How to Research Keywords for your Website
How to Have a great Mix of Keywords- Tested and Proven steps to Build the perfect Mix and Increase useful Traffic to website
As we know keywords are the building blocks for search engine optimization campaigns. A keyword is by far that essential cornerstone in any SEO puzzle – it lies exactly where an internet user, a business or a search engine meet. Starting with web users who first use a string of words for search, it becomes keywords and gets matched against available content on internet by SEO crawlers.
This result to a personalized list of website for an individual that contain those keywords. A list of millions of websites are ranked as per relevancy and importance however only the top 10 on page 1 are visited . The rest are almost as good as not present because hardly 10 % go beyond page 1. All business and website owners interested in high traffic vie for ranks 1-10. And there lies the importance of research for right keywords
So what about keyword mix- what is it to do in keyword research. Keyword research is listing down top 5-10 (these days an extended list of many more is used) words and phrases that are relevant to a business or its objective. An objective could be to launch a new product, re-brand or re market or in general popularize products or services. Whatever it is a research is good when keywords or search terms are ones that are frequently used by actual, interested audience. The mix pertains to diversification and inclusion of words from all related quarters.
A good mix contains a combination of high and low competition keyword, all types of search volume (searches per month), location and language specific, broadly matching an industry and specific to the niche service etc. So how to have a great mix of keywords?
Start with a broad search-
1. Get broad ideas by typing generic keywords in the Keyword Planner Tool. The result will give search volumes, completion bid etc. Not only for the ones you typed but also related ones.
2. Ask friends and colleagues-Know how will people knowing about you search for your service
3. Ask customers and clients- know how people who initially did not know you reached you. Disruption alert- this exercise could help you see what you service mean to others and how customers see it
4. Check Google Trends for latest and trending topics being searched.
5. Conduct a rough competitor analysis by typing the competitor URL on Keyword Planner tool and check all keywords that they have been optimized for.
Narrow down the list
(some of these could be repetition of steps already used)
1. Type down broad keywords on Google and Bing and check keywords related list at the bottom of the page. This is search for cat food on Bing:
2. Use the keyword planner tool again and filer by location and competition (high low medium). Sort by search volume
3. Type down 2-3 keywords on the planner tool and check out how they compare.
4. Do the same exercise for Bing and Yahoo and other keyword research tool .
Evaluate keywords
1. Are these keyword listing your competitors- what are the top 3 websites or pages ranked using these keyword. Visit the pages and check the content
2. Check out where your page or w website is ranked for those keywords
3. Do you have intent of keywords matching any one or more of these- learn, understand, fix, know, visit, buy etc.
4. Do these keywords have secondary keywords that can be derived from them.
5. What flavor of intent do they relate to- Navigational, Informational or Transactional?
After this exercise, you will hopefully have a list of great keywords which best suits your product or service. Its time now to implement them and check results using analytics or Google analytics SED reports