Why Keyword Research?
Okay… the benefits of doing keyword research for your content cannot be ignored. There are so many reasons all digital businesses should embrace doing keyword research for their content marketing.
Imagine the greatest sales pitch of your life is about to happen in five minutes.
The five minutes is all the time you have to get your act together.
You find yourself in a football stadium surrounded by the PERFECT audience for whatever it is you are selling, but you only have 10 seconds to impress these people.
Now, these people have the choice to stick around and hear the rest of your pitch after the first 10 seconds, but if they don’t like it, they can get up and leave as well.
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Five minutes, intense pressure, perfect audience.
What will you say?
Every single content producer, blogger and digital marketer knows about the problem I’m talking about because they face it every day. At any time, visitors pop into their websites and they have to impress them for those first 10 seconds unless they are gone.
Check out our digital marketing course page if you are looking to start doing proper keyword research for your business content marketing.
It’s a dilemma they face, trying to figure out the best content that their visitors will engage with.
Unless the content is well crafted to soothe the desires and wants of your audience, your SEO targets will be undercut and not perform up to the required standards.
That’s why content preparation and keyword planning and analysis go hand in hand towards building valuable content that appeals to the needs of your target audience.
In this article, you will find understand why keyword research is valuable for any business looking to drive the right customers.
So, let’s get underway.
What is Keyword Research?
Keyword research is a fundamental practice in search engine optimization (SEO) that involves identifying and analyzing the words and phrases users enter into search engines. This process helps marketers understand what their target audience is searching for, allowing them to create content that aligns with user intent and improves search engine rankings.
Types of Keywords
Keywords can be categorized into two main types based on their length:
- Short-Tail Keywords: These are general search terms consisting of one or two words, such as “shoes.” They typically have high search volume but lower conversion rates due to their broad nature.
- Long-Tail Keywords: These are more specific phrases, usually containing three or more words, like “buy breathable running shoes.” They generally have lower search volume but higher conversion rates, making them valuable for targeting niche audiences.
Why Keyword Research is Important for Nigerian Businesses?
Creating effective content
Search engine tools are incredible ways to build content around what people want. Tools such as Google Trends, Google Predictive Search, Google Keyword Planner and KeywordTool.io can be used to decipher what people really want and search patterns can be discovered at the end of the day.
It all comes down to knowing what people want, and we don’t guess at this, but only by proper keyword research can we know what people are looking for.
Priority is key here; having a higher rank of keywords will allow you to focus your digital marketing efforts and create content to rank solely on what people are searching for.
Answer your customer’s deepest questions
There’s nothing more beautiful than when your website provides the answer to the queries of your customers, simply because you are providing value at first sight.
Keyword analysis helps you look into the proverbial future to have a grasp of your prospective visitors and what they are currently searching for so that when they come to your website at a later date, you would have already prepared the content ahead of time for now.
Imagine I’m running a fitness and diet website. So I head over to google keyword planner and I then realize that most of my potential clients are searching for keywords related to fitness, nutrition, diet, diabetes and more. (Click here to learn how to use Google Keyword Planner)
I then decide to start creating some really hot topics and content around nutrition, dieting, fitness and more, until I have so much content that anyone who gets to the site interested in that kind of content will have a mouthful.
How do you think people interested in your kind of articles will feel about your brand. You will come across as an expert, a great contributor and a place to go for answers to questions about fitness and diet.
How hard do you think it will be getting clients from people who see you as experts a lot easier than when people consider you the average joe.
Communicating more effectively
Keyword analysis, when done properly, will let you have various major segments or categories of topics you can write on. That’s the beauty, once you’re focused on creating contents around this specific niches, you can really dig in to answer those deep questions people are facing within your niche.
With keyword research, you can construct content that perfectly targets your message while appealing to visitors who use specific search terms to find you. Each piece of content can be individually designed to speak to a specific, clearly defined segment of your overall market.
You can also plan your content ahead of time, it’s simpler to segment your content when using keyword analysis, build a proper content calendar, if you build it properly you will ensure that your content reaches people at the right time when they are starting to search for it.
Improving your creativity with data
When you have the data to back up your theories about the content production you are a bit surer and a lot more creative when creating content.
As a business and a brand, every step taken in your organization’s effort and activity should be taken to achieve organizational objectives.
And one of those objectives will include profitability and sustainability when you create content with data; you are securing your business’s future by basing your content marketing on solid search data and knowledge.
Positive effect on your bottom line
You must have noticed the effect keyword research has on content marketing and SEO. Anyone who ignores this aspect of content creation will inadvertently be hurting their ability to maximize revenue.
Communicating with your readers and audience will be a lot easier with the right strategy. When you know your reader’s most pressing questions and thoughts, it’s a lot easier to create content around all of this.
When you do this, engagement shoots up, people are more excited about your content and they don’t only like it, but they love it. They’ll continue to share it and keep coming back for more.
Target the Right Traffic
If a marketer optimizes their strategy for keywords that haven’t been researched or vetted, they may very well get traffic to their site, but it might not result in very many leads; in fact, it may lead to a high bounce rate.
For instance, if you are a plumbing company, if you don’t optimize using the right keywords (keywords such as best carpenter in Nigeria, where to hire a carpenter etc), you might attract consumers from outside your service area, or people looking for services you don’t provide.
Though keyword research might seem tedious at first, it is a vital step for marketers trying to implement an intelligent strategy that uses content with the power to drive and convert the right traffic.
READ: How To Use Google Keyword Planner | The Definitive Guide For SEO Keyword Research
How to Conduct Keyword Research
Brainstorm Seed Keywords
Start your keyword research journey by brainstorming a list of seed keywords. These are the initial terms and phrases that are closely related to your business, products, or services. Think about the words and phrases your target audience might use when searching for what you offer. Consider the problems your products solve or the benefits they provide. Don’t worry about search volume or competition at this stage – simply write down all the relevant keywords that come to mind. This list will serve as a foundation for further research and help you uncover additional keyword opportunities.
Use Keyword Research Tools
Once you have your seed keywords, it’s time to leverage keyword research tools to expand your list. Tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and Ahrefs can provide valuable insights into search volume, competition, and related keywords. These tools help you discover new opportunities and refine your keyword strategy. When you utilize these resources, you can make informed decisions that will enhance your content and drive more traffic to your website.
Analyze Competitors
Studying your competitors’ keyword strategies can provide valuable insights and help you identify untapped opportunities. Look at the keywords your competitors are targeting and assess their rankings. This will give you a better understanding of the competitive landscape and help you identify areas where you can differentiate your content.
Consider User Intent
Understanding user intent is crucial when conducting keyword research. Ask yourself what the user is looking for when they type in a particular keyword. Are they seeking information, looking to make a purchase, or trying to find a specific website? By aligning your keywords with the intent behind the search, you can create content that truly meets the needs of your audience, leading to higher engagement and better results.
Organize Keywords
Once you have a list of potential keywords, it’s important to organize them effectively. Group keywords into categories based on themes or topics, which will help you plan your content strategy. You might create clusters for different aspects of your business or audience needs. This organization not only makes it easier to create targeted content but also ensures that you cover all relevant areas, ultimately enhancing your SEO efforts.
7 Tips for Choosing the Right Keywords
Understand Search Intent
When selecting keywords, consider the intent behind the search. Is the user looking for information (informational intent), trying to make a purchase (transactional intent), or searching for a specific website (navigational intent)? Match your content to the search intent to improve relevance and rankings.
Prioritize Relevance Over Search Volume
While high search volume is appealing, relevance is more important. Choosing keywords that are closely aligned with your products, services, and target audience will attract more qualified traffic, even if the search volume is lower.
Mix Short-Tail and Long-Tail Keywords
Include a mix of broad, high-volume keywords (short-tail) and specific, lower-volume keywords (long-tail). Short-tail keywords are more competitive but can drive significant traffic. Long-tail keywords are less competitive and often indicate stronger buyer intent.
Analyze the Competition
Research the top-ranking pages for your target keywords. Assess the quality and relevance of the content. If you can create something even better, you have a good chance of outranking the competition.
Use Keyword Research Tools
Leverage tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and Ahrefs to generate keyword ideas, analyze search volume and competition, and uncover related keywords. These tools provide valuable data to inform your keyword selection.
Optimize for Featured Snippets
Featured snippets are the short answers that appear at the top of search results. Optimize your content to rank for featured snippets by using question-based keywords and structuring your content to provide clear, concise answers.
Monitor and Adjust
Regularly review your keyword performance using tools like Google Search Console. Identify keywords that are driving traffic and conversions, as well as those that are underperforming. Adjust your strategy accordingly, adding new keywords and optimizing existing content.
Conclusion
Keyword research has changed, but the goal of creating quality content remains the same.
When brands and website owners commit to understanding their audience, keeping the word flow as natural as possible, and staying relevant, the results will be a solid offering that meets the reader right where they are.
Check out our digital marketing course page if you are looking to start doing proper keyword research for your business content marketing.
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