The Beginners Guide to Keyword Research for SEO

If you want to know how your potential customers are going to find you on Google, be sure to read our beginners' guide to keyword research for SEO.

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The Beginners Guide to Keyword Research for SEO

As an online business owner, you know that search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most important marketing strategies you can employ.
But SEO isn't easy - in fact, it's one of the most challenging aspects of running an online business. That's why we've put together this guide for beginners in keyword research for SEO.
In this blog post, we'll outline the basics of keyword research, explain why it's so important and how it will get you on the first page of relevant search engines.
We'll also provide tips on how to do keyword research effectively, including a list of the best tools and methods for doing keyword research.
So whether you're a beginner or an experienced business person, make sure to check out this blog post for all the information you need to get started with keyword research for SEO!

What is keyword research?

Keyword research is essential for any business looking to rank on search engine results pages (SERPs). It's not enough to just search for keyword search queries - you need to develop a keyword strategy for ranking for them that takes into account your business and audience. 

Make sure to choose keyword search terms that are relevant to your business and target audience, and research keyword trends every month to stay ahead of the competition. With a little bit of research, you'll be on your way to success in keyword research for SEO.

1. Relevance

Keyword research is an essential step in content marketing. By considering keyword search queries that are relevant to your website and business, you can ensure that your content remains SEO-friendly. 

Once you have a list of potential keywords, it is important to determine how popular they are. This can be done by conducting a Google search on the term(s). 

After analysing the results, make sure each keyword is suitable and helps your website achieve its goals (for example, increasing traffic or converting more visitors into customers).

2. Authority

Authority is the key to success when it comes to SEO. By identifying relevant keywords, you can ensure that your website is easily found by potential customers. 

To achieve high rankings in the SERPS, keyword research should be done systematically and optimized for the best results. Keyword research involves searching for keywords related to your business and researching their search volume and competition. 

Once these parameters are known, it's time to determine whether or not they're a good fit for your website/solution/product, etc. 

You need to make sure that you target the right audience with the right keywords - otherwise, you might end up wasting valuable resources without achieving desired goals. 

3. Volume

Keyword research is an essential process in content marketing. By targeting the right keywords, you can increase traffic to your website or blog and improve search engine results. 

You should also keep track of your progress and make changes as needed - this will help you achieve the target results more quickly. 

In terms of volume, aim for high-traffic keywords that have longtail potential. This way, you'll be able to generate a lot of organic search traffic without spending a fortune on advertising campaigns. Try different keyword tools to find the best keywords for your business niche.

Why is keyword research important?

Keyword research is essential for any website looking to improve its SEO. Without it, your website will not rank well and traffic will be difficult to come by. 

Here's why keyword research is so important:

  • By using the correct keywords, you'll be able to improve click-through rates (CTR) and increase traffic to your site.
  • Without keyword research, your website will not rank well in search engines.
  • Keyword research enables you to find the right keywords for your website and content.
  • It helps you target your audience with the right message and create a targeting strategy for advertising campaigns.

Elements of keyword research

When it comes to keyword research, it's important to start by understanding what you're looking for. Once you know that, it's time to get down to business and brainstorm possible keywords.

From here, it's important to research the competition and determine their monthly search volumes (MSV). This will help you determine whether or not a keyword is worth optimising for.

To research a keyword, use a tool such as SEMRush, Moz, or UberSuggest. 

This tool will help you find related keywords and ideas, which will help you target your audience more effectively.

How to research keywords for your SEO strategy

One important aspect of SEO is keyword research. Without it, your strategy will be futile.

Once you've selected your target keywords, it's time to start planning your strategy. There are a variety of methods you can use to research keywords, including UberSuggest, SEMRush, and Ahrefs Keyword Explorer. 

The first step for any SEO campaign is to identify the right keywords. By understanding the search engine trends, volume, and competition of keywords, you can start to build a keyword list that will help you achieve your SEO goals.

1. Make a list of important, relevant topics based on what you know about your business

When it comes to keyword research, you first need to make a list of important topics that are relevant and important to your business. 

After all, keywords play an integral role in SEO. By using long-tail keywords, you'll be able to rank better in SERPs. 

Keyword selection is also very important - choose keywords that are both popular and related to what your business offers. By doing this, you'll not only improve traffic but also increase conversions. 

2. Fill in those topic buckets with keywords 

Keyword research is one of the most important steps in content marketing. Once you have identified your target audience and their interests, it's time to fill in those keyword buckets with keywords that are relevant to your business and will rank well on search engines. 

There are a variety of tools you can use to help with this process - Google AdWords, Keyword Planner etcetera. 

However, the best way to find keywords is through data-driven analysis of your website traffic and organic search results. 

When doing this, be sure not to focus too much on longtail terms (terms that are less likely to result in clicks). Instead, aim for high volume/traffic-generating terms that match your niche perfectly. 

3. Understand how search intent affects keyword research and analyze accordingly 

The search intent of a keyword is one of the most important factors when conducting keyword research. By understanding how intent affects keyword searches, you can better target your goals and results. 

The first step to achieving this goal is to understand what kind of search keywords are being used. This involves looking at trends over a period of time in order to get an idea of popular queries that pertain to your business niche. 

Once you have a good understanding of these queries, it's time to research specific keywords that match that user intent as closely as possible. 

The four categories of search intent are: 

  1. Commercial
  2. Transactional
  3. Informational
  4. Navigational 

Next, it's important to measure the results potential for each keyword by using tools such as Ahrefs, UberSuggest, Moz, or SEMRush which will provide insights into monthly traffic volume and competition levels for each chosen term.

After all this data has been gathered, you can start implementing strategies accordingly in order not only to increase pageviews but also to drive more qualified leads toward your business. 

4. Use keyword research tools to your advantage

Keyword research is an important tool in any content marketing strategy. It's essential to use the right tools and research strategies to get accurate results. 

There are a number of keyword research tools you can use, all of which have different benefits and limitations. 

Make sure you select the right one for your specific needs - some of them require monthly subscriptions while others are free-to-use. 

Besides searching engine algorithms, it's important to keep track of search trends so you know what keywords people are looking for more often these days. 

This way, you can incorporate those keywords into your content marketing strategy as well as SEO efforts targeting your target audience with better results than ever before! 

5. Keyword gaps through competitor analysis 

Following on from our previous step of using keyword research tools to your advantage, one such advantage is the ability to "spy" on your competitors, see what keywords they're ranking for that you're not, and see where the opportunities lie. 

If you're a relatively new business, this will give you some fantastic insight into what keywords are valuable to your business, and how you can steal market share from your competitors from day one. 

If your business has been in the market for some time, these keyword gaps will show you what you're missing out on and "level the playing field" somewhat.

Implementing These Keywords Into Your Website

Now that you have your master list of keywords - what do you need to do with them? Implement them into your on-page content and metas to ensure your website can be found in various search results. 

We'd recommend starting off by identifying your most important pages i.e. your home page, and category pages, and making these a focus for optimisation and keyword implementation. 

It's important to remember not to over-optimise your pages with your chosen list of keywords. What we mean by this is to not include every relevant keyword as many times as possible on your pages.

This is what's called "keyword stuffing" and is an SEO strategy that was useful many years ago but isn't anymore as Google doesn't deem this as best practice. 

They will also penalise your website by not ranking your keywords or relevant pages accordingly. 

It's also important to use these keywords, and related keywords, in your blog content as well. This will ensure that your website can be found through other avenues beyond your home page and category pages. 

It's an effective type of content that will position your business on Google, and in the eyes of your potential customers, as credible.

Frequently Asked Questions 

What are some common mistakes that beginners make when researching keywords?

The most common mistakes made by beginners when researching keywords are not narrowing their search too much, not using long-tail keywords, and not researching the competition.

How do I know if a keyword is good for my SEO campaign?

The keyword research tools found in SEO software such as SEMRush, Moz, Ahrefs, and more, are a good source of information and a good place to start. 

What are some of the best ways to find profitable keyword ideas? 

Some of the best ways to find profitable keywords are through keyword research tools that focus on monthly search volume, keyword difficulty rating, and keyword gaps i.e. what your competitors are ranking for you and you're not.

By using long-tail keywords, you'll be able to rank better in SERPs. 

Conclusion 

Keyword research is an essential tool for any online business. By understanding how to search for keywords that are relevant to your business, you can increase your organic traffic, and rankings and get your business on the first page of Google. 

In this blog post, we have outlined the basics of keyword research and provided a guide for beginners. Make sure to read through the content to gain the necessary knowledge to start keyword research for your SEO strategy. 

For more information on how our expert digital marketing agency in Sydney can do this for you, click the Contact Form link here to find out.

Summing up...
1
Keyword research is important
No effective SEO campaign exists without keyword research
2
Make a list of relevant topics
Build your keywords around these topics and create content
3
Implement keywords into your website
Include your keywords in your content where it makes most sense
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