If you know anything about SEO, you know that keywords are an important factor. Keywords are the words that people use to find your website in the search engines, and it’s important to make sure you stand a good chance of showing up for the right searches.
The most important part involves choosing the right keywords in the first place. But how do you get started with keyword research? Here are some tips and tools you can use.
A Brief Overview of Keywords
Keywords are used by searchers to find what they are looking for. The ideal scenario is that when a person searches for something related to the products or services that you provide, your site shows up in the search engines, directing targeted traffic to your site.
Therefore, use keywords on your website and in your content to make sure the search engines know that your site has the information that the searcher is looking for.
But while using keywords properly in your content is not too difficult, knowing which keywords to focus on is trickier. This all comes down to good keyword research.
So how do you research the most suitable keywords to use in your content?
How to Research the Best Keywords
There are many tactics you can use to find the right keywords to focus on in your content. You might stick to just one tactic, or you might use many. The following are just a selection to get you started, so try these out and see what you can discover about your keywords.
Start by Brainstorming
Start off by brainstorming the types of keywords you would use to search for your services. You can do this on your own or with your team, and think about the words that you would use if you were starting your search.
Don’t just think in terms of one- or two-word phrases. Think about the questions people might ask and the longer sentences they might use when speaking into their phones, and use this as your starting point.
Use Google’s Suggest Feature
Because Google is the largest search engine, it makes sense to use its tools when starting your keyword research. One of the simplest and most useful is the suggest feature.
When you search in Google’s search bar, Google automatically suggests words and phrases that you might be searching for, which saves you time when searching.
The great thing about these suggestions is that they are real queries, which means someone has searched for these already. So use this alongside your brainstorming to get more ideas for great keywords that you have not thought of yet.
Try a Free Keyword Tool
There are various tools that you can try out for free to help with your research, and this free keyword research tool is one of them. You can use it to get a Website Ranking Report for your site to uncover the best high-traffic keywords and find landing pages that you can optimise, so add this to your collection and give it a go.
Use the Keyword Planner
Google also has a free Keyword Planner tool in AdWords. This is aimed at PPC advertisers, but you can use it too.
Start by simply typing in a keyword, and it will come up with lots of suggestions along with the average search volume for those keywords. You can easily save new keywords you find and download them, making this another useful tool.
Search in Your Customer Reviews
One great tactic for finding keywords is to look at your customer reviews. If customers leave reviews for you on third-party websites, make sure you check them out regularly.
Keep a list of good words and phrases that you come across because these are the types of words that your target audience use when they are thinking about your products and services.
Getting into the head of your target customer is essential for running an effective marketing campaign. By understanding the type of language they are using, you can put this to use in your own keyword optimization strategy as well as other marketing activities.
Research Google Trends
Google Trends is another tool from Google that you can use for keyword research and get insights into trends around search terms. Head to the ‘Related Searches’ section and find the most popular queries related to your keyword, and if you see any that make sense to target, add them.
Get Started on Your Keyword Research
Keyword research is essential for anyone who wants to improve their SEO strategy. These are some of the best ways to start finding the best keywords for your campaign, so try them out and see what you can discover.
