Have you ever felt like you were searching in the wrong place for that perfect, high-value keyword that could unlock a treasure trove of free organic traffic? Do you pull your hair out trying to determine realistic monthly search volumes so you can set proper expectations for conversions?
Do you stay up at night wondering if your product name and keywords help or hurt your rankings?
You're not alone - many content marketers, SEOs, and product managers often struggle to find keyword search volumes, choose the best keywords to target, and leverage tools properly to estimate monthly interest and traffic potential.
This complete guide will map out the landscape to help you uncover profitable keyword opportunities, navigate keyword research to find realistic search volume data and pick winning keywords for your business.
Follow our field guide and you'll never spin your wheels again searching for keyword gold!
Many keyword tools exist to help estimate search volume data. While each has strengths and weaknesses, you should leverage multiple options to cross-verify numbers and reveal keyword opportunities.
As the 800 lb gorilla of search, Google provides one of the best keyword tools with Keyword Planner. Connect your Google Ads account to see monthly search volume estimates segmented by location. This helps reveal regional interest and languages driving search queries.
It also categorizes keywords into groups and provides suggested ideas related to your core terms. Use these to brainstorm additional low-competition, high-volume keywords.
One downside is that Keyword Planner exaggerates some search volumes, especially for long-tail keywords. But it remains one of the most accurate free tools.
Google Keyword Planner should be your base tool but complement it with additional solutions:
Using multiple tools provides a more complete picture so you can better judge true audience interest before deciding on focus keywords.
Keyword planning tools report search volumes over different periods - day, month, or year. Make sure to pay attention to the date range each uses so you compare apples to apples.
Most provide monthly search volumes as the default - that is the number of times a keyword was searched over 30 days. This makes it easier to estimate potential traffic each month if your content ranks well for that term.
To calculate yearly or daily search volumes, just multiply or divide by 12 or 30 as needed.
Some keyword research tools also show a range of volumes, especially for more obscure long-tail keywords. This accounts for fluctuations from month to month. In those cases, look at the average volume to estimate ongoing interest.
Uncovering keywords with strong search volume is terrific, but you also need to make sure they represent qualified, purchase-ready traffic with intent to buy related to your offerings.
How can you determine this and weed out lazy lookers? Follow these tips for identifying more targeted, relevant keywords:
Group keywords found during research into these three categories:
Focus first on commercial and transactional keywords that indicate more readiness to buy. Informational keywords still provide value further up the funnel.
Long tail keywords made up of 3-5+ words reveal more context and intent. The more specific the description, the more likely searchers want to immediately find that exact item or information.
Prioritize more lengthy keywords as they convert better once ranked - the searcher knows what they want.
Keyword research tools provide both organic and paid suggestions. Look for discrepancies between high organic and paid volumes for the same term. This signals buyers actively seeking that solution.
Combine keyword tools that show historical search data with Google itself to uncover outdated content ranking for quality keyword targets.
Use Google operators to find pages without enough content depth or optimization to adequately satisfy user intent. Then create content that wins the rankings.
Choosing keywords for your products combines elements of conducting buyer-focused marketing research plus leveraging SEO best practices. The goal - rank well in search to drive discovery by motivating new customers.
Follow this framework when selecting keywords for your product line:
Create a list of defining characteristics for each product such as:
Brainstorm all terms related to these elements. Cast a wide net here for keyword ideas.
Next, enter each attribute keyword that makes sense as a standalone term into Google and review the autocomplete suggestions.
This reveals the actual language used in searches. Compile a list of popular combinations and phrases.
Search for other products similar to yours and scan the related keywords section for keyword misspellings driving traffic. Repeat this for top reviews of competitor products to find other search phrases.
Create specific landing pages with carefully optimized content around these misspelt and fragmented long-tail keywords.
Categorize your product keywords based on commercial intent and stages in the buyer's journey. Ensure you have keywords targeted to each phase.
Optimizing pages for each bucket helps guide visitors to conversion no matter where they are in the process. Now turn all these ideas into an organized, expanded set of keyword buckets and priority targets per product and category.
A: Long tail keywords are very specific phrases with 3 or more words such as "how to care for black leather boots". They have lower competition and convert well for niche topics.
A: Start general with root keywords based on product category and work down to specifics. Use Google Trends to help ID rising searches indicating new user needs.
A: 3-7 closely related keywords keep pages focused enough to rank well. Create new pages for additional keyword targets.
A: Yes, but expect strong competition. Blend in the medium and low competition long tail keywords for quick wins and cumulative traffic.
A: Both! Keyword target pages around a primary term with supporting keywords called out in content. Having the primary keyword in the URL also helps rankings.
Uncovering valuable, high-potential keywords that attract qualified traffic and drive conversions is a crucial process for business growth. With the right tools and research approach, you can learn to estimate search volumes, dig up the long tail keyword "gold", and align keywords to different stages in the buyer's journey.
Follow the methodology and best practices outlined in this comprehensive guide to determine which keywords best fit your business goals. Leverage Google Keyword Planner and complementary tools to get a complete picture of keyword difficulty, competition, seasonality, and monthly searches.
Brainstorm the attributes of your products from your customer's point of view, observing the language used in actual searches.
With the knowledge of how to effectively research and select profitable, high-value keywords, you can drive more organic traffic and increase conversions over time.
I hope this step-by-step tutorial has demystified this complex but important aspect of digital marketing and provided actionable ways to uncover the online equivalent of buried treasure.
Please reach out with any other questions as you start planning your keyword strategy. The possibilities are endless if you prospect using the right map!
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