Upload
inklyocom
View
277
Download
3
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
KEYWORDWhy RESEARCHIsn’t as Hard as You Think:A Handy
Guide toKEYWORDRESEARCH4-step
Research: You dreaded it in high school, you learned
to loathe it during college or university, and you
swore an oath to avoid it as much as possible after
graduation. Now you've started your own business,
and you're working on optimizing your website for
search engines. You can't help but notice that the
word "research" keeps creeping up everywhere. It's
not just any research—it's keyword research, and you
have no idea how to do it. You don't want to know
how to do it. You swore off formal research long ago,
and you're determined to stick to your convictions.
Introduction
Well, my stubborn friend, it's time to start
breaking some oaths, because keyword
research is an inevitable necessity of search
engine optimization (SEO). Here is a simple
guide to teach you how to do keyword
research. I promise to make it seem as little
like research as possible, though I do have to
point out that your reading this article is
actually research. (Sorry to burst your
"keeping-my-oath-no-matter-what" bubble.)
Introduction
Step #1:
USE COMMON SENSE
You've used a search engine before, right? Unless
you've been living in a cave for the last two decades (in
which case I applaud your business aspirations), there's
no way you aren't extremely familiar with search
engines like Google. Because you already have lots of
experience as a searcher, the initial stage of keyword
research is easy. All you have to do is think about what
you would search for if you were looking for content like
the content you're trying to optimize. So, first you need
to pick the page(s) you're optimizing.
Step #1: Use Common Sense
Step #1: Use Common Sense
Let's start with an obvious one—your
home page. If your company sells
energy-efficient lightbulbs, your home
page is basically going to say, "We sell
this specific type of lightbulb because it's
better than other lightbulbs." So what
would a searcher type in if they were
looking for a company like yours that
they didn't yet know existed? Make a list
of possible search terms.
Step #1: Use Common Sense
You can also conduct keyword research before you
write a blog post. Think broadly about the topic you're
hoping to write about. Again, make a list of possible
words and phrases people could type to get them to a
blog post about that topic. If you complete your
keyword research before writing something, you can
integrate those keywords more organically into your
prose, which will help you avoid keyword stuffing
(which is including keywords too frequently, making
your writing sound awkward and unnatural).
Step #2:
START YOUR RESEARCH
Step #2: Start Your Research
Now that you have a general list of keywords
to investigate further, you're going to need to
use a keyword tool. The most common tool
for keyword research is the
Google AdWords Keyword Planner. Plug the
list of potential keywords and phrases you
came up with in the first step into the
Keyword Planner.
Step #2: Start Your ResearchThe first thing you need to look at is the average monthly search volume for each
keyword or phrase you've searched. Discard low-volume keywords. You might
also need to get rid of keywords with extremely high search volumes, especially
if these words are not directly related to your page.
For example, the keyword "lightbulb" will have a much higher search volume than
"energy efficient lightbulbs," but the latter will be more likely to attract the right kind of
visitors to your site: visitors who are more likely to convert to leads and then to
customers. Finally, check the level of competition for each search term; the higher the
competition level, the less likely you are to rank high for that keyword.
Step #3:
CHECK OUTYOURCOMPETITION
Step #3: Check Out Your CompetitionOkay, so you've narrowed your first list down
according to search volume. You should have a
considerably shorter list to work with now. The next
step is to see what your competition is up to. This part
is simple. Just search for each potential keyword, and
see what results you get. If the results page is
dominated by major brands or giant companies, don't
use that keyword. You're not going to beat gigantic
brands for the top spot, and if your site never makes it
into at least the top 10 of the search page results, no
one is going to click on you. You'll have better results if
you use a less popular keyword but make it into the
top results for that keyword.
Step #3: Check Out Your CompetitionThe other thing you need to do in this stage is to ensure
that your keyword or phrase means what you think it
means. If your search term tends to get results about
something completely unrelated to what your company
is selling, you need a new keyword.
If you complete the third step and find that none of your
original keyword ideas work, never fear! Go back to the
second step, and look at the keywords suggested by
Keyword Planner. Then proceed to the third step again.
Step #4:
THE FINAL STEP
The Final Step
Congratulations! You've learned how to do keyword
research. The next step is integrating those keywords
into your copy for maximum SEO benefits. Check out
this article to learn where you can place those well-
researched keywords you've decided to use.
Want to learn more about SEO and content marketing?
Check out these awesome resources from Inklyo.com,
or follow us on Facebook or Twitter!