What is keyword research? How does it differ from other forms of SEO? What are some ways to improve my site rankings?
Keywords are words or phrases that describe your page content. They are often called keywords because they are the key words that people type into Google or another search engine to find information.
Keyword research helps you determine which keywords are relevant to your content and which ones aren’t. This way, you can optimize your pages to rank higher in search engines.
Keyword research is a crucial part of any successful SEO strategy. If you don’t know what keywords will help your website get found by potential customers, then you won’t be able to create high-quality content that will attract those customers.
In this article, we’ll discuss how to do keyword research, why it matters, and how to make sure you’re using the right keywords on your site.
What Is Keyword Research?
Before we dive into how to do keyword research for SEO, let’s first talk about what keyword research actually means.
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Keyword research involves finding out what keywords people use when searching for something related to your product or service.
For example, if you run a blog about dog training, you might want to include keywords like “dog training” and “how to train a puppy.” These would be good keywords to add to your posts so that readers could find them easily.
You might also consider including keywords like “best dog food” or “best dog treats” since these terms have less competition than “dog training.”
The goal of keyword research is to find as many different keywords as possible that relate to your products and services. You should try to come up with at least 100 unique keywords per page.
Why Does Keyword Research Matter?
As mentioned above, keywords play a huge role in SEO. Without them, you wouldn’t be able rank well in search results.
When someone types in a keyword, their search engine shows only the websites that contain that keyword. If a person searches for “dog training,” they’re going to see only sites that offer that exact phrase.
This is where your keywords come in. By adding your keywords to your webpages, you increase the chances of being shown in search results.
By doing this, you’ll reach more people who are looking for your specific topic. That’s why keyword research is so important!
How To Do Keyword Research For SEO
There are several methods you can use to conduct keyword research. Some work better than others depending on what you’re trying to accomplish. Let’s take a look at each method:
1. Use Your Brain
One of the easiest ways to do keyword research is to think about the topics you write about and the problems you solve.
Think about the questions your audience has and the issues they face. Then, brainstorm all the keywords that go along with those topics.
2. Use Tools
There are plenty of tools available to help you perform keyword research. One of the most popular options is SEMrush.
SEMrush is a great tool that allows you to enter a domain name and see a list of keywords that people are using to find that site.
SEMrush also gives you information on which keywords are working best for other sites in your niche. This helps you identify the ones that are currently ranking well and give you ideas for new keywords to target.
3. Use Google Trends
Google Trends is another option for keyword research. It provides data on how often certain phrases are searched for on Google.
Using this tool, you can quickly see which keywords are trending and which aren’t. You can even compare multiple keywords side-by-side to see which one performs better.
4. Ask Others
Another way to do keyword research is through asking others.
Ask friends, family members, coworkers, and anyone else you know who may be interested in your product or service. They can tell you which words they’ve used when searching online.
5. Look At Competitor Websites
If you own a website in a related industry, it’s likely that there are already competitors out there.
Look at their websites and see what keywords they’re targeting. Are they targeting the same keywords that you are? What does their content look like? How are they promoting themselves?
6. Check Out The Competition
Searching for yourself isn’t always enough. Sometimes, you need to check out the competition to see what keywords they‘re targeting.
To do this, head over to SimilarWeb.com and type in the URL of the competitor’s website into the search bar.
From here, you’ll get a page full of statistics about the site including its traffic stats, social media presence, and Alexa rankings.
7. Conduct A Content Audit
Once you have an idea of what keywords you should be targeting, it’s time to start writing.
Start by creating a spreadsheet that lists every word you want to include in your pages. Next, create a separate column for each keyword.
Then, add the number of times you want to use that keyword in your text. Finally, make sure you’re not repeating any of these terms more than once per page.
8. Test Different Titles & Headlines
The title tag is one of the first things visitors will see when they arrive on your site. Make sure it accurately reflects the topic of the page.
Headlines are just as important because they appear above the fold. If you don’t have a headline yet, try thinking up some different titles until you find something that works.
9. Add Related Pages To Your Site
You might not realize that many websites link to yours. These links could provide valuable insight into how people are finding your site.
Check out the backlinks on your competitors’ websites and see if you can find any similar domains. Then, contact those companies and ask them to link to your site.
10. Start Using Long Tail Keywords
Long tail keywords are less competitive than broad match keywords but still perform very well with search engines.
They tend to be longer and more specific so they’re easier for users to remember.
For example, “how to write a resume” would be considered a long tail keyword while “resume writing tips” would be a broader term.
Conclusion
Keyword research is essential to optimizing your site for search engines. It helps you figure out what people are looking for and gives you ideas for new products and services.
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