Keywords are the most important ingredient in the recipe for success in search engine optimization. They are an integral part of driving online traffic via search engines such as Google.
What is “keyword research”?
It refers to the process of finding and analyzing the most relevant terms so as to guide people to the specific query/ question they are searching for. Each keyword has a search volume of its own based on the volume and frequency of people searching.
Why is keyword research important?
Simply put, keyword research helps find the right terms for people to find exactly what they are looking for with ease. In addition, it also provides important insights into customer questions and queries, thereby helping to find which keywords are the best to target. As a direct consequence, it is thus possible to create content around what people want to discover. Additionally, it facilitates the categorization of search queries into different stages of search, guiding the user on their journey to the information we need.
From the perspective of a business, keyword research holds a lot of importance in being able to find new areas of business opportunities and finding out where to prioritize attention and resources towards what the audience is searching for. .
All of these factors make keyword research the foundation of search engine optimization.
What are some of the key benefits of keyword research?
Behavioral insights: Analyzing keywords provides detailed insights into audience behaviors in the context of the products they are looking for, what’s important to them, the various doubts/ questions/ queries they want to address, and more. This helps stay up to date with current trends in the marketing and digital spaces, thereby helping to align an effective content strategy accordingly.
Audience conversion: Keyword research helps build content that can genuinely interest and stimulate the targeted audience by understanding what they are searching about. This can then have the desired result of the audience finding exactly what they need and then taking the call to action to the point of purchase, thus becoming a buyer.
Improved efficiency: Knowing the right keywords for your content marketing saves more time to concentrate on other core activities on the overall digital strategy.
Better budget allocation: researching the right keywords can help discover what draws in the best conversions. Identifying which words have the best cost-per click can assist with the effective allocation of financial resources.
Increased awareness: Incorporating the right keywords into your content can help your brand organically rank higher on search engines due to increased search volume. This has a direct result of people being able to discover your brand more easily. And not just any audience, but a higher quality of audience that is filtered out through quality keywords that are specific to their searches.
How to conduct keyword research for a website?
Before beginning keyword research in your SEO strategy, three important elements must be considered beforehand.
Below are some key steps for your keyword research plan as part of your digital marketing strategy.
Step 1: Compile a list of relevant topics related to what people may search about your business. Conceptualize some topical marketing buckets that may be important for people who are looking for your business or the services that it provides. This will help formulate specific keywords that align with customer personas and search behaviors.
Step 2: Prepare topical marketing buckets to categorize each content campaign into, and accordingly find keywords to add to those buckets. This must be done with the purpose of trying to achieve the highest possible rank for search engine results pages. In addition to this, incorporating website analytics to find out which keywords are actively being looked for can help understand the specific keywords that people are using to reach your website.
Step 3: Study the search intent of users. User intent is an integral factor in being able to rank highly on search engines.
Search intent includes a few important variables that must be considered:
Step 4: Use a keyword research tool or partner with an agency that specializes in keyword research for SEO marketing. To put it simply, this can significantly help streamline the process of keyword research to get the best results. Tools such as SEMRush help you achieve the best outcomes for your business. Alternatively, opting for an SEO marketing company can get the work done for you with their best expertise.
Team Pumpkin is a digital marketing agency in Mumbai that offers top online advertising and SEO services in India. Having successfully executed multiple keyword research campaigns for numerous clients, the SEO company is the best choice for your needs.