When the discussion is about SEO, keyword research, and optimization, it gets the maximum shout-out, and no questions are asked about it. The agenda behind SEO is to drive traffic to the website and make the website appear on the SERP when the audience is looking for something similar to what the website offers. Understanding keyword optimization is the basic and most important requirement to achieve the above agenda.
It can be not very clear to understand the whole thing in a single go and that is why we are here with this article. As you keep reading it till the end you will get to know everything about keyword research strategies, advanced keyword research, benefits of optimization, and also, how to measure the success of keyword research.
So, let’s waste no more time and start by understanding the basics.
Understanding Keyword Research
To get fruitful results for any SEO effort, proper keyword research is important.
For any business or service, there is a group of target audiences. These audiences search on search engines like Google, using some terms and phrases to get the desired result. These terms or phrases of words are keywords, and the process to find out the exact keywords the audience is using to search is keyword research.
Types of Keywords
There are usually two types of keywords, one is short-tail and another one is long-tail keywords. Both of these types are crucial for a proper SEO result.
Short-tail keywords are usually made of one or two words, for example – shampoo. The keyword ‘shampoo’ is broad and general. This type of keyword has a very high search volume and is used for targeting a large audience.
Some more examples are- digital marketing, oil, AC repair, wooden furniture, etc.
Long-tail keywords on the other hand are made of longer phrases, such as – ‘herbal shampoo for dry scalp’. Now this type of keyword targets specific buyers and brings relevant traffic to the website. The search volume of long-tail keywords is generally on the lower side.
Some more examples are – digital marketing course near me, edible coconut oil, AC repair shop in Delhi, wooden furniture design idea, etc.
Keyword Research Strategies
To rank a website, there are around 200 factors that are present in the Google algorithm. To take any website ahead in the race for ranking, advanced keyword research is necessary. There should be proper keyword research strategies to bring the targeted traffic to your website that will eventually make way for more sales.
Below are some of the factors that should be kept in mind while performing advanced keyword research.
1. Identify Target Audience and Related Topics
Many other websites are offering the same business as you do. Take advantage of that and analyze competitors’ websites. Apart from this, you should be able to identify the target audience by performing various surveys, going through the customer data, etc.
Now that you know who your audience is, do some research on topics they might be interested in. Make a simple list of the content you will be preparing. Also, prepare some relevant topics that can be used to update the blog page regularly.
2. Find-out Phrases Customers Use
Now that you have made a list of topics based on the customer’s interest, it’s time to find out the phrases. Take the help of software like Google Analytics and look for phrases the customers use to reach websites similar to yours.
Apart from this, also look for related search items. How to do that?
Open Google > Search a phrase that’s relevant to your service/ product (Ex – cotton curtain) > Scroll down to the bottom > There’s a list of related searched terms (Handloom cotton curtain, cotton curtain set, khadi cotton curtains, etc)
You can use this technique with every different phrase and get to know more terms related to your topic. Apart from this, Google Keyword Planner or Google Trends can also be used to see what your target audience searches for.
3. Keyword Strength
Your ideal keyword should be the one having a high search volume but low organic competition. Working with a keyword with too much competition can make your work difficult.
But how do you find out all these details? Well, for that you can use different tools like – keyword planner, Ubersuggest, Semrush, Moz keyword planner, Ahrefs, etc. As a beginner in keyword research and optimization, you can also start with the free version of these tools.
Keep these in mind while analyzing the keyword.
- What is the exact term people use to search?
- What is the search volume?
- How is the search competition?
An advanced keyword research strategy is to find the exact keyword phrase with higher search volume and low organic competition.
4. Understand Search Intent
Every search that is made on the search engine, has an intent behind it. Suppose, somebody, is searching for ‘Aloe vera benefits’, then the intention behind this is gathering information. In this search, the pages offering information will be getting the traffic other than pages trying to sell ‘Aloe vera gel’.
However, suppose someone is searching for ‘Aloe vera gel for oily skin’ and a page containing similar products comes up, chances are that the consumer will buy the product. Here, the intent was to buy, not to gather information.
Find out the search intent for every keyword you have listed and deliver the content accordingly.
5. Priority List
After doing some advanced keyword research, you should make it a point to list the researched keywords as per their priority. Depending on the type of business, there must be some keywords that are more relevant than others.
Keyword Research and Optimization
Search engine marketing is a complicated process consisting of different tasks, keyword optimization is one of those and if reports are to be believed, it is also the hardest one. When it comes to SEO and PPC, keyword optimization is the most important thing to do but due to high level difficulty, many marketers try to avoid it. But, is it avoidable? Yes, only if you want a site with zero traffic.
Here are some of the reasons that make keyword optimization a must for any website.
1. Better Visibility
The goal of every SEO activity is enhanced visibility of the webpage on the search engine. Better visibility leads to better organic traffic and a broader scope of turning those visitors into customers.
2. Competitive Advantage
As already mentioned above, many other websites are offering the same business as you do. So how do you make your business grab all the attention? By ensuring advanced keyword research and optimization.
3. Improved User Experience
By optimizing the right keyword, you decrease the website loading time and make navigation easy. In a simple word, the user experience gets better. A good user experience makes the visitor stay longer on the page, and enhances the scope of brand awareness, eventually leading to more conversions.
4. Understanding User Behaviour
Using the right keyword helps you get clues about the target audience’s needs. By analyzing the popular keywords, you can actually get to understand the potential targeted market size and what they are looking for. Once you understand the need, you can do the needful to fill the gap.
5. Brand Awareness
Proper keyword optimization makes your business/ service appear in the SERP thus making it familiar to the audience. This not only increases brand awareness but also earns credibility.
6. Cost-Effective Strategy
SEO is a cost-effective strategy to make your business reach the potential customer. Once the initial investments are made, with proper resources and time, SEO can bring organic traffic. It is not only a cost-effective strategy but also a long-lasting one.
Measure the Success of Keyword Research and Optimization
SEO is a complicated time-consuming task that demands proper strategy and hard work. But how to know the success rate of hard work?
- There are tools like Google Analytics, SEMrush, Moz, etc that let you analyze the keyword ranking and gather data.
- Analyze the number of visitors to the website.
- Check the bounce and conversion rate.
These are some of the processes that can be used to measure the success of optimization and to also understand the areas of improvement.
Conclusion
Any business/ service that is looking forward to reaching their target audience through online visibility, must take keyword optimization seriously. The importance of proper keyword research strategies and optimization is non-negotiable when it comes to online marketing.
However, it’s also important to understand that keyword research is just the foundation brick for a proper SEO strategy. Many other factors need to be fulfilled for a super positive outcome. But it’s also true that highrises are better built on strong bases.
So, let’s gear up and prepare solid keyword research strategies that will make your website stand out from the crowd and shine bright in the SERP. All the best!