In the present digital world, businesses are trying to increase their visibility online, expand their reach and get orders from all over the world. The best example of this is online service-providing companies like digital marketing firms or software houses. From one location, they sell services across the globe. Even a single man gets many orders from all over the world without investing any money. This is all because of SEO. The core building block of SEO is keyword research.
This article will show how we do keyword research for our business website. First, we should know the basics of Keywords.
What is a keyword?
A keyword is a specific word or phrase that summarizes the main topic of a piece of content and is used by search engine users to find relevant information online. In SEO, keywords are strategically incorporated into website content to improve visibility in search engine results.
Several types of keywords are used in SEO and digital marketing strategies.
Types of Keywords
1- Short Tail Keywords
These are the main keywords or head keywords. They are brief and generic. They usually consist of one to two words, such as “Digital Marketing,” “SEO,” “t-shirts,” etc. These keywords have a blurred intent, as user intent is unclear as much as we want. For example, if someone is searching “digital marketing”, we get a blurred idea that the user is looking for digital marketing, but we don’t know if the user is searching for digital marketing services or a digital marketing course. However, we can’t neglect the importance of these search terms due to their higher search volume compared to the other types of keywords known as long tail keywords.
2- Long Tail Keywords.
These are more specific keywords and contain two to three extra words with short-tail keywords. They deliver almost complete meaning due to the precise user intent. For example, “digital marketing agency in Toronto,” “buy polo t-shirts,” “SEO agency in Canada,” etc. SEO experts commonly use these keywords to target particular audiences. Long-tail keywords have low search volume, which means they have less competition than short-tail keywords.
Keyword Types Based on User Intent
User intent is the most crucial concept to consider while doing keyword research; if we don’t think user intent while ranking, all our SEO efforts can go wrong. User intent tells us whether or not the user is in our target audience. That’s why SEOs have defined keywords based on intent, which makes it easier for them to understand the keywords during keyword research. There are four types of Keywords based on user intent.
1- Transactional Keywords
They are also called money keywords. Usually, users search these keywords to order/buy something or to send an inquiry. e.g. “wholesale t-shirts supplier,” “internet providers near me,” “digital marketing Toronto,” etc.
2- Informational Keywords
These keywords are used when users search content for research or information. They are not used for inquiries or sales but to deliver customer information to build trust. For example, “How do I find the best marketing agencies in the US?” “What are the best SEO techniques?” etc.
3- Commercial / Listing Keywords
These keywords are used to get listing information for specific products or companies, e.g., “Top Digital marketing agencies in Canada,” “Top internet providers in the US,” etc.
3- Navigational Keywords
Users know about something already and search just to navigate that particular thing on search engines with navigational keywords. These are typically branded terms such as “Spectrum Business Internet” Nike shoes”. Usually, we do not target these terms even if they are related to our business, as these are terms with low conversion rates. However, we can target those for affiliate websites which are partnered with actual brands.
What information do we need for keyword research?
To start our research. We need the following information:
- What type of services/products are we selling?
- Who is our target audience?
- Interests/designation of target audience
- Demographics
- International
- Specific Countries
- Specific Provinces
- Specific Cities
Once we have this information, we can start our keyword research. There are five steps in it. After that, we can finalize keywords for one page of the website.
In this strategy, we will work on one example to understand each step. For instance, we are working on the website of an SEO agency; we are targeting the whole Canadian market, especially new startups.
Keyword Research Strategy
1- User Intent
First, we should think like customers. What can a customer search on Google to find google to find our products/services? According to our case study, our customer will search the following keywords, “Digital Marketing Agency in Canada.” However, the Canadian market is enormous; we must divide it into small parts, especially cities. First, we will select ten cities in Canada, i.e. Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Manitoba, Surrey, London, Montreal etc.
Our keywords will be “Digital Marketing Agency in Toronto,” “Digital Marketing Agency in Vancouver,” etc.
2- Google instant search
When we write these ideas on Google, it shows some other keywords. Those keywords show what type of keywords people are searching for.
We should make a list and then work on those keywords.
3- Analysis of Keywords
Once you finalize a few keywords, get the following information on each word.
- Volume from Keyword Planner
- Volume from SEMrush / Ubersuggest / Ahref
- Check how many ads are running on the first page of the targeted country
- Check CPC through the keyword planner
- Check competition
- Check KD
- Check the first four sites on Google
4- Keyword Ideas from tools
Many tools can help us to find keywords. E.g., a keyword planner by Google, SEMrush, Ubersuggest, etc. Let’s discuss each of them in detail:
i. Keywords Planner
Once you finalize the keyword in step 3, check all the results on the keyword planner. This will give you more ideas about keywords. We can shortlist a few more keywords to fit our business needs. Once done, we must repeat step 3 and get all the keyword information.
ii. SEMrush
SEMrush is a paid tool, but it is very effective. Its keyword magic tool helps us a lot. We can use the keywords of the first two steps and then get question ideas and keyword ideas from SEMrush. Once we shortlist our desired keywords, we can gather all the information mentioned in step 3 and stack them in our sheet.
iii. Ubersuggest
Ubersuggest is another paid tool that provides the same information as SEMrush. If we have Uber suggestions, we can repeat the same steps. According to our research, Keyword Planner and SEMrush are good enough for keyword research.
iv. Ahref
It is the most expensive tool but is as good as SEMrush. If you cannot afford it, you can rely only on SEMrush. Ahref can provide you with slightly more refined data than any other tool.
5- Check Keywords from Competitor Site
You will see the priority behaviour of all competitor sites you have added to the sheet. You will get 5-6 sites ranked in the top 4 on almost all keywords. You will check the pages of ranked sites and check their content. If you find new keywords, you can add them to the sheet and repeat step 3.
6- Filter Keywords
Now, your sheet is ready. You have many keywords in this sheet, possibly 30-40. But you can only use some of them on a single page. It would help if you finalized keywords according to user intent, content, traffic, and KD. It would help to have a maximum of 10 keywords at the end. However, we will use the remaining keywords later on on our website on blogs or any child page or subpage and link them to the parent page.
7- Finalize Focus Keyword
Now, you should finalize one keyword as a Focus keyword for the desired page. For selecting that page, you need to focus on the following things:
- It should be a good fit for heading
- Should be engaging
- Should deliver complete meaning
- It should have a decent search volume. It does not matter if that keyword doesn’t have the highest volume.
- Should have competitive KD (not too high)
8- Finalize Keywords for FAQs
FAQs are essential for any web page. After reading the content, you will answer all possible user questions. We can get ideas for FAQs from Uber Suggest and Google searches. Then, we can use all the keywords in it. Our content will look brief, and we can cover most keywords.
Conclusion
In summary, mastering keyword research is essential for online success. As this process demands meticulous analysis and strategic selection, entrusting it to an SEO agency is wise. MINDCOB, with its expertise and tailored strategies, can navigate this intricate terrain, ensuring optimal keyword selection and website visibility. Let MINDCOB streamline your SEO journey, propelling your business toward digital prominence.
