Are you just starting out and don’t know where to begin with your keyword research? It can be overwhelming trying to learn the ropes of SEO, but don’t worry – we’re here to help.
The essential guide to keyword research for beginners will give you a clear understanding of what keyword research is and how you can use it to boost your SEO efforts.
Through this guide, you’ll learn how to:
- Set objectives and goals
- Identify core competitor keywords
- Utilize keyword research tools
- Analyze search volume and competition levels
- Choose the right keywords
- Build a keyword list
- Track your progress
- Refine your results
1. Setting Objectives and Goals
When it comes to keyword research, it is important to set objectives and goals. Understanding what you are trying to achieve with your keyword research is key to making sure it serves its purpose.
Depending on your business needs and the goals of your keyword research campaign, there are a few different ways you can go about setting objectives and goals.
For starters, focus on identifying high-value keywords that generate qualified website traffic from potential customers. These keywords should be relevant and specific enough to capture the interest of potential customers while still having enough search volume to make an impact.
While keywords with higher search volumes may seem more attractive at first, they can often generate less quality website traffic since they are more competitive, meaning that there will be more competition for those same terms.
Another good practice is to create both short-term and long-term objectives for your keyword research project. Short-term objectives may include increasing organic website visits within the next 3-6 months or improving conversions over the next quarter, while long-term objectives could include achieving a specific ranking on certain pages or targeting specific keywords in the future.
Having both short term and long term objectives can help you plan ahead as well as measure success over time.
It is also important to keep track of which keywords are working best for your business and which ones may need further optimization or development down the line. This way you can consistently monitor results and make any necessary changes along the way in order to improve overall performance.
2. Identifying Core Competitor Keywords
When it comes to keyword research, it’s essential to identify the keywords your competitors are using. After all, they’ve done the research to figure out what their target customers are searching for and have identified which words they should be using in their content to attract their ideal customers.
Knowing which keywords your competitors are using can help you hone in on the ones that are driving their success.
To start, you’ll need to find out who your competitors are. You can find this information by doing a simple search on Google and seeing who appears near the top of the results. Once you’ve identified your competitors, you can start to look at the keywords they’re targeting.
To get the scoop on which keywords your competitors are using, you can use a tool such as SEMrush or UberSuggest. These tools allow you to enter in your competitors’ domain names and see the keywords they’re ranking for.
You’ll be able to see the keyword, the volume, and where it ranks. This is a great way to get a feel for which keywords are working well for your competitors and which ones you should be targeting.
Another great way to uncover keywords is to look at their website’s content. Look at the titles and subtitles of their blog posts and pages and see which words they’re using.
Even if they’re not ranking for those words, they might be related to the keyword you’re targeting and might be worth considering. You can also look at their PPC campaigns to see which keywords they’re bidding on.
Once you’ve identified the core keywords your competitors are targeting, you can add them to your own keyword list and start to narrow down the ones that are most relevant to your business. Don’t be afraid to get creative here. You want to make sure you’re targeting theright keywords to get the most out of your keyword research.
3. Utilizing Keyword Research Tools
When it comes to keyword research, the overview of essential tools cannot be understated, particularly for beginners starting out in their journey. For the most part, these tools allow you to search databases, analyze performance stats and uncover new ideas to target.
First and foremost, keyword research tools are designed to help you locate the right keywords, as well as quantify their potential impact.
By drilling into search engine results, these tools enable you to uncover the exact phrases your target audience is using to discover your products, services and content. Many keyword research tools also come with helpful features like keyword suggestions and auto-complete options.
A few of the most popular keyword research tools include Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, Ahrefs, UberSuggest, Keyword Chef and LowFruits. These and many other tools are designed to search for and analyze relevant keyword trends, volume and popularity.
This can be helpful in uncovering new terms and phrases that could be used to optimize your website for search engine rankings.
When deciding which keyword research tools to use for your project, it’s important to consider your individual needs as well as your budget. Some tools are free and offer basic capabilities, while others are more advanced and require a paid subscription.
Before purchasing a subscription, select the tools that best suit your needs and review the available features to ensure the tools will deliver the results you’re seeking.
Additionally, there are a number of browser extensions and plugins that can aid in your keyword research efforts. Many of these can be added to your browser as an add-on or extension, allowing you to quickly access keyword information while you’re researching or browsing the web.
By utilizing the right keyword research tools and features, you’ll be able to identify the terms and phrases that can help you target your desired audience more effectively. As a beginner, the keyword research process can be overwhelming, but the right tools and tips can help you uncover the best keywords for your project.
4. Analyzing Search Volume and Competition Levels
Analyzing the search volume and competition levels of keywords is essential to determine the best keywords to use for your SEO strategy. Knowing the keyword search volume and competition levels will allow you to craft an effective SEO plan that will maximize the impact of your website.
To begin analyzing the search volume and competition levels of your keywords, start by researching the keyword in popular search engines such as Google and Bing. Look at the number of results for each keyword and the type of sites that appear. This will give you an idea of the competition level for the keyword.
Another way to analyze the search volume of a keyword is to use keyword research tools. Popular tools as mentioned above will provide you with data on the search volume and competition levels of keywords in your niche.
With this information, you can compare the search volume for different keywords and determine which ones have the highest potential for success.
Finally, you can use metrics such as Cost Per Click (CPC) and Keyword Difficulty Score (KDS) to determine the relative competitiveness of a keyword. KDS will estimate the difficulty of a keyword to rank in the top results of search engines, while CPC will indicate how much advertisers are paying for AdWords campaigns for that keyword.
By understanding these metrics, you will be able to make an informed decision about which keywords to use for your SEO strategy.
5. Choosing the Right Keywords
For beginners in keyword research, choosing the right keywords can be a tricky task. But, with the right strategies and tips, you can easily pick the right keywords for your articles, blog posts, and other types of content.
The first tip to bear in mind is to always think like your target audience. Ask yourself what type of search queries they would use when looking for the content you offer on your website. It’s also important to think of keywords in different ways, from phrases and topics to product names.
Doing so will help you come up with various options to consider for your search engine optimization (SEO) strategy.
You should also consider the competition for certain keywords. If the competition for a certain keyword is too high, it can be difficult for your content to rank well in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
On the other hand, if the competition for a certain keyword is low, you can use that keyword as a way to draw more traffic to your website.
It’s important to note that keywords change over time. This means you should always be on the lookout for new and updated keywords.
You can use tools such as Google Trends or search engine analytics to track the progress of your keywords and determine which ones are performing well and which ones are not.
6. Building a Keyword List
To get started, you’ll want to brainstorm a list of words and phrases that you think are related to your website or business. This list should include all of the different ways that someone might search for what your website offers. For example, if you sell dog accessories, that list might include words like:
-Dog accessories
-Dog collars
-Dog leashes
-Dog beds
-Dog toys
Once you have a list of keywords, you can move on to more advanced keyword research. You should use a keyword research tool to help you uncover more detailed keyword insights, like search volume and competition levels.
Using a keyword research tool can help you uncover important information about each keyword, like its search volume, competition level, and related terms. This data can help you determine the best keywords to use in your website content and other marketing efforts.
The most important thing to remember when building a keyword list is that it should be targeted and relevant to your website’s content. If you use keywords that are unrelated to your site, your website won’t be visible when someone searches for those keywords.
By taking the time to build a keyword list and doing thorough keyword research, you can ensure that your website is optimized with the most relevant and valuable keywords. This will boost your website’s search visibility and help you reach more people.
7. Tracking Your Progress
Now that you know how to research keywords as a beginner, you’re ready to start tracking your progress. Every keyword research process should begin with a goal.
What do you want to achieve with your keyword research? Do you want to increase website traffic? Do you want to increase ranking on search engines? Once you’ve determined the goals of your keyword research, tracking your progress can help you monitor the success of your efforts.
Analytics tools can provide detailed insights into your websites performance, including the search terms that lead users to your content. Web analytics tools like Google Analytics can help you find out which keywords people are using to find your site. You can also use analytics to track the success of your targeted keywords.
You can also use backlink checking tools to monitor the progress of your targeted keywords. By analyzing the backlinks to your content you can identify which keywords are working for you. This can help you refine your keyword research strategy and make sure that your efforts are paying off.
You can use tools like SERP Checkers to track your ranking on search engine results pages. This can help you optimize your keywords and make sure that you’re targeting the right terms.
By tracking your progress on a regular basis, you can ensure that your keyword research efforts are effective and rewarding. This essential guide to keyword research for beginners should have given you a good starting point for your keyword research journey. With the right tools and strategies, you can set yourself up for success.
8. Refining Your Results
When conducting keyword research, it is important to refine results to find the best, most relevant keywords for your content. This can be done by narrowing down the search scope, evaluating the quality of the results, and assessing the long-term potential of keywords.
Narrowing Down the Search Scope
One of the most common ways to refine keyword research results is by narrowing down the scope of the search. This can be done, for example, by including or excluding specific words or phrases, location modifiers, and other parameters that can be adjusted through the search engine.
Once the search scope has been narrowed down, keyword-specific results may be more focused, resulting in a more relevant keyword list.
Evaluating Quality
When conducting keyword research, it is important to evaluate the quality of the results. Evaluating the quality includes assessing the relevance of the keywords to the topic, the search volume of the keywords, and the competition for each keyword.
Keywords with higher relevancy and search volume, but lower competition, are considered better quality keywords and represent better potential for content ranking.
Assessing Long-Term Potential
When conducting keyword research, it is important to assess the long-term potential of the keywords. This involves looking beyond the potential for immediate results to determine if there is potential for the content to be found by searchers in the long term.
This can include evaluating the sustainability of the keyword, assessing the potential for trends, and evaluating the potential for long-term growth.
By refining your keyword research results, you can optimize the quality of your keyword list and improve the potential for your content to be found and ranked. While refining results may take additional effort, the results can provide greater focus and direction for your content, helping ensure that it is visible in the long run.
In conclusion, keyword research is a critical step to improving your website’s visibility in SERPs. By keeping the aforementioned tips in mind, you should have no trouble picking the right keywords for your website. Good luck!