The foundation of search engine optimization is keywords. It is through the keywords that people search for businesses, products, or services on search engines. But how does one know, which keyword to select for maximum results? This keyword research guide aims to help you understand keyword research and how to select the best keywords.
Keywords are words or phrases that searchers use while performing a search query. Keywords define what your content is about. Keyword research is the process of identifying phrases that people use in search queries. It is a crucial part of SEO, as keywords are one of the main factors that search engines use for ranking websites. Getting the right keywords for search engine optimization is a necessity as it helps you boost your ranking and get more traffic on your website. Therefore, one always keeps looking for a keyword research guide. But, you need not worry as we’re here to the rescue. Here are the steps to search for the best keywords for SEO:
1. Use a keyword research tool to find keywords
The first step is to brainstorm a few keyword ideas. Come up with a few ideas for keywords related to your business that customers search for. Then, use a keyword research tool like Google Keywords Planner, KWFinder, or SEMrush to help you identify a number of potential keywords. These tools return with hundreds of keyword ideas related to the phrases that you put in and serve as a source of the keyword research guide.
2. Refine your list
Though keyword research tools come up with a number of suggestions for you, all of these might not be of value to you. Your next step to get keywords for search engine optimization is to refine the list of keywords you have. You can refine the keywords according to the search volume, competition (low or high), how those keywords rank in search engines, and their relevance to your business.
- Choose long-tail keywords: Though short keywords have a higher search volume, using long-tail keywords can get you more specific visitors. People use long-tail keywords to get more information or when they are determined to buy a product or service. So, choosing to use a long tail keyword can make you visible when searchers are deciding what to buy.
- Evaluate the keywords of the top ranking websites: Analyse the top ranking websites in your niche. Run a URL check and evaluate which keywords they are ranking for. Choose those keywords or close variants to get the maximum visitors.
Also, read about log file analysis for better search engine optimization, in our blog: WHAT IS LOGFILE ANALYSIS FOR BETTER SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION.
3. Select the keyword
Once you have refined your list of keywords, choose the ones you think will be best suited to you and your business. The list of keywords you will have at this point will all have good chances of getting traffic to your website. Pick the ones you feel would be easy to optimize your content for or those which seem to be the most catchy.
Tip: Try to choose keywords that can rank for two search queries at the same time. For example, for the keyword ‘mobile marketing guide’, you can rank for both the mentioned keyword and ‘mobile marketing’ as well.
All these steps might take a little time, 15 to 30 minutes at most, depending on the number of keywords you look for. But, the result is worth it. Taking time to choose the best keywords for search engine optimization can get you to rank higher and get a significant rise in website traffic. By following this keyword research guide you will be able to select the best keywords for your niche. Know how to increase website traffic, in our blog: TECHNICAL SEO TACTICS TO IMPROVE WEBSITE TRAFFIC.
