Keyword Research for SEO: The Beginner’s Guide
Table of contents
Keywords refer to the words, phrases and sentences also called the search queries or search terms that people type into a search engine when they want to find details for a brand.
When a person types a specific keyword search into a search engine such as Google or other search engines for a product or service, it uses an algorithm on the internet to determine the most relevant websites that match your search query to appear in the search engine results pages.
There are numerous different factors that search engines consider when finding results, one of the major ways they figure out the relevance of a website is by comparing a searcher’s keywords with a website’s content.
If the keyword search is the same or kind of similar, the website has a greater chance of showing up at the top of search results (SERP).
There are a few different types of keywords as discussed below:
Short tail keywords- These are the broad keywords such as a single word or phrase which is very generalised. Short tail keywords are usually 3 words or less with a bigger keyword search volume.
Long-tail keywords- Long-tail keywords are a combination of many terms with lower search volume. When someone types a more detailed query into a search engine, this is called a long-term keyword.
Primary keyword. The primary keyword is known as the main keyword phrase that you target in your content strategy. It’s the keyword that you’re targeting to rank for and it should feature in your headline, blog post, domain, meta title description for that piece of content.
Secondary keyword- These refer to the extra keyword phrases, using SEO keyword research, that you expect to rank for with your content. These can be short-tail as well as long-tail keywords that develop the semantics of the overall topic of your content.
What is keyword research?
Keyword Research is the process of figuring out the different search queries that people search for using keyword data.
Using the information obtained from your list of keywords, you can optimise the content present on your website to target the best keywords to rank higher on the first page while beating the competition keywords.
In order to actually make an impact with your SEO strategy, you need to pick and select the search terms you want to focus on.
Why is keyword research important?
It’s crucial because it’s the baseline of any SEO strategy and affects other aspects of your SEO and ranks you higher in organic search.
It allows you to select and choose which keywords to work on, so that you can optimise your existing website content to improve visibility for related searches. It’s also easier to develop a content plan to reach your potential audience and customers.
When do we perform keyword research?
Keyword research has to be done in the first step of search engine optimisation for any website you develop.
You must do keyword research when you’re:
- searching for a new niche
- searching for new content ideas
- optimising your current content
Who can do keyword research?
Any website owner, blogger, digital marketer or SEO specialist should do keyword research.
How to do keyword research?
Well, let’s discuss that in this blog.
You don’t need to worry, keyword research is not that complicated. After you understand the basics and apply some proven effective strategies and follow some useful tips & tricks, you’re good to go.
1. Research on ‘seed’ keywords
Seed keywords are the primary stage of the keyword research process. These words define your niche and help you figure out your competitors in the market. Every keyword research tool wants a seed keyword, which is then used to create a big list of keyword ideas.
If you currently have a product or business that you want to market online, focusing on seed keywords is quite easy. Just brainstorm about what people might type into search engines to find what you have to offer.
For instance, if you have a business of selling coffee machines and equipment, then seed keywords could be-
- coffee
- french press
- cappuccino
- espresso
Please know that seed keywords themselves would not be worth targeting with the pages on your website. As the name refers, you’ll use these words as ‘seeds’ for the next steps in this keyword research process. So do not focus too much on your seed keywords. You should only spend a few minutes searching for them. When you have multiple broad ideas related to your website’s topic, you can continue to the next step overcoming keyword difficulty.
2. Find what keywords your competitors in the market rank for
Figuring out which keywords already generate traffic for your competitors is generally the best way to start your keyword research. But first, you must identify your competitors. This is where your found list of keywords comes to help. Just look at Google trends for one of your seed keywords and see which business ranks on the front page of search results.
3. Take help from keyword research tools
Your competitors can help you the most with keyword ideas. But there are still a lot of keywords your competitors might not be targeting yet, and you can find these keywords with the help of keyword research tools.
All keyword research tools work in the same way. You enter a seed keyword, and the tools pull keyword ideas from their database depending on that keyword.
Google Keyword Planner is probably the most popular keyword tool. It comes for free, and although it’s usually for advertisers, you can use it to search keywords for your SEO.
4. Research your niche
Everything we’ve discussed in this blog is enough to create a lot of keyword ideas. But also at the same time, this process can kind of limit your opportunities. It limits you by your seed keywords and by the size and freshness of the tool’s database of your selected keywords. And so, it is likely that you will be missing out on some good ideas.
However, you can solve this by thoroughly studying your niche and create content accordingly. You begin this process by browsing industry groups, forums and Q&A websites. This will allow you to find more things that your potential customers are struggling with which didn’t appear in keyword tools and that none of your competitors focused on.
Book a Free Strategy Session
Testimonials
Your feedback is incredibly important to us. Explore the testimonials from our valued clients to see their thoughts on our services.
See MoreMohamed Ibrahim
Friendly customer service and expert in their field recommend everybody who is looking best finished product and joyful experience.
Kelly Browne
Great people to work with. We have been supported with a new website and now social media support. We recommend highly.
Hawolul Issak
I would highly recommend aus asia for all your van designs & website needs. They are very helpful & staff are prompt with their services.
- Martin Gian
Aus Asia Online goes the extra mile to ensure their customers get the best possible experience –
they genuinely care about what’s in their customer’s interest. Highly recommended!
– Kasmir Kaur
Very friendly and helpful
Thank you, Monir for all your help the website looks great.
Chan Dee
Very friendly, helpful and experience team. They delivered on their promises – an exemplary level of commitment that ensured the success of our business objectives.
– John Green
Aus Asia Online did an excellent job handling the design of our website. I am happy that the results of your efforts were lasting and profitable.
– Alex Williams
Found this provider online, they were answering questions from other SEO companies which instantly showed me they had great knowledge of the industry. Thanks to them.
– David Richard
Aus Asia Online team has provided us with a comprehensive, fast and well-planned digital marketing strategy that has yielded great results in terms of content, SEO, and Social Media.
Jonathan Laloz
Monir and the team have done an excellent job at improving my site’s SEO and helped my business get NDIS leads.
We Proudly Work with Different Industries of All Sizes
Client success is always a priority for us. We strive to deliver high-quality solutions that are tailored specifically to our clients’ needs and helped them achieve their goals.