What is Keyword Research for SEO?

Now that you have been introduced to SEO and search engines, let’s talk about keywords. This section looks at the importance of doing keyword research, questions to ask when researching, and more.

What is SEO keyword research?

In essence, keyword research is coming up with a list of words you want to include in your content and rank for in search engines. Once you know which keywords are the most relevant for your business, you can get to work creating pages and posts with these words in them. The keywords you want to rank for should appear in the top-level pages of your website such as your homepage, about, contact, etc.

Long-tail keywords

Keywords that are longer in length are sometimes referred to as long-tail keywords. Shorter keywords are harder to rank for because they are more common and not as specific. Longer keywords will be more detailed and easier to rank for because they aren’t as popular.

Why does SEO keyword research matter?

Conducting keyword research matters because it gives you a better idea of what people are searching for, what people aren’t searching for, and how many individuals are searching for certain words or phrases. In order to generate more traffic to your site, you need to understand what people are searching for online. Doing a bit of research ensures you are on the same page as your audience. After all, you want to avoid a scenario where you are using certain words to describe your products while your potential customers are using completely different words. 

How to do SEO keyword research?

The way you go about conducting keyword research will depend on your business, the industry, your website, and the budget.

• Generate ideas for keywords
• Use keyword research tools such as the Google Keyword Planner
• Look at the hints Google gives you: auto-fill, footer suggestions, etc. 

After doing some research, you’ll likely have a very long list of keywords. Think about which words are most important and what you want to rank for right away. Start creating pages and posts focusing on certain keywords or phrases. You can always add more pages and include the other keywords later.

When people search for things online, they tend to have a goal of some kind. Some users are simply looking for information about a topic or an answer to a question. Others are doing research with the intent of buying something in the near future.

What questions to ask when doing SEO keyword research?

When you are researching keywords to decide which ones to include in your content, here are some questions you should try to ask and answer.

1. What words are people searching for?
2. Who is searching for these words?
3. When are people searching?
4. Why are people searching these terms?
5. Where are people located?
6. What device are people on when doing searches? (desktop, mobile, tablet)

What factors to consider when deciding which SEO keywords to use?

After you’ve done some research, you will likely have a long list of keywords. You don’t have to use every keyword. Instead you should try to be strategic about which words to use and which ones not to include in your content.

Ultimately, keyword research can help you reach a bigger audience. Armed with this knowledge, you’re ready to learn about on-page SEO.