What is keyword research?
Keyword research is the process of determining which words and phrases people search for on the internet with the intent of optimizing content focused on those terms. Consider someone wanting to learn more about spotted owls: they will typically go to their favorite Search Engine and search for the term “spotted owl”. That is ideally Keyword Research.
Why is it important for SEO?
Any business owner wants to maximize the amount of traffic their website receives, and SEO is the best way to do so. When your website ranks higher on search engines, such as on the first search page results of Google, you are more likely to get clicks. Targeting customers using specific keywords is embodied with this concept.
According to HubSpot, Keyword Research should be the first step in the process of implementing your SEO campaign. Keyword research is important for SEO because it impacts all of the other SEO tasks you perform, including developing content-specific topics, marketing, and promotion. Consider Keywords as the navigation for your SEO campaigns: they provide insight into the direction you should go and updated on the progress being made.
What is searcher intent? How do I figure it out for my brand?
Search intent relates to why people may conduct a specific search. It describes what they are searching for and why they are searching for that specific topic. Perhaps they searching for a specific website or are performing research prior to making a purchase.
There are 4 types of search intent:
1. Informational
People are continuously searching the internet looking for information, whether they want to know about a specific event in history, current events, weather, etc. Informational search intent means someone has a specific question or wants to know more about a certain topic.
2. Navigational
When someone is trying to get to a specific website, they are using navigational search intent. In other words, they have a final destination they want to reach and using specific search terms to get them there. For example, people who search for Amazon are typically making their way to the Amazon website.
3. Transactional
When people are on the internet trying to make the best, most affordable purchase, they are using transactional intent. In other words, they want to buy something, hence they are completing a transaction.
4. Commercial
Sometimes, people have transactional intent but will need some more time and motivation prior to making their purchase. They have the intention to buy in the near future but use the internet to do their research. These types of search intents are called commercial search intents.
How to start keyword research for my website?
When optimizing your online business website, it is smart to think like the consumer/ target audience. Start by performing your own Google search to see what your current results are. This will give you an idea of the keywords that rank high in the search engine and are great options to consider incorporating. A search on Pinterest acts parallel in sharing results as to what people are searching for.
Make sure your landing page aligns with the search intent of your audience, such as not directing customers to long articles when their intent is to purchase. Lead them instead to a landing page of products ready to buy. Ultimately, optimizing your product pages for more commercial driven keywords is very effective.
Naturally, it can be difficult to determine everyone’s search intent. Sometimes people may land on the same page even with slightly different search intent. It is truly important to know the search intent of your audience, and some best practices include asking them surveys. In fact, you enable a survey to pop up when someone visits your website.
Free keyword research resources
AlsoAsked.com has the motto, Discover the questions people are asking. This is a great free tool to discover what people are searching for and enable you to optimize your website to maximize potential. Visit https://alsoasked.com/ for more information.
Google Search Console is a web service by Google with tools and reports that allow you to measure your site’s search traffic and performance and make your site shine in Google Search results. Webmasters are able to check indexing status and optimize visibility of their websites.
Google Trends is a website by Google that analyzes the popularity of top searches in Google Search across various regions and languages. This resource uses graphs to compare the search volume of different queries over time.
Keyworddit is 100% the first of its kind. Here is how it works: you enter in a subreddit and specify a timeframe. The tool then looks through the titles and comments and pulls keyword ideas from Reddit. For example, if you type in NFL Football, you can see how many people searched for that topic over the past month.
Using keywords to create content
When creating your website, it is important not to overdo your content. Focus on your target audience and what they are looking for. If they have a question about your product or service, make sure to answer your customers’ questions. Allow your content to be written in a natural tone, keep it conversational and professional. Imagine yourself in a physical storefront speaking to a customer, and most importantly, write naturally like a human.