Beginner’s Guide to SEO: Importance of Keyword Research

Keyword research can improve your search engine optimization (SEO) projects. So, it is crucial to understand the importance of every step.

In this short guide, we’re going to explore the process of keyword research. We will outline some necessary terminology, the main steps you should take, and the most damaging pitfalls you should avoid.

1. How do I research keywords?

Keyword research means understanding phrases potential customers use while looking for your business online. These phrases are called search terms and can be entered into any search engine. Most tips here are fine-tuned for Google but can work with any other search engine.

If your website has keywords related to the correct search terms, it will rank better on the search results page. This ranking is simply the place in the search results list. First-to-appear websites receive higher website traffic.

Before defining any keywords, mark some associated topics with your business. Topics themselves are not keywords yet, but they will give you a good idea of where to start. Narrow them down by specifying what exactly customers might search for.

Single-word keywords are often too general as the user’s intent is unclear. It is difficult to achieve a good ranking for them as competition is stiff. Usually, the sweet spot is around 2 – 3 words.

Long-tailed (4+ words) keywords can be particular, so they don’t have a lot of searches. Some advise avoiding such low-volume keywords but don’t underestimate them yet. They are easier to climb on top and better at converting visitors to buying customers, and this task is essential when you have just started.

2. The process of researching keywords

Now that we have a rough idea of what keywords are, we can start our research. The first step is the discovery phase.

Make a list of root keywords that are most likely to be used when searching for your website online. These short keywords will allow you to “grow” other relevant phrases. Please take note of their frequency and volume.

In a big way, SEO is market research on your online customers. Thus, user behavior analysis is of utmost importance. Our second step consists of asking questions about your customers:

• Who and how are you searching for your brand?
• When and where are they doing so?
• Why is your product worth exploring?

You have to ask these questions from the customer’s perspective. Often, a mistake here is assuming that the way you see your brand is the same as that of your customers, and be cautious that this is not necessarily the case.

The third step is to look for competitor keywords. Competition here is defined in terms of the search result page ranking. So it is not only your direct business competition. Keeping this in mind, you have to determine low- and high-competition keywords. Generally, the higher the search volume, the more competitive and challenging the keyword is.

Depending on your strategy, it might be better to target low-difficulty keywords. Usually, they are easier for gathering at least some traffic to your website. Later on, you can build on this traffic to achieve even better results.

3. Keyword scraping

This step requires us to touch upon a burning issue: the problem of collecting keyword data. The most relevant searches are usually from the last 12 months. So to know keyword search volumes and page rankings, you need a lot of information.

When the data is collected, you need a tool to adjust your keyword phrasing without extra fees, generate relevant suggestions, and organize everything conveniently. All this can also be achieved with the Google Keywords API at SERPMaster.com.

No long hours collecting keyword data—a web scraper will visit Google and search for relevant information on your behalf. This will equip you with relevant data, and you can move on to the next step, analysis.

4. Analysis and action plan

Now it is time to transform the raw data into guidelines for your SEO strategy. Pinpoint seasonalities and variations in location. Categorize the data according to the patterns and your priorities. Don’t forget to include existing keywords so they will perform as well.

Lastly, map all the keywords to specific pages on your website and create an action plan. Many websites have one main page where most keywords are directed—the landing page, and it connects your best keywords to your most convincing promotional material. It would be an excellent idea to consider this first.

5. Conclusion

It is safe to say that keyword research is one of the most fundamental pillars of your online marketing. Sure, other factors might come into play, and changes will need to be made over time. But whatever your online marketing strategy is, keyword research cannot be forgotten.