Whether you’re starting a brand new website or have been online pre-Web 2.0, keyword research is a process that people need to continuously do for their websites to stay relevant in search engine result pages (SERPs). Keyword research is a vital step that is carried out at the beginning of each SEO agency’s relationship with a new client, and each time new web content is created for a client. As a leading SEO agency, we have the top tips and strategies for conducting effective SEO keyword research. If you’ve been wondering exactly how to do SEO keyword research, this is the article for you.
After reading this article, you will have a clear understanding of what keyword research is, why it’s important, the anatomy of a keyword, and how to find relevant keywords. Let’s jump right in.
What is Keyword Research
Keywords are terms people type into search engines like Google to find relevant search results. Say if a person types “best tanks for axoltls”, that is a keyword phrase typed into a search engine where a person is seeking a specific result. In this case, the best tank for a pet axolotl.
Therefore, keyword research is the practice of searching for keywords that are relevant to your brand. Finding the right keywords to write website content on is essential to capturing relevant searches made by users. Doing so signals to search engines that the information you’re hosting is relevant to a person’s search, and so is more likely to present it to that person.
Why is Keyword Research Important
So what? Why do we need to conduct research? Won’t just any well-written content on the subject be enough to rank well? The internet, much like society, is an ever-shifting plane in which tastes, trends, and search habits are constantly changing. It’s important to do regular keyword research to keep up with the search terms your user base is typing into search engines.
While you are likely very informed in your specific industry or niche, there will always be a gap between your insider knowledge and what consumers are actually searching for. Plus, if you don’t use relevant keywords, search engines won’t be able to index your website, meaning your site won’t rank at all, and no one will be able to organically find your website. This is why keyword research is vital for crafting your website strategy.
Keyword Traits
There are a few more things you need to learn about keywords before you start diving into research. Firstly, not all keywords are made equal. There are a variety of factors that make some keywords more effective than others. Having the ability to identify what makes a keyword a jewel or a dud is vital for informing your strategy. Here are some things to look out for.
Search Intent
When a person types a search term into a search engine, there’s always a desired result that the user wants from it. Understanding the intent behind a keyword is vital for building an effective keyword strategy. In SEO, we have an organisational matrix that we use to divide different keyword intents. These are:
Informational: Browsing for information on a topic.
Navigational: Searching for a specific website.
Commercial: Conducting research on a particular brand or service before buying
Transactional: Looking to complete an action in that search instance (purchase a product, sign up for a service, etc.)
Therefore, it’s important when you select keywords that the search intent of the term matches the desired effect of the web content. If you want to write an educational blog article to increase your domain rating and authority, you want to focus on words with an informational intent. Meanwhile, if you run an e-commerce site, making sure your product pages are optimised with transactional keywords is key to making a sale. By being intentional with how you select your keywords, you can create highly effective SEO pages.
Search Volume
Search volume is a very important factor when conducting keyword research. This value is calculated by the average number of monthly searches for that keyword within the past 12 months. Keywords with higher search volumes mean that they have more people searching for them, and thus have a better chance of bringing more organic traffic to your website. However, with high search volume often comes higher keyword difficulty.
Keyword Difficulty
Keyword difficulty is a vital stat to keep an eye on when you’re selecting a keyword. On sites like Semrush, this is indicated by a percentage out of 100 that dictates how difficult it is to rank on a SERP with that keyword. This number is calculated by how often that keyword is used in other websites, and the website authority of the other sites using that keyword. When you’re starting out, we recommend focusing on more specific, long tail keywords in order to start building up your website authority.
How to Find Keywords
If you’re in charge of the development of an online space such as a company website or a personal blog, it’s likely that you’re intimately aware of the kind of topics featured—or that you want to feature—on your site. However, the thing that matters isn’t what you’re writing about, but what your audience is searching for.
Luckily, there are multiple online platforms you can use that facilitate efficient keyword research. The main one we use at TFM.Digital is a website platform called Semrush. Through this platform’s tools, you have a variety of ways to find new and relevant keywords for your webpage.
Keyword Magic Tool
The Keyword Magic tool is a tool within Semrush that lets you analyse hundreds of keywords related to your industry. You simply type a seed keyword in, hit search, and then are provided with various different relevant keywords for the topic.
You can click the tabs at the top to sort the keywords by search volume, keyword difficulty, intent, and filter by specific words. This fantastic tool lets you put your finger on the pulse of fruitful keywords that are both relevant to your industry and are being searched for by people.
TIP: Make sure that the location is also set to your specific country. So if you’re based in Australia and only looking for local clients, make sure that the tab is set to Australia so you aren’t looking at keywords from different countries.
Keyword Gap
You’re probably very familiar with your industry competitors on Google search—the ones who show up at the top of search results whenever someone types in a relevant search term. The good thing is that the way they’re ranking well on SERPs isn’t a secret.
Platforms like Semrush can analyse what keywords your competitors are currently ranking in, and identify gaps in keywords that are present in their site and absent in yours. Using this tool is a great way to ensure you’re on the right track with your topics and across the same keywords as your competitors.
Head Keyword vs Long tail Keyword Research
There are two main types of keywords, head keywords and long tail keywords. The title of this very blog, “How to Complete SEO Keyword Research for Better Results,” is an example of a long tail keyword. Meanwhile, just the word “SEO” is an example of a head keyword. The trade-off with these keywords is volume versus competitiveness. A head keyword will probably have a very high search volume, but will be difficult to rank for due to being utilised in a variety of sites already, as reflected by its high keyword difficulty.
Conversely, while a long tail keyword will have a lower search volume, it will be less competitive and thus easier to rank highly for. Having a combination of head keywords and long tail keywords is vital for building up your website authority.
Keyword Research Tips
To close this article, here are a few more miscellaneous tips we offer to anyone doing their own SEO keyword research:
Use Search Engines
While software analysis tools like Semrush and Ahrefs are invaluable tools for researching new keywords, it’s important to note that their information isn’t always accurate or up to date. This is reflected in it sometimes struggling to find relevant competitors, or being unable to pull data for keywords that are vital to your niche but have low search volume search. Play with Google and copy the websites it displays into using Semrush’s Domain Overview tool so you can see what keywords it’s ranking well in and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Write Down Specific Topics
It can be overwhelming figuring out where to start with keyword research. We say, focus on creating “Topic Buckets.” These are different topics within your industry you think would be good ideas for web content. After you’ve brainstormed some, use something like the Keyword Magic Tool as a seed keyword to generate relevant keywords for the topic. The more you do this, the more used to doing keyword research you’ll be.
Search for Questions
Another way to guide your research is by using Semrush’s Question tool to look at specific queries people are typing into search engines. These long tail keywords can be used as fruitful blog topics for your website, which you can then pair with relevant keywords to make an informative piece of content to boost your domain rating.
Get Started on Your SEO Journey
Now that you’ve read this article, you should have an informed understanding of how to do keyword research and the various tactics involved. But what if you still need a bit more help?
TFM.Digital is a leading SEO company with a proven track record of delivering impressive SEO results that have tangibly boosted our clients’ traffic and given them a great number of high-quality leads for their business. With our expertise in keyword research, technical SEO, website development, and content writing, we have launched life-changing SEO campaigns for our clients.
If you want SEO experts piloting the ship, or desire a thorough SEO audit to understand what can be improved, we offer an extensive range of SEO services that can be tailored to whatever you need from us. Interested to learn more? Contact us so we can assist you in reaching your SEO goals.
