You think your website is the best, right? So, of course, you want search engines to think that too. The harsh truth is, however, that your website won’t show up in the search results where you’d like it to if you don’t use SEO’s best practices. One of those best practices is discovering the best keywords to use, a.k.a. keyword research, which is essential to SEO copywriting. So, how do you perform keyword research? Try these proven tactics to find the best keywords for your website to rank higher in SEO.
Identify your Niche
Is your business a popular or unique golf course targeted towards teaching kids to golf? Use that! Take advantage of the niche with keywords like “kids golf,” “junior golf,” or “swing tips.” Do you provide expert nail design and manicure services? Your mission statement alone can make a string of keywords, such as “nail design,” “manicures,” and “expert manicures.” Consider who you are as a business, what service(s) you provide, and who/where your target audience is to identify niche keywords. This tactic requires a narrow niche to create a list of effective keywords. Industry articles within your niche are an invaluable source that can assist with this method as well. Look at what related businesses are doing to narrow down your own niche keywords.
Consider Relevant Topics
Keywords can be created from relevant topics related to search intent. Think of what people would be searching for that relates to your business. For example, if you run a social media marketing business, then you might make a list of relevant topics like: social media, digital marketing, how to find a social media manager, how to find a social media marketing agency, what is social media, etc. Each of these items on your list could be selected for keywords!
Do Your Research
It’s important during keyword research to consider and identify search volume or trends during certain times of the day, month, or year. Seasonality, hours when most users might not be as active online in your region, or hours they are very active in your region, all affect keyword research. Think about the times of the year people would be searching for certain sports equipment, or the times of the day people would be searching for products or services in your city (maybe not during rush hour traffic). You’ll want to understand all of these elements during your inquiry.
Listening to others is also a great form of research. Talk to your employees, especially sales and customer service, for trending phrases related to your business. Your customers, as well, are a great resource for this. Surveys are an excellent way to identify what they’re searching for online that you can utilize.
Gather Comparison Material
What keywords are you competing for? How do you stack up to your top competitors for real estate in the search results? These are the questions you should start with to prompt your keyword research. Search volume will also come into play here. The higher the volume of users searching for a keyword, the fiercer the competition. Beat out the competition by analyzing your top keyword targets and how you can use them to outrank the competition.
Your past performance can also be considered comparison material to help put together keywords. Look at your current site traffic and analytics to evaluate the customer journey. What are online users interested in? Your back-end analytics can help answer that. That knowledge can develop use keywords.
Effective, and well-practiced, keyword research is important if you want to generate more organic searches online. Keywords attract users, so using the right keywords will attract the most attention to your site. The more traffic on your site means more leads!
Are you interested in learning more about SEO and how it could be used to improve your business website? Contact Anvil today!