How to Research Keywords for Your SEO Strategy
Keyword research is easy if you follow a sound process. Here’s ours:
Step 1: Make a List of 5-10 General Topics Relevant to Your Business
We’ll use ourselves as an example. As an SEO company, our list looks like this:
On-page SEO
Off-Page SEO
Technical SEO
Content marketing
Social media marketing
Reputation management
Influencer marketing
Step 2: Make a List of 5-10 Keywords for each Topic
There are two types of keywords: head keywords and long-tail keywords.
Head keywords are three words or less and are highly competitive. Long-tail keywords are more than three words and more specific. Keyword research is a head keyword for On-Page SEO, while how to do keyword research is long-tail keyword.
Make sure your keyword lists have a mix of both to give your SEO strategy short and long-term goals.
Step 3: Use Keyword Research Tools to Pick the Right Keywords
Keyword research tools take the guesswork out of the process. You get hard data on the competitiveness of each keyword, which is determined by the number of times that keyword is searched.
Mastery of such tools is what separates professional SEO strategists from do-it-yourself SEO strategists.
Step 4: Learn From What Your Competition is Doing to Rank for Your Targeted Keywords
When it comes to keyword research, your competition is the best educational resource. Analyze the first 10 results for each keyword and take note of how they feature the keyword on their site.
This four-step process is just a tease of our approach to keyword research and strategy. If you want to learn about the inner workings of each step, fill out the keyword research form below and then schedule your consultation.