Keyword research remains a vital factor in search engine optimization or SEO. The right keywords will help you reach the goal of getting more traffic to your site and increasing conversion. It’s whether you are starting a blog or site, or you have an existing one.
The way that search engines run their algorithm keeps on changing. It is why the best SEO companies in Arlington are also constantly looking for ways on how to keep up with it. With all the ongoing changes, one of the things that remain the same is the importance of keywords in ranking on search engines and getting more visitors to sites.
That being said, doing your research for keywords the right way is essential to get the best outcome. Before we dive into the methods of doing that, let us first define what keywords and keyword research are.
Keywords are words or phrases that users type in the search engine when they want to find something on the Internet. Search engines have programs called bots or spiders that crawl various sites and check their content for those words. They have their algorithm that will determine which websites to show on the result and their rankings. Those that are SEO optimized will show on the first page, giving them a better chance of being visited by users.
It shows how valuable it is to find the right keywords to use that are most likely to be searched in your niche. It’s where keyword research comes in. As the term suggests, it’s the search and analysis of keywords to use in your site’s SEO. The guide below will show you the steps to do your keyword research the right way.
Understand your niche
Before searching for keywords, you must understand your specific niche. Determine what you want to offer to your clients, including your products or services. Find out what potential clients are looking for, so you would also better understand their needs. It will help you focus on the right keywords, as well as develop content that will spark their interest and help them.
Take note of the questions of your customers whether via email, phone, chat, social media, in person or by any other means. It will give you a better idea of what they are looking for. You could use this in building your keywords and creating effective content.
Another way is to check out groups, forums, and other sites where people talk about or ask questions on products or services related to your niche.
Create a list of seed keywords
Seed keywords are general keywords that fall under your field. These words will serve as seeds that will produce more keywords. Brainstorm with your partners or staff to create this list. Think of the words that talk about your business or what you offer.
For example, if you are selling workout equipment, some of the seed keywords that you may use are workout, gym, exercise equipment, and fitness. While these words are associated with your products or services, it’s not recommended that you use them because they are general, so it will be hard to rank using them.
Generate more keywords from your seed keywords
There are several free and paid keyword tools that you can use to generate keywords. While these tools may have varying features, their basic function is the same. They will ask you to enter your seed keywords, and from there, they will give you a broader list of keywords that you can use, and also their average monthly searches.
However, note that the number of monthly searches will not specifically tell you if you will get more traffic from your site. It’s because these numbers do not mean that those are the people that searched for the keywords. It could be that the same people searched for the keywords several times.
Analyze which keywords to use
You may generate a long list of keywords, and since the number of searches is not enough to determine which ones are the best to use, you must analyze further data to come up with the top selections. Most keyword tools also have a feature that will show other statistics like the number of clicks that the keywords get and the competition.
The number of searches may not be the same as the number of clicks. Users may have searched for the keyword, but didn’t click on the result. Those with higher clicks are promising because it means that users access those sites.
You also need to consider the competition. If the number of clicks is higher, but the competition is also high, it could be difficult to rank up, especially if you are competing with big names who already established their authority. If you are just starting, consider using those with low competition for a better chance of ranking in that area. It’s also one way of getting more traffic to your website. The best SEO companies in Arlington are experienced in analyzing keywords and creating the list that will work best for your site.
Check the keywords that competitors use
Finding the keywords that competitors use will give you a better idea of what works for them, so you can incorporate them into your site. You may also find unique keywords that are not yet on your list. Use the search engine to search for keywords of what you offer. It will show you your competitions.
There are tools that will also tell you the top pages of the site and the top keywords they use. You will also see the topics that get more traffic, so you can apply them to your content too.
See which existing contents you can use the keywords
Once you have the list of keywords to use, review your existing content and see where you can use them. Make necessary updates to include them in your posts. Based on your research and analysis, incorporate them into the new content to add to your website.
Doing your keyword research right will help you end up with the most effective keywords that could help you rank up in search engines and get more traffic to your site. Use this side by side with the other proven- effective SEO techniques, and your following will grow, and so as your conversion rate.