Using the best keywords is now more important than ever, especially with so many businesses producing blogs and other forms of content. Keywords are specific words and phrases that define what your content is about. Search engines use keywords to help rank websites. For example, if you are writing a blog about how to make chocolate chip cookies, you could use the keyword “how to bake the best chocolate chip cookies.” People will be more likely to find your content through a search engine if they use the same keywords that are on your website in their search query. It takes more work to make content SEO-friendly, but in the long run, it pays off. There are many ways to research the best keywords and various tools you can consider utilizing. Throughout this blog, we’ll share a few steps to help you research and find the best keywords for the content on your website.
Brainstorm keyword ideas
Before beginning your research, you’ll want to ask yourself some basic questions. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself:
- What are people searching for?
- How many people are searching for it?
- In what format do they want the information?
By asking yourself these questions, you’ll be prepared to research the appropriate keywords. These questions may also help you narrow down some of the ideas you’ve generated in your mind. During this step, consider how many long and short tail keywords you should use. A short tail keyword usually has 3 words or less, while a long-tail keyword is a phrase with more than 3 words. An example of a short tail keyword for a blog about making chocolate chip cookies could be “chocolate chips” or “cookies,” while a long-tail keyword could be “chocolate chip cookie recipe.” Depending on what kind of traffic you want, you’ll choose one or the other. Short tail keywords generate more traffic, but there is usually more competition for the keyword. If you use a long-tail keyword, the volume is generally lower, as well as the competition. Choose keywords based on your objectives and what you’d like to accomplish with your SEO strategy.
Utilize keyword research tools
Researching keywords for your primary pages and other content, like blogs, on your website will help your site stand out to search engines. Make a list of the potential keywords that you find. Use free or paid tools like Google’s Keyword Planner, Google Trends Search, Keywords Everywhere, and SEMrush. You could even utilize your social media accounts to browse popular keywords in blogs. These tools come in handy because they can show you trending terms and other helpful information. On Instagram, you can search for hashtags that are popular to get ideas for trending keywords. For example, if you were writing a blog about making cookies, you could search the hashtag “#cookies.” You could also use YouTube to search for top videos to get ideas for keywords. If you were writing a blog about making cookies you could search for “how to bake cookies.” After you’ve done your research, you can select potential keywords to use within your website’s content.
Implement keyword research strategies
While you are employing keyword research tools, there are a few strategies you can implement. First, turn your attention to the search volume of a keyword. Generally, if the search volume is higher, there will be more competition for the keyword. The short tail keyword “cookies,” for instance, has over 1 million searches every month and has 0.06 competition, compared with the long-tail keyword “chocolate chip cookie recipe,” which has about 368 thousand searches every month and 0.04 competition. However, if the search volume is low, then you may not be able to attract users to your website. It can be beneficial to target specific keywords with search terms that have less competition. Usually, these specific phrases are long-tail keywords.Additionally, you can research keywords by season and region. If you choose to search by season, consider the current season and upcoming ones. Certain keywords will trend seasonally, such as those relating to the holidays or weather. Keywords also differ by region. If you are trying to reach a wider audience outside of your locality, think about what people are most likely search for outside of the area your business resides in.Another keyword research strategy is to look at your competitors’ keywords. For instance, a cookie company might take a look at the keywords on Tasty. You can do this by using different tools such as Google’s Keyword Planner or SEMrush. After you decide which tool you want to use, you can begin your research. According to SEMrush, Tasty’s top 5 organic keywords are “ratatouille,” “tasty,” “macarons,” “dinner ideas,” and “pupusas.” The results you find can be used for different purposes, such as finding keywords that have not yet been used by your competitors. Or, you can compete with your competitors by applying the same keywords. Last, you may discover long-tail keywords that you hadn’t previously thought to use, such as Tasty’s long-tail keyword “chicken and dumplings recipe.”
Key takeaways
The process for researching the best keywords includes brainstorming ideas, implementing tools, and applying various strategies. Researching the best keywords for your website will improve SEO and, as a result, your site will have a better chance of ranking higher on search engines.
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