Keyword research is the process of finding and analyzing the words and phrases that users type into search engines to find what they are looking for. Keyword research is a crucial step in optimizing a website for search engines, as it helps to identify the topics and intents of your target audience, and to create relevant and engaging content that matches their needs.
In this article, we will explore some of the best practices and tools for conducting keyword research, and how to apply them to optimize your website content and improve your ranking and traffic.
Introduction to Keyword Research
Keyword research is not a one-time activity, but an ongoing process that requires constant monitoring and updating. Keyword research can help you to:
- Discover new opportunities and niches for your website
- Understand the language and preferences of your target audience
- Create content that answers their questions and solves their problems
- Optimize your website structure and navigation
- Increase your visibility and authority in your industry
- Drive more organic traffic and conversions to your website
- To conduct keyword research effectively, you need to have a clear goal and a well-defined target audience. You also need to use various tools and methods to generate, analyze, select, organize, and optimize keywords for your website.
Understanding Your Target Audience
Before you start generating keyword ideas, you need to understand who your target audience is, what they are looking for, and why they are looking for it. This will help you to create content that is relevant, useful, and engaging for them.
To understand your target audience, you can use different sources of data, such as:
- Your own website analytics: You can use tools like Google Analytics or Microsoft Clarity to track and analyze the behavior and demographics of your website visitors, such as their location, device, browser, language, interests, etc.
- Your competitors’ websites: You can use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to spy on your competitors’ keywords, traffic sources, content topics, etc.
- Your social media channels: You can use tools like Hootsuite or Sprout Social to monitor and engage with your social media followers, and to see what topics and hashtags they are talking about.
- Your customer feedback: You can use tools like SurveyMonkey or Typeform to collect and analyze feedback from your existing or potential customers, such as their pain points, needs, expectations, etc.
- Your industry trends and news: You can use tools like Google Trends or BuzzSumo to see what topics and keywords are trending in your industry, and what content is getting the most attention and shares.
By using these sources of data, you can create buyer personas that represent your ideal customers, and map out their buyer journey that describes their stages of awareness, interest, decision, and action. This will help you to align your keywords and content with their needs and intents at each stage.
Generating Keyword Ideas
Once you have a clear understanding of your target audience, you can start generating keyword ideas that reflect their search queries. There are many ways to generate keyword ideas, such as:
- Brainstorming: You can use your own knowledge and experience to come up with some relevant keywords for your website. You can also ask your colleagues, friends, or customers for their input.
- Using keyword tools: You can use tools like Microsoft Bing Keyword Planner or Google Keyword Planner to generate keyword ideas based on your website URL, product or service category, or seed keywords. These tools can also provide you with data on keyword volume, competition, cost-per-click (CPC), etc.
- Using search engines: You can use search engines like Microsoft Bing or Google to see what keywords and phrases are suggested or related to your seed keywords. You can also look at the search results pages to see what content and websites are ranking for those keywords.
- Using question and answer sites: You can use sites like Quora or Reddit to see what questions and topics are popular and relevant to your industry. You can also use tools like AnswerThePublic or AlsoAsked to generate keyword ideas based on common questions and prepositions.
- Using social media platforms: You can use platforms like Twitter or Instagram to see what hashtags and keywords are trending and popular among your target audience. You can also use tools like Hashtagify or RiteTag to find and analyze hashtags related to your keywords.
- See more: Conversion Rate Optimization Blog
By using these methods, you can generate a large list of keyword ideas that cover different aspects and angles of your website topic. However, not all of these keywords are equally valuable and relevant for your website optimization. Therefore, you need to analyze and select the best keywords for your website.
Keyword Analysis and Selection
After generating a list of keyword ideas, you need to analyze and select the keywords that are most relevant, profitable, and achievable for your website. To do this, you need to consider various factors, such as:
- Keyword intent: This refers to the goal or purpose of the user behind the search query. Keyword intent can be classified into four types: informational, navigational, transactional, and commercial. Informational keywords are used to find general information or answers to questions, such as “how to bake a cake”. Navigational keywords are used to find a specific website or page, such as “Microsoft Bing”. Transactional keywords are used to perform a specific action or purchase, such as “buy iPhone 14”. Commercial keywords are used to compare or evaluate different options or products, such as “iPhone 14 vs Samsung Galaxy S22”. You need to match your keywords and content with the intent of your target audience at each stage of their buyer journey.
- Keyword volume: This refers to the number of times a keyword is searched for in a given period of time. Keyword volume indicates the popularity and demand of a keyword. Generally, you want to target keywords that have a high volume, as they can drive more traffic to your website. However, high-volume keywords can also be more competitive and difficult to rank for. Therefore, you need to balance keyword volume with other factors, such as keyword difficulty and relevance.
- Keyword difficulty: This refers to how hard it is to rank for a keyword in the search results. Keyword difficulty depends on various factors, such as the number and quality of competing websites, the authority and relevance of your website, the optimization and freshness of your content, etc. Generally, you want to target keywords that have a low difficulty, as they can be easier to rank for. However, low-difficulty keywords can also be less popular and profitable. Therefore, you need to balance keyword difficulty with other factors, such as keyword volume and relevance.
- Keyword relevance: This refers to how closely a keyword matches your website topic and content. Keyword relevance is important for both search engines and users, as it helps to determine the quality and usefulness of your content. Generally, you want to target keywords that are highly relevant to your website, as they can improve your ranking and conversion rates. However, highly relevant keywords can also be more specific and narrow. Therefore, you need to balance keyword relevance with other factors, such as keyword volume and difficulty.
By considering these factors, you can select the best keywords for your website optimization. You can use tools like Microsoft Bing Webmaster Tools or Google Search Console to track and measure the performance of your keywords, such as their ranking, impressions, clicks, click-through rate (CTR), etc.
Organizing and Grouping Keywords
After selecting the best keywords for your website, you need to organize and group them into logical and meaningful categories. This will help you to create a clear and coherent website structure and navigation, and to optimize your content for each keyword group.
There are different ways to organize and group keywords, such as:
- By topic: You can group keywords by their main topic or theme, such as “cake recipes”, “cake decorating”, “cake baking tips”, etc. This will help you to create content that covers different aspects and subtopics of your main topic.
- By intent: You can group keywords by their intent or goal, such as “informational”, “navigational”, “transactional”, or “commercial”. This will help you to create content that matches the needs and intents of your target audience at each stage of their buyer journey.
- By modifier: You can group keywords by their modifier or qualifier, such as “best”, “cheap”, “easy”, “near me”, etc. This will help you to create content that targets different segments and preferences of your target audience.
- By long-tail: You can group keywords by their length or specificity, such as “how to bake a chocolate cake” vs “cake”. Long-tail keywords are longer and more specific than short-tail keywords. They usually have a lower volume and difficulty, but a higher relevance and conversion rate. This will help you to create content that targets niche and specific queries of your target audience.
By organizing and grouping keywords, you can create a keyword map that shows the relationship between your keywords and your website pages. A keyword map can help you to plan and optimize your website content and structure.
Optimizing Website Content
After organizing and grouping keywords, you need to optimize your website content for each keyword group. This will help you to improve your ranking and relevance for each search query, and to provide a better user experience for your visitors.
To optimize your website content, you need to consider various elements, such as:
- Title tag: This is the main title of your web page that appears in the search results and browser tabs. Your title tag should include your main keyword and a compelling value proposition that attracts users to click on your page. Your title tag should be concise and unique, and should not exceed 60 characters.
- Meta description: This is the summary of your web page that appears in the search results below the title tag. Your meta description should include your main keyword and a clear and enticing description of what your page offers. Your meta description should be informative and unique, and should not exceed 160 characters.
- URL: This is the address of your web page that appears in the search results and browser bar. Your URL should include your main keyword and a descriptive and hierarchical structure that reflects your website navigation. Your URL should be short and readable, and should use hyphens to separate words.
- Headings: These are the subheadings of your web page that appear in the content body. Your headings should include your main keyword and related keywords, and should follow a logical and consistent order that guides users through your content. Your headings should use HTML tags (h1, h2, h3, etc.) to indicate their importance and hierarchy.
- Content: This is the main text of your web page that provides information and value to your users. Your content should include your main keyword and related keywords, and should be relevant, useful, engaging, and original. Your content should be well-written and formatted, and should use short paragraphs, bullet points, images, videos, etc. to improve readability and visual appeal. Your content should also include internal and external links to relevant and authoritative sources that support your claims and provide additional information to your users.
- Images: These are the visual elements of your web page that enhance your content and user experience. Your images should include your main keyword and related keywords in their file name, alt text, caption, etc. Your images should be relevant, high-quality, and optimized for size and speed.
- Call-to-action: This is the element of your web page that encourages users to take a specific action or conversion, such as subscribing to a newsletter, downloading a ebook, buying a product, etc. Your call-to-action should include your main keyword and a clear and persuasive message that motivates users to act. Your call-to-action should be prominent and visible, and should use buttons, forms, pop-ups, etc. to facilitate user interaction.
By optimizing these elements, you can improve your website content and performance for each keyword group, and increase your chances of ranking higher and attracting more traffic and conversions to your website.
Monitoring and Updating Keywords
After optimizing your website content, you need to monitor and update your keywords regularly. This will help you to keep up with the changes and trends in your industry, audience, and competitors, and to maintain or improve your ranking and relevance for each search query.
To monitor and update your keywords, you need to use various tools and methods, such as:
- Tracking tools: You can use tools like Microsoft Bing Webmaster Tools or Google Search Console to track and measure the performance of your keywords, such as their ranking, impressions, clicks, click-through rate (CTR), etc. You can also use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to monitor and compare your keywords and competitors’ keywords, such as their volume, difficulty, CPC, etc.
- Analyzing tools: You can use tools like Google Analytics or Microsoft Clarity to analyze the behavior and outcomes of your keywords, such as their bounce rate, dwell time, conversion rate, revenue, etc. You can also use tools like Hotjar or Crazy Egg to visualize and understand how users interact with your website content and elements, such as their scroll depth, heat maps, recordings, etc.
- Testing tools: You can use tools like Google Optimize or Microsoft Clarity Experiments to test and experiment with different variations of your keywords and content, such as their title tag, meta description, headings, content, images, call-to-action, etc. You can also use tools like Google Ads or Microsoft Advertising to test and validate your keywords and content in paid campaigns, such as their quality score, ad rank, cost-per-click (CPC), etc.
By using these tools and methods, you can monitor and update your keywords based on data and insights. You can also identify new opportunities and challenges for your website optimization.
Expanding Beyond Traditional Keywords
After monitoring and updating your keywords, you need to expand beyond traditional keywords and explore new ways of optimizing your website for search engines and users. This will help you to stay ahead of the competition and to provide a better user experience for your visitors.
Website Features You Need to Have in 2023
Some of the ways to expand beyond traditional keywords are:
- Using semantic keywords: These are the words and phrases that are related or similar to your main keyword in meaning or context. Semantic keywords help search engines to understand the topic and intent of your web page better, and to provide more relevant and accurate results to users. You can use tools like Microsoft Bing Keyword Planner or Google Keyword Planner to find semantic keywords related to your main keyword. You can also use tools like LSIGraph or TextOptimizer to find latent semantic indexing (LSI) keywords that are commonly associated with your main keyword.
- Using voice search keywords: These are the words and phrases that users speak into their devices to perform a search query. Voice search keywords are usually longer and more conversational than text search keywords, and they often include question words (who, what, where, when, why, how) or modifiers (best, cheap, easy, near me, etc.). Voice search keywords help search engines to provide more natural and personalized results to users. You can use tools like AnswerThePublic or AlsoAsked to find voice search keywords based on common questions and prepositions. You can also use tools like Rank Tracker or Serpstat to find voice search keywords based on featured snippets or people also ask boxes.
- Using visual search keywords: These are the words and phrases that users type or speak into their devices to perform a search query based on an image. Visual search keywords are usually descriptive and specific, and they often include attributes (color, size, shape, style, etc.) or categories (product, animal, plant, etc.). Visual search keywords help search engines to provide more relevant and accurate results to users based on their visual input. You can use tools like Microsoft Bing Visual Search or Google Lens to perform visual search queries based on images. You can also use tools like Microsoft Bing Image Search or Google Image Search to find visual search keywords based on image results.
By using these types of keywords, you can expand beyond traditional keywords and optimize your website for different types of search queries and user behaviors.
Testing and Experimentation
After expanding beyond traditional keywords, you need to test and experiment with different strategies and techniques for optimizing your website for search engines and users. This will help you to find out what works best for your website and audience, and to improve your website performance and results.
Some of the strategies and techniques to test and experiment with are:
- Using long-form content: This is the type of content that is longer than the average web page content, usually over 2000 words. Long-form content can help you to cover a topic in depth and detail, and to provide more value and information to your users. Long-form content can also help you to rank for more keywords and phrases, and to increase your authority and trustworthiness in your industry. You can use tools like
- Meta description: This is the summary of your web page that appears below the title tag in the search results. Your meta description should include your main keyword and a clear and concise overview of what your page is about. Your meta description should be persuasive and relevant, and should not exceed 160 characters.
- Headings: These are the subheadings of your web page that divide your content into sections and paragraphs. Your headings should include your main and secondary keywords, and should reflect the structure and hierarchy of your content. Your headings should be informative and descriptive, and should use the appropriate HTML tags, such as <h1>, <h2>, <h3>, etc.
- Body text: This is the main content of your web page that provides information and value to your visitors. Your body text should include your main and secondary keywords, and should cover the topic and intent of your page in depth. Your body text should be original and engaging, and should use natural and varied language. Your body text should also be formatted and structured properly, using short sentences and paragraphs, bullet points, lists, images, videos, etc.
- Internal links: These are the links that connect your web pages to each other within your website. Your internal links should include your keywords as anchor texts, and should link to relevant and related pages that provide more information or value to your visitors. Your internal links should be logical and helpful, and should not be excessive or spammy.
- External links: These are the links that connect your web pages to other websites or sources outside your website. Your external links should include your keywords as anchor texts, and should link to authoritative and trustworthy websites that provide more information or value to your visitors. Your external links should be relevant and useful, and should not be excessive or spammy.
By optimizing these elements, you can improve your website content for both search engines and users, and increase your chances of ranking higher and driving more traffic to your website.
Monitoring and Updating Keywords
After optimizing your website content, you need to monitor and update your keywords regularly. This will help you to keep track of your keyword performance, identify new opportunities and challenges, and adapt your website content and strategy accordingly.
To monitor and update your keywords, you need to use various tools and methods, such as:
- Microsoft Bing Webmaster Tools or Google Search Console: These are the tools that allow you to access and analyze data on your website performance, such as your keyword ranking, impressions, clicks, CTR, etc. You can use these tools to see how your keywords are performing over time, and to identify any issues or errors that affect your ranking and traffic.
- Microsoft Bing Keyword Planner or Google Keyword Planner: These are the tools that allow you to generate and analyze keyword ideas based on your website URL, product or service category, or seed keywords. You can use these tools to see how your keywords are changing in terms of volume, competition, CPC, etc., and to discover new keyword opportunities or trends that you can target.
- Microsoft Bing Webmaster Guidelines or Google Webmaster Guidelines: These are the guidelines that provide best practices and recommendations for optimizing your website for search engines. You can use these guidelines to see how your website complies with the latest standards and requirements of search engines, and to avoid any penalties or actions that affect your ranking and traffic.
By monitoring and updating your keywords, you can ensure that your website stays relevant and competitive in the dynamic and evolving search environment.
Expanding Beyond Traditional Keywords
After monitoring and updating your keywords, you need to expand beyond traditional keywords and explore other types of keywords and queries that users may use to find your website. This will help you to reach a wider and more diverse audience, and to provide a better user experience for them.
Some of the types of keywords and queries that you can expand to include:
- Voice search: This is the type of search that users perform by speaking to their devices, such as smartphones, smart speakers, etc. Voice search is becoming more popular and prevalent, especially among mobile users. Voice search queries are usually longer and more conversational than text-based queries, and they often include questions or commands. To optimize your website for voice search, you need to use natural and colloquial language, answer common questions, use schema markup, etc.
- Visual search: This is the type of search that users perform by using images or videos as inputs, rather than words or phrases. Visual search is becoming more advanced and accurate, especially with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). Visual search queries are usually more specific and descriptive than text-based queries, and they often include objects or features. To optimize your website for visual search, you need to use high-quality and relevant images and videos, use alt text, use image sitemaps, etc.
- Semantic search: This is the type of search that search engines perform by understanding the meaning and context of the user’s query, rather than the exact words or phrases. Semantic search is becoming more sophisticated and intelligent, especially with the help of natural language processing (NLP) and knowledge graphs. Semantic search queries are usually more complex and varied than text-based queries, and they often include synonyms, variations, or related terms. To optimize your website for semantic search, you need to use structured data, use long-tail keywords, use topic clusters, etc.
By expanding beyond traditional keywords, you can optimize your website for the future of search, and provide a more satisfying and personalized user experience for your visitors.
Testing and Experimentation
After expanding beyond traditional keywords, you need to test and experiment with different keywords and content strategies to see what works best for your website. This will help you to optimize your website performance, identify new opportunities and challenges, and adapt your website content and strategy accordingly.
To test and experiment with different keywords and content strategies, you need to use various tools and methods, such as:
- A/B testing: This is the method of comparing two versions of a web page or element to see which one performs better in terms of a specific metric, such as CTR, conversion rate, bounce rate, etc. You can use tools like Optimizely or Google Optimize to conduct A/B testing on your website.
- Multivariate testing: This is the method of comparing multiple versions of a web page or element to see which combination performs better in terms of a specific metric. You can use tools like VWO or Adobe Target to conduct multivariate testing on your website.
- Split testing: This is the method of comparing two versions of a web page or element to see which one performs better in terms of a specific metric, but with different traffic sources or segments. You can use tools like Unbounce or Instapage to conduct split testing on your website.
By testing and experimenting with different keywords and content strategies, you can improve your website performance and user experience, and achieve your website goals.
Staying Updated with SEO Trends
After testing and experimenting with different keywords and content strategies, you need to stay updated with the latest trends and developments in SEO. This will help you to keep up with the changes and innovations in the search environment, and to adjust your website content and strategy accordingly.
To stay updated with the latest SEO trends, you need to use various sources of information, such as:
- SEO blogs and websites: You can use blogs and websites like Search Engine Journal, Search Engine Land, Moz, etc. to read and learn about the latest news and insights on SEO.
- SEO podcasts and videos: You can use podcasts and videos like The Search Engine Journal Show, The Search Engine Land Show, MozPod, etc. to listen and watch the latest interviews and discussions on SEO.
- SEO newsletters and webinars: You can use newsletters and webinars like The Moz Top 10, The Search Engine Land Newsletter, The SEMrush Webinar Series, etc. to receive and attend the latest updates and tips on SEO.
- SEO conferences and events: You can use conferences and events like SMX, Pubcon, MozCon, etc. to network and interact with the experts and influencers in the SEO industry.
By staying updated with the latest SEO trends, you can optimize your website for the present and future of search, and provide a better user experience for your visitors.
Conclusion
Keyword research is a vital and ongoing process for optimizing your website for search engines and users. By following the best practices and tools for conducting keyword research, you can:
- Understand your target audience and their needs and intents
- Generate keyword ideas that reflect their search queries
- Analyze and select the best keywords for your website optimization
- Organize and group keywords into logical and meaningful categories
- Optimize your website content for each keyword group
- Monitor and update your keywords regularly
- Expand beyond traditional keywords to other types of keywords and queries
- Test and experiment with different keywords and content strategies
- Stay updated with the latest SEO trends
- Digital Marketing Best Practices for 2023 and Beyond