Keyword Research is important to your SEO strategy because it defines the process of finding the keywords that your businesses target market uses when conducting searches. It is also the understanding of the language that your target customers use when searching for your products, services, and/or content. It is a very important initial step when it comes to audience analysis. Especially for the planning of SEO initiatives for content marketing and for paid search programs (PCP). Keyword Research involves the analyzing and comparing of the best keyword opportunities for your website.
Content SEO refers to the overall creation of content that enables your web pages to rank high in search engines. Search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing, read your website pages in order to determine whether or not your site will rank high in their search engines and result pages. Content SEO is a key factor of any SEO strategy. Therefore, it is very important to construct quality content!
Let’s talk more in depth about critical elements to consider when it comes to producing content that will enable your website to rank well on search engines.
Search Engine Optimization Strategy
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Doing Keyword Research
Do you want to generate traffic to your company website? Then, it’s essential for every content strategy to begin keyword research. Keyword research includes all of the steps that you must take in order to create a list of keywords you would like to rank for. The overall purpose and end goal of keyword research is to gain a deeper insight and understanding of your target audience. It allows you to understand how your audience searches online, which companies they engage with the most, and what type of content and topics resonate with them.
Keyword Research
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Understanding Keyword Research
The only way to figure out what people are typing into search engines are through keywords. In order to avoid creating content for things that no one is searching for and gain traffic to your website, you must understand keyword research. In order to do so, you must find keyword ideas. If you are someone who struggles with figuring out meaningful keywords that tailors to your business, you must take a step back and look at your business at large. In order to have a better understanding of keyword ideas, you must have an in depth knowledge of your industry and study your niche.
- What does your business have to offer?
- Next, what is your businesses overall mission?
- Lastly, what is your businesses core values & strengths?
You do not have to be better than your competition at everything. If you are able to identify enough things to build a keyword strategy around, that is all that matters. After you consider what it is your business has to offer, it is then time to identify your target audience.
Digital Marketing Keywords
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Seed Keywords
Before starting your keyword research process, you must first have a starting point. This starting point(s) are your “seed keywords.” They are used to grow the list of words that will eventually become your keyword strategy. Seed keywords are the overall foundation of the keyword research process. Seed keywords allow you to define your overall niche and identify your top competitors. However, it is important to note that seed keywords work as “seeds” for the next steps in the keyword research process. It only takes a few minutes to figure out seed keywords for your business, and as soon as you have a handful of these words, then you are ready for the next steps in the process.
If you already have a specific product, service, or business that you want to promote online, then coming up with seed keywords is super simple! All you have to do is analyze what you think people type into search engines such as Google to find what your business offers.
For example, if you sell fishing equipment, then seed keywords may be:
- Fishing Rod & Reel
- Fishing Line
- Hooks
- Bait
- Sinkers
- Swivels
What Keywords Do Your Competitors Rank For?
First, you must identify who your top competitors in order to have a clear understanding of which keywords send traffic to their website. All you have to do is search one of your several seed keywords into Google and see who ranks on the front page. For example, if you sell fishing equipment, then you may have a better and more clear understanding of who your top competitors are by searching for “fishing equipment” as opposed to just “fishing.” Always be sure to look for websites that are similar to and resemble your own website.
After you have analyzed website that resemble your own, you can then plug the websites into a competitive intelligence tool such as Ubersuggest (there are several to choose from) and analyze the top pages report for the website. Ubersuggest is a free SEO tool that can be used to generate new keyword ideas. By doing so, you will be able to analyze a variety of unique keywords that you may not have known about prior to studying your top competitors.
Keyword Ideas
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Content Ideas
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Keyword Research Tools
By using keyword research tools, you have the opportunity to be provided with essential information.
- where you rank for keywords
- which keywords your competitors are ranking for
- what exactly people are searching for
- clear understanding of what keywords your top competitors aren’t targeting
All you have to do is plug in a seed keyword and the keyword research tool will then pull keyword ideas from their own database based on the specific keyword.
Keyword Research Tools
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Do Google Research
Logically, your site will rank higher in search engines as opposed to others because Google tailors search results based on what your search history is. Therefore, you have the opportunity to take advantage of using an incognito screen. This way, your browsing history, cookies, and site data will not be stored on your device.
When it comes to ranking strategy, big sites rank for the most general terms such as head, mid and long tail keywords, while smaller sites on the other hand within a specific niche can do the same. Small sites adopt a long tail strategy to gain SEO authority.
Keyword research overall provides vital data about what people want to know about your business industry, products, and services. If you know exactly what information your prospects are looking for then you can easily develop content on your website to meet their specific needs. Need assistance with conducting keyword research for your company? We are here to help! Contact Digital Task Force today.
Google Keyword Research
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