96% of search traffic from mobile devices is done using Google. This makes it even more important to have your website optimized for SEO.
SEO has many aspects, but a good keyword research strategy is essential to generating new content regularly. However, it’s not as simple as just picking a keyword. You need to research the keyword and judge it according to specific metrics.
So, if you’d like to generate more traffic to your website, keep reading. We explain and guide you in creating an effective keyword research strategy.
What is Keyword Research?
Keyword research is the basis of search engine optimization. It is the action taken to find and analyze search terms (words, phrases, or queries) that users enter into search engines like Google. These relevant keywords will then be used on your website or marketing.
When you research your keywords, you can target the most effective ones in your SEO strategy. You need to research the keywords you’re using to avoid using ones no one is searching for. This means your website will rank low on Google, and you’ll likely miss business opportunities and sales.
Benefits of an Effective Keyword Research Strategy
The goal of a good SEO strategy is to appear on the first page of Google. With this comes a host of benefits, four of which we’ll look closer at now.
Engage Your Audience
If your reader connects with something you’ve written, they’re more likely to engage with your post, which could be in the form of commenting or even sharing it with their contacts. Furthermore, if you do the proper keyword research, you’ll target keywords your audience is interested in. This is how you’ll know what content to create to keep your customers interested.
Gain Conversions
If your audience engages with your content, they’ll likely stay on your website and view your other pages and products. This increases their chances of finding something they’re interested in and spending money on it.
An easy way to track your keyword efficiency is to use your Google Analytics account, where you can see an overview of your customer conversions.
Stay on Top of Trends
Naturally, while researching keywords, you’ll find insights and should be able to keep on top of the current trends. This can help you analyze and predict your prospect’s behavior, and you can work your keyword strategy around this prediction.
Save Time and Work Efficiently
If you’re running a small business, you don’t have time to waste on pointless tasks, so having an effective SEO keyword research strategy will help reduce wasted time. You can plan your keywords weeks or months in advance and strategically create content that works for you.
An excellent way to keep your audience engaged is to keep introducing new content regularly.
How to Plan a Keyword SEO Strategy
If you’ve done your keyword research correctly, you should better understand your target audience, adjust your content strategy around your audience’s interests, and gain more traffic to your website. So, let’s take a look at what’s involved.
Find Your Keywords
To begin your keyword research strategy, you need to locate the keyword research tool you’ll use. Various sites offer free accounts with a predetermined limit of free checks per day.
Once you’ve located your keyword research tool, think of a seed keyword. This can be any keyword that fits your genre. For example, if your company sells bottled water, your seed keyword can be “bottled water.” Enter this term into the keyword tool and click search.
Your search will return with the number of results it found and variations of the keyword you supplied. This is where you’ll look for further research. For example, other variations may include:
- Water bottle
- Dog water bottle
- Best bottled water
- Bottle water
Each of these keywords will have specific metrics you need to look at.
Other methods of finding keywords include digging into your competitors’ keywords. Some keyword research tools will have a competitors tab or a keyword gap tool that will compare your keywords with your competitors.
Look at the Keyword Metrics
Now that you have your list of keywords, the next step is to analyze them to see which work and which you need to discard. The primary metrics you’re looking at will be search volume and keyword difficulty (KD).
The search volume tells us how many times your keyword appeared in monthly searches over the last twelve months. The keyword difficulty helps you estimate how challenging it will be to rank in the top ten organic search results. It’s essential to keep this number below 80 because the lower the number, the easier it will be to rank high.
Pro Tip: Use long-tail keywords that consist of two to five keywords. For example, “benefits of bottled water,” as they have a higher chance of ranking high
Look at Secondary Keywords
Now that you have your primary keywords set up, you’ll want to gather some secondary ones you can sprinkle throughout your content. Secondary keywords can be single or multiple words in length and will generally have a lower search volume. However, secondary keywords are essential despite the lower search volume, as they can help boost your organic traffic.
Generate More Organic Traffic Today
Understanding how keyword research works and how a keyword research strategy can help boost your organic traffic is essential for business success in today’s economy. Knowing how to utilize the tools available, free or paid, is key to generating target keywords that will help your site rank higher on Google.
If you’d prefer to enlist the services of an SEO company, then visit our site to contact us so we can see how we can help you. We’re a hands-on company that keeps you involved every step of the way so you can get the most from your target keywords.
