When it comes to on-page SEO, keyword research is one of the most crucial elements to get right.
If you’re new to search engine optimization (SEO), you’re probably wondering what keywords are.
What Are Keywords
Keywords are the words or phrases that people type into a search engine when they’re looking for something online.
For example, if someone wants to find information about cats, they might type “cat facts” into a search engine.
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If you have a website, keywords are the words or phrases that you’d use in your website’s content to help people find your site when they’re searching for something.
By using relevant and popular keywords in your content, you can improve your website’s chances of appearing at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs) when people search for those keywords.
This can help bring more people to your site and make it easier for people to find the information they’re looking for.
To find out what people are searching for, you’d have to do keyword research.
What Is Keyword Research
Keyword research involves finding the most relevant and high search volume keywords related to your website and its content.
Then strategically incorporating those keywords into your website’s pages and content.
By using relevant keywords in a strategic way, you can improve your website’s relevance, visibility, and rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs), and attract more traffic to their website.
The Importance of Targeted Keywords in On-Page SEO
Here are a few key reasons why keyword research is important for on-page SEO:
1. Helps You Understand Your Audience
By conducting keyword research, you can gain insights into the types of phrases and terms that people are using to search for the products, services, or information you offer.
This can also give you a better understanding of your audience, including what they’re interested in, what they’re struggling with, and what they want to know more about.
By understanding your audience’s needs and preferences, you can create content on your website that is more relevant and useful to them.
For example, if you have a website about cats and you discover that many people are searching for “cat grooming tips,” you can create content that specifically addresses this topic to better serve your audience’s needs.
2. Improves Relevance and Context
Incorporating targeted keywords into your content can help search engines better understand what your site is about and what topics it covers.
This can improve your website’s relevance and context, which in turn can lead to better rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs).
3. Boosts Traffic and Conversions
By targeting keywords with high search volumes, you can potentially drive more traffic to your website.
And by incorporating those keywords in a strategic way (such as in title tags, meta descriptions, and content), you can improve click-through rates and boost conversions.
On-Page SEO Keywords Research tips
Here are some tips to help you find the right keywords to maximize your traffic and make money online.
1. Brainstorm Potential Keywords
Start by brainstorming a list of potential keywords related to your site’s content.
Think about the types of topics your website covers, as well as the types of questions and pain points your audience may have.
You can also use tools such as Google autocomplete, which suggests related searches as you type in a query, to generate ideas.
‘Google suggests’ and ‘people also ask’ can help you find great keyword ideas.
2. Define Your Purpose
Before starting keyword research, it’s important to understand why you are doing it.
Is your goal to improve your website’s performance, find gaps in the market, or create a new page?
By knowing what you want to achieve, you can focus on finding the most relevant and useful keywords, instead of wasting time on irrelevant ones.
This way, you can get the information you need quickly and easily, and move forward with confidence.
3. Funnel Stage Targeting
Understanding the sales funnel is crucial for keyword research and content optimization.
The sales funnel has three stages:
- awareness,
- consideration, and
- decision.
To optimize content for each stage, you need to identify the keywords searchers use at each stage.
Informational content is necessary for the awareness stage.
While the consideration stage requires more information on product or service options.
The decision stage requires showcasing why the prospect should choose your business over your competitors.
It is also important to research the searcher’s intent for each stage of the funnel.
You can use Google’s tools to figure out which channels are emphasized at different points.
4. Use Keyword Research Tool
There are plenty of keyword research tools available that can help you identify great keywords related to your content.
Some popular options include Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, Moz Keyword Tool, Semrush, and Ahrefs.
These tools can provide you with data on search volume, competition, and other metrics that can help you narrow down your keyword list.
5. Focus on Long-Tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific phrases that typically have lower search volumes but are often less competitive than broader keywords.
Targeting long-tail keywords can be a smart strategy for smaller or newer websites that are looking to establish themselves in a niche.
Plus, long-tail keywords can often be more relevant to your audience’s specific needs and questions.
6. Analyze Your Competitors
Take a look at the websites of your competitors or other industry leaders to see what keywords they’re targeting.
This can give you ideas for new keywords to add to your list, as well as help you identify keywords that are oversaturated and therefore not worth targeting.
7. Don’t Keyword Stuff
While it’s necessary to incorporate your targeted keywords into your website’s content, it’s equally important to do so in a natural and strategic way.
Avoid “keyword stuffing,” or overusing your targeted keywords to the point that it sounds unnatural or spammy.
Instead, aim to include your keywords in a way that adds value to your content and helps it rank higher in SERPs.
8. Examine Different Metrics
To select the right keywords, you need to examine different metrics, including search volume (SV), keyword difficulty (KD), and organic click-through rate (CTR).
Search volume refers to how many people search for a particular keyword each month, and it’s important to research what is considered high or low for your industry.
Keyword difficulty measures how hard it is to rank for a keyword.
It’s better to target lower-difficulty keywords if your website is new or has low domain authority.
Organic CTR shows how likely a searcher is to click on a search result for a keyword.
It’s best to target keywords with high organic CTR to increase the chances of success.
wrapping up
There are many different tools and tips that you can use to find high search volume, low competition keywords that will drive traffic to your website.
By using them, you can find the best keywords for your website, then naturally incorporate them into your content.
Doing this can make it easier for people to find your site and learn about what you have to offer when they search online.
Once you’ve implemented the tips above, monitor your progress on SERPs and update your keyword research strategy as needed.
