The more people come across your website, the greater the chances there are for you to improve your business.
It all starts with the keyword that someone uses to search for information that they need over the internet.
For businesses and website owners, this is where keyword research comes in. With search engine optimisation (SEO) taking the forefront of keyword research and other related processes you have the advantage of attracting people to become your customers.
A basic guide to keyword research
Whether you are new to SEO or not, it is vital to know how to make good use of it to give you the edge when it comes to keyword research to boost your business and enhance your online footprint.
Here’s the basic guide for keyword research;
- Track, collect and consolidate trending keywords and keyword suggestions
- Choose keywords that people use to search based on your niche
- Select relevant and appropriate keywords for your business
- Categorise or sort your chosen keywords into content topics
- Create content out of your selected keywords and incorporate it into your content
- Allow analytical tools from Google and other platforms to provide data based on your selected keywords
- Measure your keyword and other website indicators to gauge the effectiveness of your keyword strategies
The importance of keyword research
Keyword research is a critical aspect of website optimisation that brings a lot of benefits to your business.
A simple keyword query by your readers gives you an insight into what problems your audience is concerned about, solutions they seek, and answers to their questions before they proceed to buying your products or availing of your services.
Remember that keyword research will help you choose what to focus on for your website’s content, develop what you offer, and strategise your own sales arguments.
What is a keyword
For instance, if you are asked to describe your business in three words, what will it be?
For real estate agents, it can be several terms but those that would stand out would be “real estate properties.”
If you believe that when people find your business by using these terms through search engines, then you are on the right track.
Keywords are the search terms – whether it’s a single word or a phrase- that people use on search engines to find what they are looking for.
A website may have as many relevant keywords in it, however, with the great number of websites competing for keywords, it is crucial to find the right ones that are appropriate for your business.
Choose wisely
Google is by far the biggest search engine platform and the information they provide matters, so using Google to help with your keyword research is a smart choice.
Start your search by listing down 10 to 20 keywords that you think people may use that are relevant to your business. Search for it using Google and go down to the bottom of the page labeled “People also ask” or “Searches related to.”
Note down those related keywords and include them in your list.
Listen to your audience
Pay attention to what people, especially your targeted audience are talking about such as the exact words they use that are common to one another.
There are several places online to look for these keywords such as Facebook, Reddit, LinkedIn, Twitter, Reddit, Instagram, etc.
Choose actual keywords people use to search
In SEO, search volume is a primary indicator of how search terms are being used, these include bother single terms and phrases.
Three keyword categories are commonly used in SEO,
Short-tail keywords – these are words that usually have one or two words and have high search volumes. However, these are quite difficult to rank well due to their competitiveness and may cost a lot, especially for new websites that have not yet established their online presence.
Medium-tail keywords- these generally contain two to three words and have moderate search volumes but still find it challenging to rank high in search engines.
Long-tail keywords– these contain four or more words and have lower search volumes since these are terms that are more targeted.
For starters, working with medium and long-tail keywords provide you with greater chances of getting visitors through the search engines. It’s also a good strategy to use short-tail keywords once in a while to give your website a greater chance of ranking higher in search.
Check with Google
Google uses “crawlers” to visit every site periodically to check if there have been changes since their last visit. This is a way for Google to evaluate the relevance of your website based on a user’s search intent and how your page fits into it.
Quality over quantity
When it comes to search, the page with the best and relevant content Google finds based on a user’s query is likely to show up on the results page.
However, do take note that the volume of the keywords used in a page is not how it would attract Google, rather, it is the quality of the content that it checks. Worse, keyword-stuffing can also get you penalised and do more harm than good.
Remember, your audience will get more value from a highly functional and smaller website, than one with too many pages and stuffed with too much information.