Conducting Effective Keyword Research

Class 2: Conducting Effective Keyword research.

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This class will discuss how to conduct effective keyword research and will cover the main points including:

• Identifying your target audience,

• How to gather potential keywords,

• Keyword research tools,

• Reviewing competitor keywords,

• And how to track results.

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Feel free to ask questions in the comments below, and pause the video at any time to conduct your own keyword research with the skills you learn in this class.

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So, what is Keyword Research?

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Keyword research involves finding the words and phrases that people are searching for when they are looking for products or services related to your business. It is important to choose the right keywords because they will help you attract the right audience to your website. There are several tools available for keyword research, including the Google Ads Keyword Planner, Google Trends, and other various paid tools. When choosing keywords, it is important to consider the relevance, search volume, and competitiveness of the keywords. It is also a good idea to use a mix of short-tail and long-tail keywords, as well as local keywords if applicable.

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Let’s break it down a little further:

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Step 1: Identify your target audience:

• Identifying your target audience is an important step in keyword research because it helps you understand the demographics and psychographics of the people you are trying to reach. For example, if you are selling baby products, your target audience would be parents, specifically new parents. By identifying the age, location, interests, and pain points of new parents, you can better understand their needs and preferences. New parents may be more interested in eco-friendly and safe products, and they may have pain points such as lack of sleep and time. Therefore, relevant keywords for this target audience could include "organic baby products," "safe baby products," "eco-friendly baby products," "baby sleeping tips," and "baby care time management."

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Step 2: Make a list of potential keywords:

• Making a list of potential keywords is an important step in keyword research as it helps you identify the terms and phrases that people might use to search for your products or services. This list can be generated through brainstorming sessions, customer feedback, and industry research. For example, if you are a florist, potential keywords could include "flower delivery," "wedding flowers," "flower arrangements," "florist near me," and "flower shop."

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Step 3: Use keyword research tools:

• Keyword research tools such as Google's Keyword Planner, A-H-Refs, and SEMrush can help you expand on your list of potential keywords by providing insights on the search volume, competition, and related keywords for specific terms. Using a different example, if you use the Google Keyword Planner, you can find out the monthly search volume for a specific keyword, such as "flower delivery" and how many people are searching for the term "flower delivery" in your area. Furthermore, these tools can also give you an idea of the keywords your competitors are using, which can help you identify gaps in your own strategy. You can also check what kind of content your competitors are using to target those keywords and try to improve upon it.

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Step 4: Review the competition:

• Reviewing the competition is important as it helps you determine which keywords might be easier or harder to rank for. By analysing your competitors' websites and backlinks, you can identify the keywords they are targeting and assess the level of competition for those terms. Continuing with the flower business example, if you are a flower delivery business and you notice that your competitors are targeting keywords such as "same-day flower delivery" and "flower delivery near me," you may want to consider incorporating these keywords into your own strategy to compete for the same search traffic.

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Step 5: Prioritize your keywords:

• Prioritizing your keywords helps you decide which keywords to focus on first. Factors such as search volume, relevance to your business, and competition level should be considered when prioritizing your keywords. If you have a limited budget, you may want to focus on targeting low-competition keywords with a high search volume, rather than high-competition keywords with a lower search volume.

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Step 6: Create content using your target keywords:

• Once you have a list of target keywords, the next step is to create content that incorporates those keywords in a natural and relevant way. This could include blog posts, product pages, or other types of content. If, for example, one of your target keywords is "eco-friendly baby products," you can create a blog post that highlights the benefits of eco-friendly baby products and how they are better for the environment. However, it is important to avoid keyword stuffing as it can negatively impact your search rankings.

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Step 7: Track your results:

• Finally, tracking your results is important to measure the effectiveness of your keyword strategy. By using tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console, you can see how much traffic you are getting from organic search, and which keywords are driving the most traffic. If you see that a particular blog post is driving a lot of traffic to your website and generating leads, you may want to create more content around that topic or target similar keywords. This information can help you identify areas that need improvement and fine-tune your strategy accordingly.

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• Alternatively, if you notice that your website is not ranking well for a particular keyword, you may want to adjust your on-page optimization or create more backlinks to improve your website's authority. Additionally, you can use tools such as Google Search Console to see which keywords you are currently ranking for, and which keywords you have lost rankings for. This can help you identify any technical issues on your website that may be impacting your search rankings.

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It's important to note that keyword research should be an ongoing process, as the keywords that work today may not work tomorrow. Changes in the industry and search algorithms can impact the search volume and competition for certain keywords. Therefore, it's important to keep track of the changes in the industry and adapt your keyword strategy accordingly. You should also consider other SEO factors such as website structure, website speed, and mobile optimization, as these can also impact your search rankings - but we’ll cover on-page optimisation in a later class, so let’s not get too far ahead.

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In summary, keyword research is an essential part of SEO that helps you understand the needs and preferences of your target audience, identify the keywords they are searching for, and create content that is optimized for those keywords. By following these steps, you can optimize your website for the keywords that matter most to your business and audience.