Keyword Research: In Search of Online Success

 Understanding Search Terms 

Search Terms or keywords are phrases or even single words that visitors use to discover relevant sites or information on the Internet. Some of the searches are carried out using long phrases hence this should never be neglected. When a user enters a browser's search box he or she types a word or a phrase according to intent to find relevant information presented by a blog, website, knowledge panel, and more. 

The SERP or search engine result pages that open up in our browsers are now inundated with diverse sources of information, and not only the 10 site links as in the past. Hence when we are doing keyword research we must consider all sources of information to discover words and phrases to focus on in our sites, blogs, and optimization campaigns.

Making a Keyword List

Marked keywords are well documented and stored in a list in the excel sheet after a careful analysis. In the case of a website, the terms should be listed according to the landing pages so that proper distribution takes place during the creation of content, title, and meta. This distributed list also becomes handy when creating anchors during off-page optimization. Hence acquisition is a vital exercise and should be subject to regular management and updates. 

The research begins at the whiteboard stage when the concept or the topic becomes clear. Initial searches are based upon the seed keywords that define the topic core.  From here on expansion of the list should take place on regular basis.

Though an SEO collects lots of meaningful terms using the tools and competitor analysis, the acquisition is a time-bound exercise. Since the search term profiles are always changing depending on the trend and the addition of in-depth information layers on sites and blogs etc. 

Term Discover - A Common  Sense Approach

Using the seed keyword and understanding of the topic, the first instance of discovery is using common sense.

What users are going to type for a particular intent? 

This comes naturally as begin to figure out the terms in relation to the topic and the intent. A substantial number of terms can be collected to add to the list. But wait, to collect in this manner needs refinement by collating with acquisition done using the other means.

Using Keyword Discover Tools 

All SEO service providers are familiar with discovery tools and use them often for the acquisition and refinement of their list and priorities. Unfortunately, most of the tools are paid, and some are prohibitively expensive for SEO entrants and professionals alike.  

So what do you do? 

Well, almost all the tools offer insights and a list of terms on a limited basis for free. You can use a number of tools to add meaningful words and phrases to your list and at the same time get familiar with them.

Some tools offer analysis of terms based on monthly or annual searches and this insight is vital for prioritizing words and phrases based on popularity. But remember in spite of the search volume you should focus on terms most suited for your content. Hence narrow down to optimize the list based on the contents in the body not solely on the search volume. If you shape your content to focus on highly searched high volume primary keywords the intent may change misleading the visitors.

Is this what your site or blog is meant to deliver? 

Question yourself to clarify.   

Thus in order to choose keywords, go back to the whiteboard stage and realign with the offerings. For keyword research an SEO professional should be well aligned with the topic and the intent, there is no room for confusion. 

Some of the popular discovery tools are:

• Google Keyword Planner
• Ahref
• Semrush
• Niel Patel
• KWFinder
• Growth Bar
• Keyword Tool
• Majestic 

The output of all popular tools is nearly the same, hence, when going in for a paid subscription remember to check all site audit features that come along with the package.

Google Trends Website

This trend analysis website offers search figures across various regions. The website offers a graphic representation of the comparison of various terms and also the search volume. Google now updates this vital source for keyword optimization on regular basis. Refining terms are vital, and if you collate analysis using various sources you will be better informed. 

Remember a winning SEO Campaign depends much on how skillfully various relevant terms are used on the page and off the page. Not only the contemporary trends and insights, but Google Trends is also vital for understanding customer behavior pertaining to various subjects and topics. This will help shape the customer journey to align with your goal conversions. This tool also helps discover the market size and provides relevant economic indicators for example as an additional source of information. There are many subsets as search for websites available for the users.

Competitor Analysis & Search Encounters 

Keyword Acquisition is not an overnight exercise. Webmasters should be vigilant of the terms present anywhere that describe their content niche or special offerings better and at the same time reduces competition from competitors according to stiff competition on the SERPs. These encounters happen over a period of time when you are searching for diverse platforms for link building or seeking more information about the topic for content creation. 

Competitor study offers many insight fruits as you move over the websites, off-page contents, articles, blogs, and reviews. When you are conducting a competitive analysis you also look over all the SEO audit elements including the search terms.  Discover terms during these encounters and insights are time bound but add to your kitty and understanding of the subject matter in depth.  

Thus, search engine optimizers should take all relevant matters on the Net seriously, and you should care to go over them with attention. 

Semantics & Keyword Percentage

Semantics are words and phrases that are different from the main keywords but yet deliver relevant message/information to search engines for indexing and ranking and also to increase readability. The relationship between semantic words and phrases helps tremendously in explaining to search engines what the content is all about.    

For any content not to be called spam the keyword percentage should not be more than 5 %. This is vital to be in the good books of the search engine filters and robots. All the exercises above will help you in writing better both for the search engines as well as the visitors to your content.  

Read More on Keyword Research

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Uday provides a search engine optimization service for digital marketing. He provides website content and content for authoritative links. He also works as SEO Content Writer for digital companies on a remote WFH basis.

He also teaches digital marketing in his home town Jabalpur. He can be contacted at: 

pateluday90@hotmail.com

09755089323