Keyword research and implementation are vital to ranking higher on Google, increasing website traffic, and growing your online presence. Keyword research is the heart of search engine optimization (SEO), which can take content from being unseen to being viewed by hundreds—or even thousands—to millions!
Keyword research for small business owners is a simple and efficient process. In this article, we will first explain what keyword research is and why keyword research is so important.
We will then discuss some keyword research basics to help you understand what goes into finding good keywords. Once we have laid our foundation, I will give you a 6-step process to conduct keyword research and ultimately help you leverage your online business. Let’s dive in.
What is Keyword Research?
Keyword research is an SEO practice that involves discovering and creating a targeted database of new words, phrases, and queries consumers may search for.
It involves examining keywords' search volume, relevancy, and user intent to understand better how they may benefit your overall keyword strategy.
With keyword research, you’ll be able to integrate short and long-tail keywords naturally into your content so that it helps your website appear in more niche searches tailored to your desired clientele.
Why is Keyword Research Important to SEO?
Keyword research is the foundational building block for your content appearing in organic search results, such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo Search. But why is this so important? Let’s examine.
Targeted traffic to your site: Keyword research and implementation allow you to cater more directly to your targeted audience by understanding what they are searching for. As you build a keyword databank and integrate the keywords into your content, search engines will better understand what your website is about and who to direct it towards over time.
Less competitive as you niche down: As you focus on more long-tail keywords that are highly targeted, there will naturally be less competition in the search results, which means it’s easier to rank for those keywords in search engines and bring in traffic to your site.
Does not require direct dollars (less expensive than digital marketing!): While I am a huge advocate for paid search marketing (PPC) as it can bring targeted results very quickly, it needs to be fed to operate constantly – this can become quite costly. Through keyword research & implementation, the time you invest goes directly into an organic strategy that will have lasting effects for years to come (especially when you focus on evergreen content).
Greater digital authority locally: When searching for a service or product, results can differ based on where you are searching. As you develop and apply your keyword list to your content, your site can also rank higher locally, gaining digital local authority. This can be of great benefit as you grow your community long-term.
Learning and conducting keyword research as a small business owner is a crucial first step in your SEO strategy. Now that we’ve established why keyword research is important let’s dive deeper into breaking down some essential elements of building a keyword list.
Understanding Keyword Research Basics
Conducting keyword research starts with understanding the basic terminology and principles behind developing a good keyword list through quality research. Keyword research will allow you to apply it to your keyword strategy, implement it throughout your content, and increase traffic to your website.
Keywords vs. Topics
Topics are keywords that are the umbrella for what you are discussing. They are the overarching idea of what you are trying to market. When you write well about any topic, you naturally will cover keywords under that topic, helping you rank better on search engines over the long term.
Finding keywords that support your topic will give you an edge over your competitors. It will allow you to fully embrace the idea and discuss the topic more in-depth with precise keywords that target your audience.
Monthly Search Volume (MSV)
Monthly search volume (MSV) is a metric that helps you understand the keyword value. MSV will show whether a keyword has a high or low search volume, which helps determine whether anyone is searching for a particular keyword. However high or low the volume may be, it should not be used in isolation, as multiple factors could influence the results.
For example, high-volume keywords indicate there is a substantial amount of search traffic. While this may be great for brand awareness, it’s not for driving targeted leads or increasing conversion. They can also be highly competitive and challenging to rank for.
On the contrary, low-volume keywords have less competition, making them easier to rank for. They also tend to be more targeted, which makes them better for driving up higher conversion rates.
Considering these two aspects is helpful to understand where and how to integrate them into your overall content strategy.
User Intent + Search Query
User intent and search queries go hand in hand as they identify what your audience is looking for and how far away they are from taking action.
User intent depicts what the user would like to get out of the search query. Based on user intent, you can better tailor your content to serve your audience at each stage of the funnel.
The intent of the search query could be divided into four main categories. These categories also represent stages within the marketing funnel.
- Informational: The user casually gathers and browses for information at this stage.
- Navigational: The user is seeking a specific brand or site to solve their problem.
- Commercial: The user is beginning to investigate and compare brands.
- Transactional: The user has made the decision and is ready to purchase an item or take action, such as booking a service.
As you understand user intent and what goes into a search query, you can create relevant content, pages, and offers to capture your audience's attention.
Relevancy
Relevancy plays an integral role in what search engines display to the users. Researching the search results for each keyword on your list can help you recognize the user's intent and adjust keywords and content structure to cater to those searches.
Keyword relevance and user intent are similar in that they describe what the user desires most, which ultimately translates to having a more wholesome picture of your audience.
Short vs. Long-Tail Keywords
Short-tail keywords comprise one to two words that describe your product or service from a more general sense. They have a high search volume, are highly competitive, and are challenging to rank for.
I like to think of shot-tail keywords as topical. They are good at giving you the overall idea of what you are searching for, but they don’t pinpoint the details.
Long-tail keywords, known as ‘keyword phrases, ' consist of multiple words or abbreviated sentences. They generally have a lower search volume, are less competitive, and are easier to rank for.
Incorporating long-tail keywords into your content will improve your chances of being found by your targeted audience. Let’s take a look at an example:
6 Steps to Conduct Keyword Research
Now that we have identified keyword research fundamentals, it’s time to master it with six easy, actionable steps. We’ll start from the top, and by the end, you will have a process to conduct keyword research as a small business owner confidently.
1. Create a Keyword Database
Before you begin, you’ll want to create a keyword database so that you can record all of your keywords and their metrics as you research. This will allow you to easily adjust the database over time as you get to know your audience better and analyze what is working or needs to be adjusted.
I’ve made this first step super easy for you by creating a free keyword template to download. It includes all the details to help guide your keyword research. Download your copy here.
2. Brainstorm Primary Keywords
As you brainstorm your primary keywords, you’ll want to consider the main topics surrounding the product or service you plan on marketing. From there, you can identify what long-tail keywords may be used to search for the topics. Some key questions to think about as you are brainstorming are:
- What are the topics surrounding the product or service?
- What location are you targeting?
- What is the primary intent of your audience? What problem are you solving?
- How would you search for your product or service?
- What are the complimentary topics or variations of yours?
3. Conduct a Competitor Analysis
Conducting a competitor analysis can provide you with an abundant source of valuable information for your keyword database. One way to identify your competitors' keywords is to do a keyword gap analysis. This allows you to spot high-value keywords your competition may be using that you still need to integrate into your strategy.
Start by listing your top 5 main competitors and observing the content they share or promote. You should get a good idea of what keywords they are targeting just from that. But if you want a more in-depth approach, I recommend utilizing a keyword research tool, which we’ll discuss next.
4. Utilize Keyword Research Tools
Discovering new keywords is best mastered with keyword research tools, which help you find opportunities for additional keyword phrases you may have yet to consider. Below are a few examples of some free and paid tools.
Google Keyword Planner (Free Tool):
The Google Keyword Planner is one of the longest-standing free keyword research tools. It is geared more towards Google Ads, but it’s a great place to start to see some top-level keywords. You’ll need to sign up for a Google Ads account to use this tool. Don’t worry about setting up a campaign; just head over to the keyword planner.
Google Autocomplete (formerly suggestions) (Free Tool):
Google autocomplete refers to the suggestions Google makes when a user searches for an item. These predictions are a combination of both common searches and current trends. It’s an easy way to see what other relevant items your audience may be searching for.
Google Trends (Free Tool):
Google Trends is a databank based on current search queries that allows you to see trending topics and subtopics relevant to your niche. You can identify which keyword terms within your niche are growing, which can help you determine whether to invest more resources or scale back.
AnswerThePublic (Free Tool):
AnswerThePublic has been one of my favorites since college. It provides you with the MSV and CPC (cost per click) as well as a host of other suggestions and related keywords to your topic. It’s also nice that it allows you to view the information through a wheel, table, or list based on your preferences.
SEMRush (Paid Tool):
SEMRush is, dare I say, the most superior keyword research and SEO tool available. It is on the pricey side, but it’s worth the investment as you will gain access to a rich keyword research database that delivers metrics like volume, intent, keyword difficulty score, and average CPC. Beyond keyword research, you have an advanced software tool for competitive research, content marketing, SEO Analysis, and more.
5. Analyze Keywords
Once you’ve collected all the keywords and keyword phrases you think would be good to use, you can begin to highlight or create an additional list with the primary keywords that would be best to target. Below are some key points to remember and consider:
Keyword Definitions to Remember
- Search Volume - The number of searches per month.
- Keyword Difficulty - How difficult it is to rank for a given keyword.
- Search Intent - The user's intent of a search query (informational, navigational, commercial, or transactional).
- CPC - The cost-per-click a keyword would be if using digital ads.
Keyword Analysis Points to Consider
- High search volume and high keyword difficulty could produce negative results.
- High search volume and low keyword difficulty could produce favorable results.
- If you invest in digital ads, a lower CPC could mean your budget goes further with fewer dollars and result in a higher conversion rate.
6. Integrate Keywords into your Content
Finally, it’s time to start integrating your keywords and phrases into your content. Choose 10-15 terms to add throughout your website, email campaigns, and social media.
Check back lightly every month to see how your keywords are performing. Otherwise, a good benchmark for a keyword analysis is about every quarter. From there, you can have a more extensive idea of what is working and what could be adjusted within your keyword strategy.
You’re now a Keyword Research Master
Congratulations! You now know how to conduct keyword research. This is a crucial step in the right direction to increase traffic to your website, build stronger relationships within your community, and ultimately grow your online home.
The Six Steps to Conducting Research:
- Create a Keyword Database
- Brainstorm Initial Keywords
- Conduct a Competitor Analysis
- Utilize Keyword Research Tools (Keyword Discovery)
- Analyze Keywords
- Implement Keywords into your Content
