SEO 101: Keyword Research

Posted on 10/31/2022, 6:09:35 PM

One big part of SEO is finding the keywords you need to target in your website content. 

When customers search google for these keywords, they'll be able to find your website because you're using these keywords or related keywords in your content. The goal is to rank highly for these keywords so that your website is on the front page of Google. 

To develop a list of keywords to target, you will first need to understand your target audience and how they search for things. 

For example, for mentordial, we want to know the following

• What types of mentors are people searching for?
• Who is searching for these terms?
• When are people searching?
• Are their seasonality trends throughout the year?
• How are people searching for a mentor?
• What words do they use?
• What questions do they ask?
• Do they use mobile vs desktop?
• Why are people seeking a mentor?
• Where are these customers located?

Keyword research will allow you to figure out what people search for, how many people search for it, and in what format they want that information. 

When writing content for your website, you should focus on what the audience wants. You want search visitors to find the content and buy your product or service.

The best keywords

To find keywords to target in your content, you might come up with a list of seed keywords that you think users are searching for. Then you add these keywords to a keyword research tool, providing you with a list of related terms with monthly search volume and difficulty. For example, for mentordial, we might start by using the word "mentor" or "expert" to find keywords such as "marketing expert." You want to target keywords with lower search volume but low competition.

Search volume

Ideal keywords have high search volume but low competition, but unfortunately, high-volume keywords are usually the most difficult to rank. The higher the search volume, the greater competition and effort to rank for these keywords. Big brands take up the top 10 results of high search volume keywords. 

Long tail vs short tail

Longer keywords are called long-tail keywords. The key to finding a list of keywords to target is determining what keywords will get users interested in the content and willing to convert to the website. High-volume keywords might have low search intent, meaning the user is just browsing and not interested in what you offer. For example, ice cream is a high-volume keyword, but when someone searches for ice cream, what is their intent? Do they want to buy ice cream? Are they looking for the nutritional value of ice cream? 

If you have a business that wants to make money, you want to target keywords where customers want to pay or are interested in your content. Because they are more specific and intentional, long tail keywords have lower search volume but often convert better. An example of a long-tail keyword is "ice cream shop near me." 

How to find keywords

When targeting keywords, you can focus on keywords that your competition already ranks for. 

Knowing the seasonal trends of keywords helps you know when to target each keyword.

You might want to target keywords based on specific regions, cities, towns, and countries. For example, if you are targeting Miami residents, the keywords you use might be different than those targeting New York residents.

Keyword Tools

Here are some tools to help you find the right keywords:

• Moz Keyword Explorer - This can give you monthly search volume and SERP features ranking for that term.
• Google Keyword Planner
• Google Trends - Gives you information about seasonal trends for each keyword.
• Answer the public - What are the commonly searched questions around each keyword?

Finding the right keywords and crafting your content to target them is just one part of a successful SEO strategy equation. You'll need to make sure, from a technical perspective, your website is optimized for SEO and that you have enough good authority links linking back to your website. If you need help with SEO, schedule a call with one of our SEO experts today, and they can help.