What is Keyword Research?

Keyword research can significantly increase your website's traffic and visibility. By uncovering the search terms that your target audience uses, you can optimize your content, improve your search engine rankings, attract qualified leads, and drive conversions. Let's dive into the exciting world of keyword research and find the perfect keywords to skyrocket your website's success!

Different Terms in Keyword Research

1. Keyword:

A word or phrase users enter into a search engine to find relevant content.

Example: "best pizza near me"

2. Short-tail Keywords: 

Broad and commonly searched keyword phrases with high search volume and high competition.

Example: "Pizza" is a short-tail keyword with high search volume and competition.

3. Long-tail Keywords: 

Highly specific and often longer keyword phrases that target a niche audience and have lower search volume but higher conversion rates.

Example: "gluten-free pizza delivery in downtown Los Angeles."

4. Seed Keyword: 

A general term used as a starting point for keyword research, which can then be expanded upon with more specific and relevant keywords.

Example: "Pizza" might be a seed keyword that leads to further research on related keywords such as "pizza delivery" or "pizza toppings."

5. Keyword Difficulty: 

Keyword difficulty is an active metric researcher use to determine how hard it is to rank for a specific keyword.

Example: "best pizza near me" might have a high keyword difficulty due to high competition.

6. Search Volume:

The number of searches for a specific keyword or phrase in a given period.

Example: "Pizza delivery" might have a high search volume during the evening hours when people are more likely to order pizza for dinner.

7. Keyword Density: 

It is the percentage of times a keyword appears on a page relative to the total number of words on the page.

Example: A page with 500 words that includes the keyword "pizza" 5 times has a keyword density of 1%.

8. Keyword Stuffing: 

Keyword stuffing is repetitively using keywords on a page to manipulate search engine rankings.

Example: Repeating the same keyword excessively in a webpage's content, meta tags, and URLs.

9. Negative Keywords: 

Words or phrases that are deliberately excluded from a campaign to avoid showing ads for irrelevant searches.

Example: If a company only sells traditional Italian pizza, they might use "Chicago-style pizza" as a negative keyword to avoid showing ads for that type of pizza.

10. Geo-Targeted Keywords: 

Keywords that include location-specific terms are used to target users in a specific geographic location.

Example: "best pizza in Los Angeles"

11. Branded Keywords: 

Keywords that include the name of a specific brand or company.

Example: "Dominos Pizza"

12. Commercial Intent Keywords: 

Keywords that indicate the searcher is interested in making a purchase or performing a transaction.

Example: "buy pizza online"

13. Informational Keywords: 

Keywords that indicate the searcher is looking for information or answers to a question.

Example: "how to make pizza dough"

14. Transactional Keywords: 

Keywords that indicate the searcher is ready to complete a transaction or take action.

Example: "order pizza online"

15. Competitor Keywords: 

Keywords used to target a competitor's brand or product.

Example: "pizza hut deals"

16. Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) Keywords: 

Related keywords that are conceptually connected to the main keyword being targeted.

Example: "pizza recipes," "how to cook pizza," and "pizza ingredients" are LSI keywords for "pizza."

17. Keyword Clustering: 

Grouping together related keywords to create a more comprehensive and focused content strategy.

Example: Creating a group of keywords around "pizza" and its variations, such as "pepperoni pizza," "veggie pizza," and "deep-dish pizza," to target a particular audience.

18. Keyword Cannibalization: 

Multiple pages on a website compete for the same keyword resulting in lower search rankings for all pages.

Example: Two pages on a website targeting the keyword "best pizza in town" may compete with each other and negatively impact their search rankings.

19. Keyword Expansion: 

Finding new relevant keywords to add to a website or campaign to improve search visibility and traffic.

Example: Using keyword research tools to find related keywords such as "pizza toppings," "pizza delivery," and "pizza coupons" to add to a campaign.

20. Keyword Mapping: 

To optimize search engine rankings, one should assign target keywords to specific pages on their website.

Example: Assigning the target keyword "best pizza in town" to a page that focuses specifically on that topic.

21. Keyword Gap Analysis: 

Identifying keywords that competitors are ranking for but a website is not in order to improve search rankings and traffic.

Example: Using a keyword research tool to compare a website's target keywords with those of competitors to identify gaps in keyword coverage.

22. Keyword Intent: 

Understanding the intent behind a search query in order to create content that matches the searcher's needs.

Example: A searcher looking for "pizza recipes" has informational intent, while a searcher looking for "pizza delivery" has transactional intent.

23. Keyword Grouping: 

Organizing keywords into groups based on their similarities to create a targeted and effective content strategy.

Example: Grouping keywords related to "pizza" into categories such as "pizza recipes," "pizza delivery," and "pizza coupons" to create focused content for each group.

24. Keyword Tagging: 

Categorizing keywords with specific tags to make them easier to organize and analyze.

Example: Using tags such as "high-volume," "low-difficulty," or "branded" to categorize keywords in a spreadsheet or keyword research tool.

25. Keyword Optimization: 

Incorporating target keywords into website content and meta tags to improve search engine rankings.

Example: Include the target keyword "best pizza in town" in a page's title tag, meta description, and content.

26. Keyword Proximity: 

The distance between keywords within a piece of content, with closer proximity potentially improving search rankings.

Example: Include the target keyword "pizza delivery" in a page's title tag, meta description, and content in close proximity to other relevant keywords.

27. Keyword Stemming: 

Identifying and using the root form of a keyword and its variations in content to improve search rankings.

Example: Using the root form "pizza" and its variations such as "pizzas," "pizzeria," and "pizzaiolo" in content to target a wider range of search queries.

28. Keyword Synonyms: 

Related words or phrases that have similar meanings to the target keyword can be used to diversify content and improve search rankings.

Example: Using synonyms such as "pie," "za," or "tomato pie" in content to target a wider range of search queries.

29. Keyword Trends: 

Tracking changes in search volume and popularity of keywords over time in order to adjust content strategy accordingly.

Example: Using Google Trends to track changes in search volume for "pizza" over time and adjust content strategy to reflect changes in search behavior.

30. Primary Keyword: 

The main keyword targeted in a piece of content or website page is used to optimize for search engine rankings.

Example: "Pizza recipes" might be the primary keyword for a website page that offers a variety of pizza recipes.

31. Secondary Keyword: 

A related keyword is used to support the primary keyword and add additional context to the content.

Example: "Healthy pizza recipes" might be a secondary keyword for a website page that offers a variety of healthy pizza recipes.

32. Topical Keywords: 

Keywords that relate to a specific topic or theme are used to create targeted content that provides value to the audience.

Example: "Pizza toppings," "Pizza recipes," and "Pizza delivery" are topical keywords related to the theme of pizza.

33. User-Intent Keywords: 

Keywords that reflect the searcher's intent behind the search query, whether it's informational, transactional, or navigational.

Example: "How to make pizza dough" is a user-intent keyword with informational intent, while "Order pizza online" is a user-intent keyword with transactional intent.

34. SERP Features: 

Features that appear on search engine results pages (SERPs), such as featured snippets, knowledge panels, or local packs.

Example: A pizza restaurant might target local pack features on a search engine results page for the keyword "pizza delivery" to improve visibility in local search results.

35. Keyword Targeting: 

The process of optimizing content or campaigns for specific keywords to improve search engine rankings and attract relevant traffic.

Example: A pizza restaurant might use keyword targeting to optimize its website for keywords such as "pizza delivery," "pizza recipes," and "pizza toppings" to attract relevant traffic and improve search engine rankings.

How to do Keyword Research?

Here are 10 steps to research keywords for your SEO strategy:

1. Understand Your Target Audience: Start by identifying your target audience and the language they use when searching for information related to your business. Make sure to understand their needs, preferences, and the terms they use when searching.
2. Brainstorm Potential Keywords: Think of variations and synonyms for each keyword, and create a list of potential keywords that your target audience might use to find your business.
3. Use Keyword Research Tools: Use keyword research tools to identify popular keywords, search volume, competition, and related keywords. Some popular keyword research tools include Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz.
4. Analyze Competition: Once you have a list of potential keywords, analyze your competition to see what keywords they are targeting. This can give you an idea of which keywords are more competitive and which ones are easier to rank for.
5. Focus on Long-Tail Keywords: Long-tail keywords are more specific and have a lower search volume but are easier to rank for. Focus on including long-tail keywords in your strategy.
6. Analyze Keyword Difficulty: Analyze the keyword difficulty of each keyword you are considering. This will help you understand how hard it will be to rank for that keyword.
7. Check Search Volume: Check the search volume of each keyword to understand its popularity. You want to focus on keywords with a decent search volume.
8. Analyze Domain Authority: Analyze the domain authority of your competitors to understand the level of competition for each keyword. This will help you identify the keywords that are worth targeting.
9. Prioritize the Keywords: Prioritize your keywords based on their relevance, search volume, keyword difficulty, and competition, and focus on the ones that are highly searched, have low competition, and are relevant to your business.
10. Monitor and Update Your Keywords: Keyword research is an ongoing process, and you should continuously monitor and update your keywords to stay ahead of the competition and adjust to changes in search behavior.

Focus on keywords that have high search volume, low competition, and high relevance to your business. By targeting the right audience, you can drive more traffic to your website.

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Websites for Keyword Research

Free Keyword Research Tools:

1. Google Trends
2. Keyword Surfer
3. Google Search Console
4. Answer The Public
5. WordStream Free Keyword Tool
6. Wordtracker Scout
7. Keyword Shitter
8. Bulk Keyword Generator
9. Keyword Everywhere
10. Ubersuggest (free version)
11. Seed Keywords
12. QuestionDB
13. Google Correlate
14. Google Ads Keyword Planner
15. SEMScoop
16. LSIGraph
17. Serpstat Keyword Research (free version)
18. SpyFu Kombat (free version)
19. The Hoth Keyword Planner
20. Exploding Topics

Paid/Freemium Keyword Research Tools:

1. SEMScoop (paid)
2. KeywordSpy (paid)
3. SEOBook Keyword Tool (freemium)
4. CognitiveSEO (paid)
5. Keyword Tool Dominator Pro (paid)
6. Jaaxy (freemium)
7. SpyFu (paid)
8. BrightEdge (paid)
9. Majestic (freemium)
10. Long Tail Pro (paid)
11. Keyword Studio (paid)
12. Keyword Revealer (freemium)
13. Soovle Pro (paid)
14. Moz Pro Keyword Explorer (paid)
15. Ahrefs (paid)
16. UberSuggest (freemium)
17. KeywordKeg (paid)
18. KeywordEye (paid)
19. KeywordSnatcher (paid)
20. SECockpit (paid)

FAQs Related To Keyword Research

Why is Keyword Research Important?

Keyword research helps you to better understand what your target audience is searching for and enables you to optimize your content to meet their needs. It can also help improve your website's search engine ranking.

How do I Find Relevant Keywords?

You can use a variety of keyword research tools, such as Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush, to find relevant keywords. You can also use Google Autocomplete, related searches, and social media trends to identify relevant keywords.

How do I Prioritize Keywords?

You can prioritize keywords by looking at their relevance, search volume, competition, and commercial intent. Focus on keywords that are most relevant to your business and have a higher likelihood of conversion.

How many Keywords Should I Target Per Page?

It's generally recommended to target one primary keyword per page and a few related keywords to support it. Over-optimizing for too many keywords can negatively impact your website's ranking.

How often should I Update My Keyword Strategy?

Your keyword strategy should be regularly reviewed and updated to keep up with changes in your industry and target audience. Aim to review your strategy every few months.

What are some common Keyword Research Mistakes to Avoid?

Common keyword research mistakes include targeting keywords with high search volume but low relevance, not conducting competitor analysis, and not considering long-tail keywords. It's also important to avoid keyword stuffing and over-optimizing.