---

The Complete Guide to Keyword Research for SEO

 

Keyword research is a crucial part of any SEO strategy. Finding the right keywords to target can help you attract more organic search traffic, improve rankings, and grow your business. This comprehensive guide will teach you how to perform effective keyword research from start to finish.

 

What is Keyword Research?

Keyword research is the process of identifying, analyzing, and selecting relevant keywords to target in your SEO campaigns. The goal is to find keywords that have high search volume and low competition - these are keywords that people are searching for, but that not many sites are currently ranking for.

Some key things keyword research helps you understand:

• Search volume - how often people search for a given term. High-volume keywords have more search traffic potential.
• Competition - how hard it will be to rank for a keyword. Keywords with low competition are easier to rank for.
• Relevancy - how closely a keyword matches your products, services, and content. Relevant keywords help attract targeted traffic.
• Commercial intent - keywords showing user intent to purchase have higher conversion potential.
• Seasonality - how keyword demand fluctuates throughout the year.

Thorough keyword research gives you data to select the best keywords and shape your content strategy. It's a foundational SEO task.

 

Step-by-Step Keyword Research Process

Follow this simple step-by-step process for effective keyword research:

1. Brainstorm Target Keywords

Start by brainstorming a list of keywords relevant to your business. Think about words and phrases your target customers would use when searching for your products or services.

Leverage keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner and SEMrush to find additional keywords using:

• Seed keywords - Use a few keywords to find related terms and suggestions.
• Competitor analysis - See the keywords competitors are ranking for.
• Autocomplete search - Google suggests searches as you type in the search bar.
• Related keywords - Research tools provide keyword ideas related to your initial keywords.

As you brainstorm keywords, organize them into groups or categories to make research easier. Add keywords to a spreadsheet for the next steps.

2. Analyze Keyword Difficulty

Next, analyze the difficulty of ranking for your target keywords. Use the search volume and competition metrics from keyword tools to determine how easy or challenging it will be to rank for each keyword.

Search volume indicates how many monthly searches a keyword gets. Higher volume means more traffic potential. But low-volume niches can still be worthwhile for specialized sites.

Competition shows how many other pages are already ranking for that keyword. Higher competition makes it harder to rank. Look for "low-hanging fruit" - decent volume keywords with low competition.

Combine volume and competition to identify keywords that balance search traffic potential and ranking difficulty for your needs.

3. Check Relevancy

Double-check that your target keywords are highly relevant to your site's offerings. Use the keyword research tools' relevancy metrics:

• Keyword Intent - Informational, transactional, or navigational intent.
• Topics - Related topics and categories for the keyword.
• Questions - Questions people ask about the keyword topic.

Review your list to ensure you can create content that meets searcher intent and needs for each keyword. Remove irrelevant keywords that don't fit your site.

4. Categorize Keywords

Divide your keywords into categories or groups based on topics and intent. For example:

• Product-specific keywords
• Industry terminology
• Misspellings
• Informational keywords
• Shopping and transactional keywords
• Geographic keywords

Categorizing makes it easier to shape content and optimization plans for each keyword type. You can also identify gaps where you may need to do more keyword discovery.

5. Prioritize Keywords

With your keywords categorized, it's time to prioritize which ones you'll target first in SEO campaigns.

Factor in volume, competition, relevancy, commercial intent, and other data points to decide on your:

• Primary keywords - Highest priority targets. Focus on 3-7 keywords to start.
• Secondary keywords - Still relevant but lower priority.
• Negative match keywords - Irrelevant phrases you want to avoid.

6. Set Your Keyword Targets

The final step is setting targets for your priority keywords:

• Ranking goals - What position do you want to achieve? Realistic targets balance effort and potential.
• Expected traffic - Estimate the search volume you could get.
• Conversion rates to forecast revenue potential.
• Deadlines for when you want to attain goals.

With well-researched targets in place, you can move ahead with keyword-focused content creation and optimization to execute your plan.

 

Tips for Effective Keyword Research

Follow these tips for getting the most out of keyword research:

• Use multiple keyword tools - Each tool has unique data. Cross-check tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and Ahrefs for the best insights.
• Check seasonality trends - Volume and competition for keywords changes throughout the year. Research seasonal fluctuations for your niche.
• Analyze competitor keywords - See which keywords competitors rank for. This can reveal lucrative targets.
• Iterate with frequent updates - Revisit keyword research regularly to find new opportunities. Don't treat it as a one-time task.
• Align keywords to business goals - Target keywords that help meet specific goals beyond just traffic, like conversions, engagement, or brand queries.
• Cluster keyword variants - Group keyword misspellings, plurals, and alternate versions to assess search volume collectively.
• Use negative match - Identify irrelevant keyword searches you want to avoid ranking for.

Invest time into robust keyword research and you'll reap the SEO rewards in the form of qualified organic traffic, lower cost-per-click, and targeted brand visibility.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: What is keyword research and analysis in SEO?

A: Keyword research is analyzing search data and metrics to identify the best keyword opportunities to target in SEO and content marketing. It provides insights to shape optimization plans. Analysis examines keyword difficulty, relevancy, search volume, competition, seasonality, and more.

Q2: What is the keyword research process?

A: The keyword research process typically involves:

• Brainstorming initial target keywords.
• Analyzing keyword difficulty and search volume.
• Checking keyword relevancy to your offering.
• Categorizing keywords by topic and intent.
• Prioritizing primary, secondary, and negative match keywords.
• Setting keyword targets for rankings and traffic.

Q3: How do you perform effective keyword research?

A: Tips for effective keyword research include:

• Using multiple keyword tools to cross-check data.
• Checking seasonality and year-round trends.
• Analyzing competitors' keywords.
• Iterating frequently with regular research updates.
• Aligning keywords to business and conversion goals.
• Including misspellings, questions, and alternate variations.
• Identifying negative keywords.

Robust methodology and taking the time to thoroughly research keywords leads to better targeting and results.

Q4: What are the benefits of keyword research?

A: Benefits of keyword research include:

• Discovering new keyword opportunities.
• Understanding searcher intent and demand.
• Identifying keywords aligned to your offerings.
• Determining keyword difficulty for better targeting.
• Estimating potential organic traffic value.
• Informing better content creation and optimization.
• Creating a focused SEO plan and strategy.

Q5: How do you check the search volume for keywords?

A: You can check the monthly search volume for keywords using free tools like Google Keyword Planner. Other paid tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Moz also provide keyword search volume data. Look for keywords with sufficient volume for your needs - usually, over 1,000 is a good minimum.

Q6: What metrics are important in keyword research?

A: Beyond search volume, key metrics to analyze in keyword research include:

• Competition - how many other pages rank for the keyword
• Trends - seasonality and year-over-year comparisons
• Click-through-rate (CTR) - how likely searches click your result
• Relevancy - how closely the keyword matches your content
• Intent - informational, commercial, or navigational
• Keyword difficulty - overall effort to rank for a term

Prioritizing keywords based on these metrics results in better ROI from SEO campaigns.

 

Conclusion

Following a strategic methodology allows you to prioritize keywords based on opportunity, relevancy, and difficulty. With these thoroughly vetted keywords driving qualified traffic to your site, you'll be set up for SEO success.

Be sure to revisit keyword research regularly to adjust to evolving search trends. With the right keywords fueling organic growth, you can boost conversions and attain long-term business goals.

Regularly analyzing volume, competition, relevancy, and other metrics ensures you choose keywords that deliver the highest ROI. Use these keyword insights to inform strategic content creation, optimization best practices, and performance tracking.