{"id":24409,"date":"2022-12-19T13:39:55","date_gmt":"2022-12-19T13:39:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/12\/19\/keyword-research-an-in-depth-beginners-guide\/"},"modified":"2022-12-19T13:39:55","modified_gmt":"2022-12-19T13:39:55","slug":"keyword-research-an-in-depth-beginners-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/12\/19\/keyword-research-an-in-depth-beginners-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Keyword Research: An In-Depth Beginner\u2019s Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

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If you are wondering how to do keyword research, you are probably looking to increase traffic to your website. The key is knowing the right keywords. Not only do keywords impact your rankings, but they also can \u2013 and\u00a0should<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 be used as a starting point for creating great content and setting up PPC campaigns. Which means some keyword research is in order.<\/p>\n

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Table Of Contents<\/p>\n<\/summary>\n<\/details>\n

What is keyword research and why it\u2019s important?<\/h2>\n

Every day, millions of people are looking for information online. Be it a simple question, like \u2018How\u2019s the weather today?\u2019 or a more complex \u2018How to choose the perfect raincoat?\u2019, they use search engines like Google to find the answers.<\/p>\n

There are many ways one can go about phrasing their question. People can enter a single word, use descriptions or synonyms or even a full sentence for the search query. No matter how they go about it, their goal is always the same: finding the answer to their question as fast as possible.<\/p>\n

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Whether you provide services or sell products, your goal should be to offer solutions to your website visitors\u2019 issues. By doing so, you can increase engagement, reduce bounce rate, and increase your conversions.<\/p>\n

What is the difference between keyword research for SEO and PPC?<\/h2>\n

There is a significant difference between doing keyword research for SEO and PPC. With PPC, you pay for every click. Meaning, you pay for ads that appear at the top of a search result for keywords you choose to pay for. <\/p>\n

When your ad appears first in a SERP, users are more likely to click on it and lead back to your website. When you pay for these higher-ranking spots, you\u2019re paying for hopeful sales or leads to your website. So, you can only afford to run ads on keywords you think will give you a good return on ad spend.<\/p>\n

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In contrast, search engine optimized clicks are free, since organic search doesn\u2019t cost money. This means you don\u2019t have to worry about the immediate profitability of your keywords. Of course, a good SEO keyword strategy should produce sales, but when the traffic is free, every sale is profitable. <\/p>\n

Building SEO creates and then promotes content to get links, which then over time helps your site rank first on search engines. Building an SEO keyword strategy takes time but can deliver long lasting results.<\/p>\n

What are the different types of keywords?<\/h2>\n

You should use different keywords to target different audiences at each stage of the funnel. That way, you can reach a broader range of people and increase your chance of securing a customer. Based on their characteristics, we can identify multiple types of keywords. Please note that the categories below often overlap.<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Short-tail keywords<\/h3>\n

Short-tail keywords are short keywords of three or fewer words. They usually have a high amount of search volume but are highly competitive. Audiences usually use short-tail keywords when they are at the beginning of the research process.<\/p>\n

Someone searching for \u2018programming\u2019 might want to learn to become a developer, but they are just as likely to be looking for developers to hire. These keyword types generally don\u2019t convert well because of the difficulty in matching searcher intent.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Long-tail keywords<\/h3>\n

Long tail keywords<\/a> consist of more than three words and are much more specific than short-tail keywords. They have lower search volumes but tend to be less competitive as well.<\/p>\n

Following our example above, a search query of \u2018best beginner JavaScript course\u2019 is easy to match with the search intent \u2013 this person is looking to learn JavaScript, is a beginner and has high buyer intent.<\/p>\n

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3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Evergreen keywords<\/h3>\n

Evergreen keywords are always relevant. The search volume might fluctuate a bit, but you won\u2019t see extreme changes here. Take the search query \u2018best couch to buy\u2019, for example. There is no seasonality for couches, so the search volume will roughly be the same all year round.<\/p>\n

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4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Seasonal keywords<\/h3>\n

Seasonal keywords have a high search volume in a given part of the year and a low search volume for the rest of it. Think of Black Friday deals, or Christmas presents, for example. No one will search for \u2018New Year\u2019s Parties\u2019 in July.<\/p>\n

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5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Geo-targeting keywords<\/h3>\n

You can target a specific neighborhood, city, state, or even country using a geo-targeting keyword. This is especially useful for smaller local businesses where you\u2019d want to attract the most relevant customers \u2013 the local customers \u2013 to your storefront.<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Informational keywords<\/h3>\n

We can also categorize keywords based on the search intent<\/a>. Informational keywords are used mainly by people at the top of the funnel who are looking for information on certain topics. They tend to have low buyer intent, so at this stage your priority should be educating the user about the searched topic.<\/p>\n

7.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Commercial keywords<\/h3>\n

Users with commercial intent are more serious about making a purchase \u2013 think of keywords like \u2018email marketing solution.\u2019 So, start using keywords like specifications, expiration date, place of origin, shipping fee, etc, to give clearer and product-specific information.<\/p>\n

8.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Transactional keywords<\/h3>\n

This is the last step before a user places an order. At this point, they are comparing products from multiple stores and trying to get the best deal.<\/p>\n

How to do keyword research?<\/h2>\n

Now that you know the basics of keyword research and are familiar with the different keyword types, let\u2019s see how you can identify the best keywords for your business in four simple steps!<\/p>\n

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Step 1: Identify your target market<\/h3>\n

In order to identify optimal keywords, you first need to determine who is searching around your industry. Who are your current customers? Are there new markets that you aren\u2019t reaching yet? What groups could benefit most from your products\/services?<\/p>\n

Your target audience should range from current customers all the way to niche markets that you\u2019re hoping to enter. These various groups likely have different needs, so it\u2019s important to remember these differences later on when creating your keyword list. This will help you focus your content to attract customers you aren\u2019t yet reaching, as well as to keep clients coming back!<\/p>\n

As we go through each step in the keyword research process, imagine you have your own local real estate company, and you\u2019re looking to increase traffic to your website. Your target market may consist of first-time home buyers, experienced landlords, and home sellers. You also want to target house flippers, an industry you have not yet entered.<\/p>\n

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Step 2: Know what questions customers are asking<\/h3>\n

Now that you have identified your target markets, you need to know the questions customers are asking so that you can provide the answers through relevant content. As an expert in your industry, you should already be clued into what your customers are asking. With new markets, though, you may need some help in determining these questions. A great tool that can help you in this search is Answer the Public<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In continuing with our real estate example, think about what questions first-time home buyers are asking. What fees are associated with buying a house? What is escrow? What are closing costs? Is it cheaper to rent or buy? You can also look at the results from Answer the Public to supplement this list of questions.<\/p>\n

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Step 3: Explore popular content in your industry<\/h3>\n

Next, it\u2019s time to explore your competitors\u2019 and industry leaders\u2019 websites and content. Look for things you like. How can you emulate and improve on what they\u2019re doing? Also, look for things you don\u2019t like. What topics should you avoid? How can you make your content stand out?<\/p>\n

Continuing with our real estate example, look to industry leaders in the real estate industry such as Zillow<\/a>, TransUnion SmartMove<\/a>, and RedFin<\/a>. Each of them has blogs with tons of content to explore! Read through Zillow\u2019s blog to see what topics they\u2019re covering. Check out TransUnion SmartMove\u2019s latest post to get an example of their post layout. Look over the comments on RedFin\u2019s posts to see how customers are reacting to their content.<\/p>\n

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Step 4: Build a list of keywords<\/h3>\n

Now the research phase is over. It\u2019s time to build a list of keywords that you can use to start planning your content. You\u2019ll have to be strategic with the keywords that you choose. For example, \u201cbuying a house\u201d will be extremely difficult to rank for since it\u2019s a broad topic with a lot of existing content. Instead, focus on long tail keywords \u2013 longer, more specific phrases that will be easier to rank for. A long tail keyword you can add to your list could be \u201cbuying your first house in Houston\u201d or \u201cwhat you should know before buying a house\u201d.<\/p>\n

As you\u2019re building your list, remember your different target markets. Make sure to list out specific keywords for each group. There may be some overlap between groups, but it\u2019s important that each market has their own exhaustive list. Don\u2019t worry if your lists are getting long. The more keywords you have, the more content you can cover!<\/p>\n

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How to use Google Keyword Planner to find new keywords and get search volumes?<\/h2>\n

Whether you are doing keyword research for search engine optimization or PPC, Google\u2019s Keyword Planner<\/a> is a one of the best free keyword research tools to find relevant keywords for your business. In this section, we will cover how to get the most out of this tool.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to note that while it\u2019s free to use, you do need a Google Ads account to access it. Creating an account only takes a few minutes.<\/p>\n

Finding new keywords with the Keyword Planner<\/h3>\n

On your Google Ads<\/a> dashboard, select \u2018Tools and Settings\u2019 then \u2018Keyword Planner\u2019. By clicking on \u2018Discover new keywords,\u2019 you will be taken to a separate dashboard.<\/p>\n

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If you\u2019ve followed the steps from the previous paragraph, you probably have a general idea of your most valuable keywords. Here, you can enter up to 10, as a starting point. Try to stick to seed keywords or short-tail keywords and let Google do its magic. Alternatively, you can enter your domain under \u2018Start with a website\u2019, letting Google identify your top seed keywords.<\/p>\n

When that\u2019s done, click on the \u2018Get results\u2019 button. The Keyword Planner will list dozens (if not hundreds) or relevant short- and long-tail keywords you can use in your campaigns. Next to the keywords, you will see the average monthly search volume, the competition score (low, medium or high) and the top of page bid range.<\/p>\n

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You can refine the suggested keywords by selecting\/deselecting branded keywords and selecting the location you want to focus on. You can find additional keywords by broadening your search by adding Google\u2019s auto-suggested keywords to your plan.<\/p>\n

Understanding keyword forecast<\/h3>\n

Once you have added a few keywords to your plan, you can head over to Forecast. Here, Google provides you an overview on how much searches you can expect for your keywords and how much traffic you are expected to receive if you advertise for them.<\/p>\n

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You can get more accurate results by playing around with different keyword match types<\/a>. Broad match means that ads may show on searches that are related to your keyword, which can include searches that don\u2019t contain the keyword terms. <\/p>\n