long-tail keywords like “vegan clothing brands,” “organic cotton clothing,” and “fair trade fashion.”
• Analyze the search volume and competition level for each keyword to prioritize the ones that are most relevant and achievable for your website.
• Include the selected keywords strategically in your website’s content, including product descriptions, blog articles, and metadata.
• Regularly monitor and analyze the performance of your chosen keywords using website analytics tools. Make adjustments to your content strategy as needed based on the data.

By following a systematic keyword research process, you can optimize your content to align with your target audience’s search behavior, increasing your chances of attracting organic traffic and achieving your content marketing goals .

Enhancing User Experience

A crucial aspect of successful content strategy is ensuring an exceptional user experience on your website. By designing and planning your website content with the user in mind, you can create a seamless and engaging experience that keeps visitors coming back for more.

Organizing and Structuring Content

When it comes to website content planning , organization is key. By structuring your content in a logical and intuitive way, you can help users navigate your site effortlessly. Consider using headers, subheaders, and bullet points to break up your content and make it easier to scan.

“Effective website content planning involves organizing information in a way that aligns with the user’s expectations and goals.”

Ensure that your website’s navigation is user-friendly and intuitive. A well-designed menu can guide users to the information they’re looking for quickly and efficiently. By providing clear and concise labels for your menu items, you can eliminate confusion and enhance user experience .

Visual Appeal

When it comes to website content, visuals play a critical role in user engagement. Incorporating high-quality images, videos, and infographics can capture the user’s attention and convey information more effectively. Additionally, using consistent branding elements, such as colors and fonts, can create a cohesive and visually appealing experience.

“Visually appealing content can significantly enhance the user experience and encourage users to spend more time on your website.”

Responsive Design

With an increasing number of users accessing websites through mobile devices, it’s essential to prioritize responsive design. Optimizing your website for mobile ensures that all users, regardless of the device they’re using, can access and enjoy your content without frustration. Responsive design improves user experience and helps to prevent high bounce rates.

Strategies for Enhancing User Experience

By prioritizing user experience in your content strategy and implementing these strategies, you can create a website that visitors will love to explore. A seamless and engaging user experience will not only keep users coming back but also lead to higher engagement and conversions on your website.

Creating Compelling Content

When it comes to content marketing, content creation is the heart and soul of your strategy. It’s what grabs the attention of your audience and keeps them coming back for more. But how do you create content that is both high-quality and engaging? Let’s explore some techniques and strategies to help you craft captivating content.

Tell Stories That Resonate

One of the most powerful ways to capture your audience’s attention is through storytelling. By weaving relatable narratives, you can connect with your audience on a deeper level. Whether it’s sharing personal experiences, showcasing customer testimonials, or highlighting inspiring success stories, storytelling injects emotion and authenticity into your content.

Add Visual Elements

Visuals play a crucial role in content creation . Incorporating eye-catching images, videos, infographics, and other visually appealing elements enhances the overall user experience and helps convey your message effectively. Visuals break up text, making your content more digestible and engaging, while also reinforcing key points.

Format for Readability and Scannability

When it comes to online content, readability and scannability are paramount. Break up your content into smaller paragraphs and use subheadings, bulleted lists, and bolded text to enhance readability. This allows your audience to quickly scan through the content and find the information they need, improving their overall experience.

Strategies for Content Distribution and Promotion

Creating compelling content is just the first step. To ensure it reaches your target audience, you need to have effective content distribution and promotion strategies in place. Utilize social media platforms, email marketing, influencer collaborations, and guest blogging to amplify the reach of your content. By strategically sharing and promoting your content, you can increase its visibility and attract a wider audience.

“Compelling content is the key to capturing and retaining your audience’s attention. Incorporate storytelling, visuals, and formatting techniques to create engaging content that resonates with your target audience. And don’t forget to have a robust content distribution plan to ensure your content reaches the right people.”

Optimizing Content for Search Engines

Search engine optimization (SEO) plays a crucial role in ensuring your content reaches the right audience and drives organic traffic to your website. By implementing effective SEO strategies, you can improve search engine rankings and maximize the visibility of your content. In this section, we will explore key techniques and best practices for optimizing your content for search engines.

On-Page Optimization

One of the core elements of SEO strategy is on-page optimization. This involves optimizing the content, structure, and HTML coding of your webpages to improve their search engine ranking . Here are some essential on-page optimization techniques:

• Keyword Research: Conduct thorough keyword research to identify relevant and high-impact keywords for your content. Integrate these keywords naturally into your text, headings, URLs, and meta tags.
• Quality Content: Craft high-quality, informative, and engaging content that addresses the needs and interests of your target audience. Create compelling headlines, use subheadings, and incorporate relevant keywords.
• Meta Tags: Optimize your meta tags, including the meta title and meta description, to accurately describe your content and entice users in search engine results.
• URL Structure: Create clear and concise URLs that include relevant keywords, making it easier for search engines and users to understand the content of your webpages.
• Internal Linking: Build a network of internal links within your website, connecting relevant pages to improve website navigation and user experience.

Content Optimization

Content optimization focuses on enhancing the user experience and ensuring your content is valuable, relevant, and easily accessible. Consider the following strategies to optimize your content:

• Structuring and Formatting: Use appropriate headings, subheadings, and formatting techniques (such as bullet points and numbered lists) to organize your content and make it scannable for both users and search engines.
• Keyword Density: Ensure a balanced keyword density throughout your content, naturally incorporating relevant keywords without excessive repetition.
• Image Optimization: Optimize your images by using descriptive file names and alt texts. Compress images to improve page load speed.
• Mobile-Friendly Design: Create a responsive and mobile-friendly website to cater to users accessing your content on different devices.

SEO Strategy

Developing a comprehensive SEO strategy is essential for long-term success. Here are key components to consider when designing your SEO strategy :

“A well-designed SEO strategy combines technical optimization, content creation , and ongoing monitoring and adjustments.” – SEO Expert

By implementing these SEO strategies and adopting a systematic approach, you can enhance the visibility and reach of your content, improve search engine rankings, and ultimately drive more organic traffic to your website.

Understanding Audience Targeting

To create impactful content, understanding your target audience is vital. In this section, we will delve into audience targeting strategies, including defining buyer personas, conducting audience research, and tailoring content to meet their specific needs and preferences.

One of the key aspects of audience targeting is the development of buyer personas. Buyer personas are fictional representations of your ideal customers. They help you gain a deeper understanding of your target audience by identifying their demographics, interests, pain points, and motivations.

When creating buyer personas, consider factors such as age, gender, location, profession, and education level. Additionally, explore their interests, hobbies, and online behavior. By understanding what makes your audience tick, you can tailor your content to resonate with their interests and capture their attention.

Conducting audience research is another essential step in audience targeting . This involves gathering data on your existing audience, as well as potential customers, to identify common characteristics and trends. Market research surveys and focus groups can provide valuable insights into their preferences, challenges, and preferences.

“Understanding your audience is key to creating content that resonates with them. By researching their needs and preferences, you can develop content that engages and appeals to your target audience.” – Marketing Expert

Once you have gathered data and insights, it’s time to tailor your content specifically to your target audience. Create content that addresses their pain points, solves their problems, and provides value. Consider their preferred content formats, such as blog posts, videos, infographics, or podcasts, and optimize your content to meet their expectations.

Engaging your target audience requires delivering relevant and personalized content. Use data segmentation to divide your audience into smaller groups based on their characteristics and interests. By segmenting your audience, you can create content that speaks directly to each group’s unique needs, increasing engagement and conversion rates.

Example of Audience Targeting Data Segmentation

By understanding your target audience and tailoring your content to their specific needs and preferences, you can significantly improve audience engagement and drive better results for your content strategy.

Leveraging Website Analytics

When it comes to developing an effective content strategy, understanding the impact of your efforts is crucial. This is where website analytics comes in. By tracking and analyzing data from your website, you gain valuable insights into how your content is performing and how it can be improved to drive better results.

Website analytics provides a comprehensive view of your digital marketing efforts. It allows you to measure key performance indicators (KPIs), such as traffic, engagement, and conversions, providing a clear understanding of your content’s impact on your bottom line.

By leveraging website analytics, you can identify the strengths and weaknesses of your content strategy, enabling you to make data-driven decisions to improve your overall digital marketing campaign. From identifying high-performing pages to understanding user behavior and preferences, website analytics empowers you to optimize your content for maximum impact.

Measuring Content Performance

With website analytics, you can measure the performance of your content at every stage of the customer journey. By tracking metrics such as page views, bounce rate, time on page, and conversion rate, you can gain insights into how users are interacting with your content and where they may be dropping off.

You can also track the performance of specific campaigns or content types to determine which initiatives are driving the most engagement and conversions. This information can help you allocate resources effectively and focus on strategies that yield the best results.

Identifying Opportunities for Improvement

Website analytics allows you to identify areas where your content strategy can be optimized. By analyzing user behavior, you can uncover patterns and trends that can inform future content creation and distribution strategies.

For example, if you notice a high bounce rate on certain landing pages, you can investigate the reasons behind it and make adjustments to improve the user experience. Similarly, if you find that certain types of content are generating more conversions, you can focus on creating more of that type of content to maximize your ROI.

Making Informed Strategic Decisions

Website analytics provides the data you need to make informed strategic decisions. By understanding how your content is performing and how it aligns with your business goals, you can make adjustments to your content strategy to ensure it remains effective.

For instance, if you find that a particular topic resonates well with your audience, you can create more content around that topic to keep them engaged. On the other hand, if you notice that a certain content format is not generating results, you can experiment with different formats to find what works best for your audience.

Website analytics is an invaluable tool for content strategists and digital marketers alike. By leveraging the insights it provides, you can refine your content strategy, improve user experience, and drive better results for your business.

Integrating Social Media

Social media platforms have become indispensable in the world of digital content . Leveraging social media integration effectively can significantly enhance your content strategy, increasing your reach, engagement, and website traffic.

When integrating social media into your content strategy, it’s crucial to consider your target audience and the platforms they actively engage with. This will allow you to tailor your content to their preferences and maximize your impact.

Choosing the Right Social Media Platforms

Different social media platforms cater to various types of content and demographics. Conduct research to identify the platforms that align best with your target audience’s interests and behaviors. By focusing on these platforms, you can better engage with your audience and optimize your content for maximum visibility.

For example, if your target audience consists primarily of professionals and B2B connections, platforms like LinkedIn may offer the best opportunity for engagement. On the other hand, if you have visually-oriented content, platforms like Instagram and Pinterest may be more effective for showcasing your digital assets.

Creating Engaging Social Media Content

Creating compelling content for social media requires careful consideration of the platform’s characteristics and audience preferences. Keep these tips in mind:

• Develop visually appealing content: Images, videos, and infographics are highly shareable and can help increase engagement on social media.
• Write concise and captivating captions: Craft captions that grab attention and encourage users to interact with your content.
• Encourage user-generated content: User-generated content not only fosters engagement but also builds brand loyalty and trust.

Driving Traffic and Engagement

Integrating social media effectively can drive traffic to your website and boost engagement with your content. Here are some strategies to consider:

• Share links to your website: Include direct links to relevant blog posts, landing pages, or product pages to drive traffic back to your website.
• Engage with your audience: Respond to comments, messages, and mentions to foster authentic relationships with your followers.
• Collaborate with influencers: Partnering with influencers in your industry can expand your reach and expose your content to new audiences.

By integrating social media into your content strategy, you can amplify your efforts and build a strong online presence. Continuously analyze the performance of your social media content using analytics tools to refine your strategy and achieve optimal results.

Measuring and Refining Your Strategy

Regularly measuring and refining your content strategy is essential for its success. By evaluating the effectiveness of your approach, you can make informed decisions to continuously improve and adapt your content planning .

The Importance of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

To gauge the performance of your content strategy, it’s crucial to identify and track key performance indicators (KPIs). These indicators provide measurable insights into how well your strategic content is meeting your goals. Some commonly tracked KPIs include:

• Website traffic: Measure the number of visitors your content attracts and their engagement levels.
• Conversion rate: Evaluate the percentage of visitors who take a desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter.
• Social media engagement: Monitor the interactions and reach of your content on various social media platforms.
• SEO ranking: Assess your content’s visibility and position in search engine results.

By regularly analyzing these KPIs, you can identify areas where your content strategy is successful and areas that require improvement.

Conducting Content Audits

To refine your content strategy, conducting regular content audits is key. A content audit involves assessing the quality, relevance, and performance of your existing content. This process helps you identify gaps, outdated material, or underperforming assets that may need to be updated, repurposed, or removed.

During a content audit, consider aspects such as:

• Content accuracy and freshness
• Relevance to your target audience
• Overall engagement metrics
• SEO optimization

By reviewing and optimizing your existing content, you can enhance its impact and better align it with your strategic goals.

Implementing Iterative Improvements

A successful content strategy requires continuous improvement and adaptation. As you measure the performance of your content and conduct audits, you’ll uncover insights and opportunities for enhancement.

“Effective content planning involves taking a data-driven approach and iterating based on insights gained through analysis.” – Content Marketing Institute

Based on these insights, you can implement iterative improvements to your strategic content . This may involve updating existing content, experimenting with new formats or distribution channels, or refining your targeting and messaging. Through iterative improvements, you can optimize your content strategy for maximum impact.

Summary of Measuring and Refining Your Strategy

Regularly measuring and refining your content strategy is crucial to ensure its success. By tracking key performance indicators (KPIs), conducting content audits, and implementing iterative improvements, you can optimize your strategic content to better align with your goals and continue engaging your target audience effectively.

Congratulations! You’ve now gained valuable insights into the world of content strategy and its significance in 2024 . Developing and implementing an effective content strategy is crucial for engaging your audience, driving traffic, and achieving your digital marketing goals.

Throughout this article, we’ve emphasized the importance of ongoing content management in sustaining your strategy’s success. By consistently evaluating and refining your content approach, you can ensure that it remains aligned with your target audience’s needs and preferences.

Furthermore, staying adaptable is essential in the ever-evolving digital landscape. By keeping a finger on the pulse of emerging trends and consumer behaviors, you can proactively adjust your content strategy to maintain relevance and capitalize on new opportunities.

Remember, content management and strategy go hand in hand. With a well-defined strategy and effective management, you can create and deliver compelling content that resonates with your audience, boosts engagement, and drives your business forward.

Recommended for you

Trending Stories

Former Tesla Exec Leads New Climate Fintech: Interview With Tim Newell, CEO Of Aspiration

In this Interview with TechBullion, fintech and sustainability industry veteran Tim Newell, gives us an...

Exploring the World with Peace of Mind: 10 Budget-Friendly Travel Insurance Plans

Traveling is one of life’s greatest pleasures, allowing us to explore new cultures, cuisines,...

Raboo Emerges as Rising Crypto Star Amid Bitcoin (BTC) and Stacks (STX) Price Drops

After a post-halving market correction, the Bitcoin price drop has formed a bearish trend...

FINQ Appears on NASDAQ: How AI is Taking Over Investing

American journalist and NASDAQ Marketsite Jane King interviews Eldad Tamir, the Founder & CEO...

How Long Do Hot Water Systems Typically Last? 

Hot water systems are an essential component in most households, providing crucial access to...

How to Convert a VCF File Containing Contacts to a CSV File

A VCF file can refer to a vCard file or a Variant Call Format...

Manila Arduino Empowers Filipino Innovation Through Low-cost Prototyping and Fabrication

Manila Arduino Fabrication Lab (Manila Arduino) isn’t your typical go-to prototyping service. They’ve transformed...

Microsoft and OpenAI Launched a $2 million SRF. 

Microsoft and OpenAI launched a $2 million SRF to enhance AI education among voters....

Choosing the Right Talent Management Software for Business Success

In today’s fast-paced business environment, talent management has emerged as a critical strategic process...

Innovative Uses of Wheel Stops in Urban Landscapes

Wheel stops, commonly found in parking lots to delineate parking spaces, are being repurposed...

Andrey Berezin: Key Investments from the Founder of Euroinvest Development

Berezin Andrey Valeryevich is a businessman from St. Petersburg. He first tried his hand...

X Partners With Thorn to Fight Child Sexual Exploitation Online

X Partners with Thorn to fight child sexual exploitation online Takeaway Points X Partners...

Mistakes to Avoid When Doing a Bathroom Renovation

Bathroom renovations can be a rewarding project that not only enhances the functionality of...

The Digital Transformation: How Technology is Shaping Personal Injury Legal Practices in Tennessee

Digital transformation has impacted several industries, and the legal sector is no exception. At...

The Growing Importance of Workplace Safety Training

Workplace safety training is an essential component of a successful business strategy. By investing...

Memereum: Your 2024 Game-Changer in the Altcoin Universe – Seizing the Post-Crypto Crash Opportunity

First Insurance on Blockchain The recent crash in the cryptocurrency market has left many...

Dimitri Margolin’s Push for Environmental Sustainability in Semiconductor Fabrication

Although semiconductor manufacturing is absolutely vital in the field of innovative technology, the process...

Revolutionizing Energy Efficiency: Mechanical Engineering Strategies in Commercial Buildings

The challenges posed by climate change and rising energy costs mean that energy efficiency...

Use Big Data to Revolutionize Women’s Health

For far too long, the field of medical research and healthcare has been heavily...

GM Vietnam Is Back: Lighting the Path To Continuous Web3 Advancement – Get Your FREE Tickets Today!

Last year, GM Vietnam made waves as the premier blockchain event in Vietnam and...

Like Us On Facebook

Latest interview.

In this Interview with TechBullion, fintech and sustainability industry veteran Tim Newell, gives us an insight into the growing demand for climate-friendly financial...

Latest Press Release

ZTX Web3 Platform Announces Strategic Partnership With Frontier to Use ZTX Token as Means of Payment 

Recently launched ZTX token, popular among Japanese crypto investors, can now be used to pay for medical services at Frontier. Frontier customers,...

Pin It on Pinterest

This paper is in the following e-collection/theme issue:

Published on 9.5.2024 in Vol 4 (2024)

This is a member publication of University of Toronto

The Role of Scientific Research in Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Discussions on Twitter: Social Network Analysis

Authors of this article:

There are no citations yet available for this article according to Crossref .

• Keyword Research Strategies

SEO Keywords

Written by Brian Dean

What are SEO Keywords?

SEO keywords (also known as “keywords” or “keyphrases”) are terms added to online content in order to improve search engine rankings for those terms. Most keywords are discovered during the keyword research process and are chosen based on a combination of search volume, competition and commercial intent.

Why are SEO Keywords Important?

When you optimize your content around words and phrases that people search for, your website can rank higher for those terms.

Needless to say, ranking higher in the SERPs can drive more targeted traffic to your website . Which is why finding keywords people search for is step #1 of any SEO campaign .

In fact, SEO is pretty much impossible without keywords.

But when you have a list of the right keywords, you can start working on important SEO tasks like:

• Figuring out your site architecture
• Planning out product and category pages
• Writing content for blog posts and YouTube videos
• Optimizing landing pages and sales pages

With that, here’s how to find keywords for SEO.

Start your keyword research

Explore the largest keyword database.

Best Practices

Use Google Suggest

Many people struggle with SEO because they target keywords that are WAY too competitive.

In fact, I’ve had many clients tell me that they want to rank for super competitive search queries like “weight loss” and “insurance”.

Is it possible to rank for single-word SEO keywords like that? Sure.

But even if you do everything right, it can take years. Which is why I recommend focusing on long tail keywords .

Long tail keywords are long (usually 4+ word) terms that searchers use in Google and other search engines. And they tend to have a lower keyword difficulty compared to 1-3 word “head terms”.

So for people who are new to SEO, long tails are usually the best keywords to start with.

Fortunately, finding long tail terms is a breeze thanks to Google Suggest (also known as Google Autocomplete).

For example, let’s say you wanted to create a page about “keto lunch”. Well, if your site is new, the keyword “keto lunch” is probably too competitive.

But when you type keto lunch into Google, you get a list of long tail keyword suggestions.

Pretty sweet.

Find Question-Based Keywords With These Two Free Keyword Tools

Are you looking for keywords for blog posts and articles?

If so, then you’ll love these two free keyword tools . Both tools bubble up question keywords. Which are PERFECT keywords to create helpful SEO content around.

The first tool is called AnswerThePublic.com .

This tool scans the web for questions that your target audience asks about your topic online.

The second tool for finding question keywords is called “Question DB”.

It’s actually super similar to AnswerThePublic.com. But it tends to bring up its own unique set of questions.

The great thing about these tools is that the question keywords you get are long tail keywords. This means they usually don’t have a ton of competition on Google’s first page.

Find Outside The Box Keywords

The #1 issue with any keyword research tool is that they usually spit out words and phrases that are super related to the seed keyword you typed into it.

For example, look at the keyword suggestions that I get from Semrush when I type in “SEO tips”.

These are decent keywords. But they’re not super creative.

If you want to find creative keywords, I recommend checking out a nifty free SEO tool called SeedKeywords.com .

This tool lets you ask customers, colleagues or clients how THEY would search for something in Google.

And, if you’re like me, you’ll probably find a handful of terms that you wouldn’t have been able to think of on your own (or get from any tool).

Use Amazon to Find Ecommerce Keywords

Keyword research for eCommerce is similar to keyword research for a blog.

The one big difference is that, with ecommerce SEO , you need to find keywords for product and category pages… and lots of them.

Fortunately, you can find lots of excellent product keywords using Amazon Suggest. This works the exact same way as Google Suggest.

You just type in a product or product category into Amazon…

…and jot down any terms that come up.

Find Terms That Competitors Already Rank For

Typing a bunch of random keywords into a tool can only get you so far.

In fact, I find myself using traditional keyword tools less and less. Instead, I just look at the keywords that my competitors already rank for.

Not only does this generate a laundry list of keywords, but it’s SUPER fast. I just pop in a competing domain… and I get a list of thousands of keywords within seconds.

There are a number of SEO tools that reverse engineer your competitor’s best SEO keywords. Most, if not all of them, are paid.

But if you already use Semrush , you already have this feature at your disposal.

Pro Tip: Reverse engineer websites in your league. For example, if your site doesn’t have a ton of Domain Authority, don’t reverse engineer the #1 site in your space. Instead, use a website that’s similar to yours. That way, you’ll find keywords that you have a decent chance of ranking for.

Find Search Volume and CPC Data With Google’s Keyword Tool

The Google Keyword Planner is super helpful because the data comes from the most reliable source of keyword data: Google itself.

However, the Keyword Planner has two major issues.

• You need to set up a Google Ads account to use it
• Unless you’re running a campaign, you get monthly search volume ranges

Fortunately, you can get around both of these issues pretty easily.

First, even though you need a Google Ads account to use the Keyword Planner, that doesn’t mean that you need to run any ads. As long as your account is fully set up, you’re good to go.

For example, we’re not currently running any ads and still have full access to the tool.

And if the tool is giving you a search volume range, like this…

You can add a keyword that you’re interested into a plan.

And the Plan Overview will show you the exact impressions you’ll get (which is basically monthly search volume).

Discover Popular Keywords With Google Trends

Yes, monthly search volume is important.

After all, there’s no point in ranking for a keyword that no one searches for.

The thing is, search volume doesn’t tell you how that keyword is trending . And over the long-term, a keyword’s trend is more important than its raw search volume.

Fortunately, you can easily see a keyword’s trend using Google Trends .

For example, some time ago I published a guide to the Google Search Console .

Why did I choose this topic and keyword?

Not because lots of people were searching for it. In fact, most people were still calling it by its old name: Google Webmaster Tools.

But when I looked at Google Trends, I saw that one keyword was blowing up… and the other was slowly dying out.

This is an extreme example. But it does show you that the monthly search volume that a tool shows you is a snapshot of that keyword’s popularity. It doesn’t tell you if that keyword is blowing up… or fading away.

Personally, I put A LOT of effort into every piece of content that I publish. And for that effort to pay off, my content needs to bring in targeted traffic for years. And to do that, I focus on terms that are growing in popularity.

Use BuzzSumo To Find Topics and Keywords

BuzzSumo isn’t technically a keyword research tool. But if you know how to use it BuzzSumo is actually a great tool for finding keywords.

Specifically, you want to put a competing site’s homepage into their “Web” feature.

And you get a list of content that’s performed best for that particular site.

Obviously, this list is designed for coming up with content topics. But it’s great for digging up SEO keywords too.

Double Down on SEO Keywords That You Already Rank For

When it comes to keyword research for SEO, most people focus 100% on finding new keywords.

And hey, there’s nothing wrong with that.

But to get a FULL list of keywords that you can optimize around, you also want to look at the keywords that you currently rank for.

And the best way to do that?

The Google Search Console.

To execute this strategy, head over to the Performance section.

Then, look at specific keywords that you rank for in the organic search results. You’ll probably already recognize 90% of these keywords.

But if you dig deep, you might also come across a handful of keywords that surprise you.

For example, according to the Search Console, I rank for “youtube description example”.

The page that ranks for this term includes an example.

But it’s really not optimized around that term.

Well, now that I know that Google likes my site as a result for that keyword I can create a new web page that’s 100% optimized around “YouTube description example”.

And that page has a great chance of ranking high on the first page for that term.

How to Use SEO Keywords In Your Content

Now that you’ve found a bunch of SEO keywords, the next step is to use those keywords in your content.

Here’s exactly how to set that up:

First, decide on one main keyword.

In other words: don’t optimize your content around several different terms. It very rarely works.

For example, my guide to writing a blog post is optimized around “how to write a blog post”.

Even though I do use variations of that keyword (like “writing a blog post”) in my content, my on-page SEO is pretty much 100% focused on my main keyword.

Next, use your main keyword a handful of times in your content. There’s no need to go overboard and repeat your keyword 100 times. Just mention your keyword a few times. That way, Google knows that your page is about that keyword.

For example, this page uses my target keyword a handful of times on the page.

Next, make sure your keyword shows up in your title tag and URL.

For example, my main keyword for this post is “SEO techniques”.

And I made sure to use that keyword (once) in my title tag and in my URL.

Then, add your keyword to your meta description.

Does Google care about the terms that show up in your meta description for SEO? Nope !

You want to add your keyword to your description because it helps your snippet stand out in the organic search results.

For example, check out my meta description for this page from my blog.

See how Google bolds the keyword?

That really helps my result stand out and improves my organic click-through-rate .

Next, sprinkle in a few variations of your main keyword.

For example, for my page optimized for “SEO techniques”, I added variations of that term like “SEO tips” and “search engine optimization” on the page.

You can easily find relevant keyword variations in the “Searches Related to” section at the bottom of the search results.

Finally, use internal links to send authority to your new page.

The fact is: new pages don’t have any backlinks or authority. But when you internally link to that new page, it gets INSTANT link authority.

One more thing to keep in mind with internal links: make sure to use anchor text that includes your target keyword. That helps Google understand that your page is about that specific topic.

The 8-Step Content Strategy [Template Included] : A guide to planning and executing an SEO-focused content strategy in 2021.

On-Page SEO – 9 Actionable Techniques That Work : A video that dives deep into the on-page SEO process, including lots of examples and case studies.

Copywriting – The Definitive Guide : Tips and strategies for using keywords in your content without keyword stuffing.

How to Use Google Keyword Planner : In-depth tutorial for getting the most out of the Keyword Planner.