Have you ever wondered how some websites seem to attract a steady stream of highly targeted traffic without much effort? The secret behind their success often lies in the keywords they’ve chosen to optimize for.
Selecting the right keywords is a bit like gold mining – it requires patience and the right tools to sift through masses of words and phrases to find the precious few that are highly searched, lightly competed for and perfectly aligned with your business goals. Done right, these “money keywords” can bring floods of qualified visitors to your site month after month.
As the owner of Search Engine Surgeons, I know how crucial it is to choose keywords that will drive the right kind of traffic. That’s why I spent weeks researching keywords before launching the site. The results? My site jumped to the first page of Google for several keywords within the first month.
In this post, I’ll share the exact keyword research and selection process that helped skyrocket my site’s traffic. You’ll learn how to uncover “hidden gold” keywords through brainstorming and tools, analyze keyword opportunities, and implement a targeted strategy to start ranking for queries that will bring your ideal customers straight to your site.
Table of Contents
Understanding Keyword Research
Keyword research is the process of finding relevant keywords and phrases related to your business, products or services that people are actively searching for online. The goal is to identify terms your ideal customers are typing into search engines like Google so you can optimize your website, blog posts and other content around those keywords.
Done right, keyword research is like panning for gold – you have to sift through a lot of sand to find those precious few nuggets that will bring you valuable traffic. But unlike gold mining, keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner and SEMrush make the process much more efficient.
Why is keyword research important?
Keyword research is important for several key reasons:
- It helps you understand your audience. The keywords people search for provide valuable insights into what they’re looking for, their pain points, questions and problems. This helps you create more targeted content.
- It drives qualified, relevant traffic. Optimizing for the right keywords means your content shows up for searches from people actively looking for solutions. They’re more likely to engage with your content and potentially become customers.
- It boosts your search rankings. Search engines use keywords to understand what your pages are about. Targeting keywords in your content, URLs, headings and more signals that you have authority on that topic and can help you rank higher organically in search results.
- It informs your content strategy. The data from keyword research reveals topics you may have overlooked that are highly searched. It ensures your content covers questions people are asking online.
- It improves ROI. Focusing efforts on keywords with high search volumes and low competition means you can attract more qualified visitors who are further down the buyer’s journey with less effort spent per lead.
As the saying goes, “you become an expert in the keywords you rank for.” Done right, keyword research is an invaluable part of any content strategy and ongoing SEO efforts. It’s time well spent to better understand your audience and drive the traffic that fuels your business.
Conducting Keyword Research
Now it’s time to conduct a comprehensive keyword research. Here are few steps to follow:
Step 1: Brainstorming seed keywords
The first step is to brainstorm a list of “seed keywords” – broad terms related to your business, products or services. This could include your business name, top-level product categories, common questions from customers, and problems your offerings solve.
For example, if you run a bakery, some seed keywords could be:
- “[Your Bakery Name]”
- “bread recipes”
- “how to decorate cakes”
- “gluten free desserts near me”
Jotting down at least 50 seed keywords will give you a solid starting point. Don’t overthink it – keywords don’t have to be perfectly relevant yet. The goal is to cast a wide net.
Step 2: Researching keywords with tools
Now it’s time to do some keyword research. Plug your seeds into tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush or Ahrefs. These will spit out:
- Search volume – How popular the keyword is based on searches
- Keyword difficulty – How hard it would be to rank
- Related keywords – Similar terms you may have missed
- Keyword competition – Number and strength of top ranking pages
This gives you a treasure trove of new keywords to consider.
Step 3: Analyzing keyword opportunities
Now for the fun part – analyzing your keyword list to find the best opportunities. Filter for keywords that have:
- High search volume – Thousands of monthly searches or more
- Low competition – Few top ranking pages and domains you can outrank
- Alignment with goals – Serve your target audience and fit your content plans
These high-potential keywords will be the lowest-hanging fruit to aim for initially.
Selecting Profitable Keywords
Now it’s time to narrow down your long list of keywords into targeted lists you’ll actually focus on. Here are a few tips:
Consider search intent and user questions
Take a close look at the top keywords and analyze the intent behind searches. Are people asking questions? Trying to accomplish a task? Make sure your content answers user questions and provides value.
For example, the keyword “how to bake bread” indicates an intent to learn, so an informative tutorial would be a good fit. But “bread recipes” suggests an intent to find recipes, so a curated list would work better.
Evaluate business value and ROI potential
Not all keywords are created equal. Consider the potential ROI and business value of targeting a keyword beyond just volume. For example, keywords that are more commercial or indicate user intent to purchase have higher monetization potential.
Build targeted keyword lists for content
Group related keywords into targeted lists you’ll optimize individual blog posts or pages around. For example, you may have lists for:
- Bread recipes
- Cake decorating tutorials
- Gluten-free dessert ideas
This focused approach allows you to create highly relevant, optimized content at scale that should start ranking well over time.
With the right keywords selected, you’re ready for the next step – creating that optimized content to start attracting qualified traffic!
Keyword Research Tools to Use
Google Keyword Planner
This free tool from Google is ideal for getting started. Just enter a few seed keywords and it will provide search volume, trends and ideas for related long-tail keywords. The limitations are the monthly search cap of 10,000 entries and lack of difficulty metrics.SEMrush
As one of the most powerful all-in-one SEO toolkits, SEMrush excels at keyword research. It provides volume, competition, organic traffic and ranking data. You also get related keywords, trend analysis and a way to export your lists. Plans start at $129/month.Ahrefs
Similar to SEMrush, Ahrefs is a top-notch option for serious keyword researchers. It analyzes billions of keywords and backlinks to give you a complete picture of search and competition. User-friendly interface and powerful filters make it a favorite, starting at $99/month.AnswerThePublic
This unique free tool analyzes keyword search patterns and questions asked on Google to surface new long-tail ideas. It’s great for getting outside-the-box suggestions beyond traditional volume-based keywords. With the right combination of tools, you’ll be able to efficiently research thousands of keywords to find your best opportunities. Test out a few to see what works best for your needs.Implementing Your Keyword Strategy
Now that you’ve identified your target keywords, it’s time to optimize your website and start tracking performance to see what works.
Optimize content and pages for target keywords
Create new pages or blog posts and optimize them for specific keywords or related keyword groups from your lists.
Some things to focus on include:
- Including keywords in your title, headers, content
- Answering user intent and questions
- Linking internally between related pages
It may take some testing to see what resonates best with search engines.
Track keyword performance with Google Search Console
Google Search Console is a free tool … that allows you to track how well your pages rank for targeted keywords over time.
You can see metrics like impressions, average position and clicks to determine what’s working well or needs improvement. It also provides invaluable insights like search terms actually landing on your site.
With some patience, you’ll start to see the results of your optimization efforts in the form of increased traffic, leads and sales as your high-value pages climb the SERPs over weeks and months. Continually refining based on performance tracking will help you maximize your keyword strategy.
The journey has just begun! With the right implementation, your keyword research will pay off in driving qualified visitors for many … months to come.
Measuring Success and Ongoing Refinement
While keyword research is ongoing, it’s important to periodically review your efforts to ensure ongoing success.
Monitor keyword rankings and traffic
Use Google Search Console to track how your optimized pages perform over weeks and months. Pay attention to metrics like:
- Average position for target keywords
- Changes in traffic and impressions
- Pages that see the biggest gains
This will tell you what’s working well and where you may need to double down efforts.
Re-evaluate and expand keyword lists over time
As search algorithms evolve and new trends emerge, some keywords may lose relevance while others gain traction.
Revisit your keyword research periodically using tools like Google Trends. This will surface rising related terms to consider adding to your lists. You may also decide to retire underperforming keywords no longer worth focusing on.
Tweaking lists quarterly ensures your strategy stays fresh. Don’t be afraid to test new niche keywords related to your business.
With diligent tracking and refinement, your SEO keyword research will continue paying dividends for the long run. Some keywords may take 6-12 months to move up significantly, so patience and persistence are key.
Conclusion
By now you should have a solid understanding of why keyword research is so important for any website owner. It truly is the foundation for a successful content strategy and ongoing SEO efforts.
As someone who has spent years optimizing websites, I can tell you that diligent keyword research and tracking has been one of the most impactful activities for my clients’ search rankings and traffic growth. It’s not always the most exciting task, but it pays off tremendously in the long run.
Starting with a comprehensive list is key. Tools like SEMrush and Google Keyword Planner make this easier than ever. From there, it’s about strategic implementation, testing and refinement.
Remember – search engines are constantly evolving algorithms, so your keyword strategy needs ongoing care and feeding. Revisiting research every 3-6 months ensures you stay on top of trends.
I hope you found this overview of keyword research and best practices helpful as you optimize your own site. Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions down the road. Wishing you the best of luck in attracting more qualified visitors and customers through SEO!
