We are living in the digital era. Recent statistics show the number of individuals with access to the internet has significantly increased compared to the last decade, humans are keeping pace with technological advancements and it is very important for businesses to adapt to such trends.
Today, many people have digital devices and this has changed the way information is disseminated. The advancement in technology has serious implications on the way businesses market their products. Why do we say this? Think of how information used to be communicated to the target population sometimes back. The means used mainly included televisions, radio, and print media.
This strategy posed a lot of challenges. For instance, it could take a lot of time for the information to get to the target audience. Information at the wrong time, however important, is useless. Besides, it could not be guaranteed that all the target audience will receive the information. While these approaches to marketing are still used today, technology has brought effective and more reliable means.
Today, when people need to purchase products, they often look for information from search engines such as Google. For this reason, organizations must ensure they have an online presence.
Nevertheless, these search engines use different strategies to rank sites on search result pages. It is important for organizations to optimize their ranking in search results and one of the best ways to do that is using the correct keyword phrases. In this discussion, we are going to share tips on how to research keywords for your SEO strategy. We hope this help optimize your digital marketing strategy. If you need more help, seek the services of digital marketing agency such as Search Media.
SEO is an acronym for Search Engine Optimization. Its main purpose is to increase the ranking of your site in search results. As already stated, search engines like Google use different strategies to rank sites on search result pages. Generally, the first page of the search results contains the top 10 sites.
A recent study shows that improving ranking sites can take two years. It so hard to get sites that have been existing in a year or less in the top ten list. The same study shows potential clients hardly go to the subsequent pages in the search results. This explains the reason why firms invest heavily in SEO. With these basics, let us see how you can research keywords for your SEO strategy.
• Understand your audience.
This is a very important step but the most overlooked sometimes. Clients go to search engines with specific words and so understanding the people you are optimizing for is just so important.
You need compressive market research to ensure marketer penetrate the heads of the population targeted. Understanding various topics that are significant to the target audience is the initial and basic step of getting the keywords that attract them to the company’s site.
• Use a combination of head terms and long-tail phrases.
Head terms are short and very simple keywords. For instance, cooking tips is a head term. On the other hand, long-tail are keywords with at least three words. “How to cook eggs” is an example of long-tail keywords. So, what is the difference between the two? Well, head terms are often very competitive. For example, there are so many sites targeting “cooking tips” and this makes it extremely difficult to rank for such a term. In contrast, long-tail keywords are less competitive.
However, there are chances that they not be searched. Understanding your audience will help you design a good long-tail keywords. It is important that you don’t carry all your eggs in one basket. The best SEO strategy uses both long-tail phrases and head terms in keywords.
• Use keywords only where they fit.
Forcing keywords where they do not fit can compromise the quality of your content. This can result in redundant and unessential which compromise quality. You should aim at using phrases or words that fit naturally in the content. You have to remember that search engines can rank sites irrespective of the variation of the used keyword. There is no problem if you can naturally integrate the keywords within the content. However, if it sidetracks your reader, just avoid it. If it is difficult for you to integrate keywords naturally, you can still research and choose new ones.
In case you are plagued with doubts, prioritize user experience since it is one of the main things that Google considers.
• Concentrate on what consumers want.
It is essential to always remember what is more important than anything else – what the target population wants. This should always be the focus of your strategy. Due to the fact that consumers know what they want, the SEO content should always be optimized around their basic needs as well as their problems and experiences. You have to ensure that you are building a strategy based on what potential clients are searching. By so doing, you create the exact content that consumers want to go through. Your content will be ranked high on search engines. If you think consumers are not searching for your current keywords, then you have to change.
Importantly, make sure that you are creating content that meets the requirements of the target audience.
• Avoid too many keywords.
Some individuals have developed a tendency of using a lot of keywords. But the truth is there are chances of benefiting more with fewer keywords. If it is hard for you to determine what to eliminate, then quantitatively evaluate your current keywords. There are so many tools on Google that can help you in this regard. Try the following:
a) Google AdWords Keyword Planner
b) Google Trends
With the above tools, you can determine the volume in relation to specific terms. In case one keyword has a smaller volume compared to the rest, consider eliminating it altogether.
• Use various keywords to communicate the same thing.
Doing this will increase the chances of consumers seeing your content irrespective of how they search.
The Bottom Line
It requires a lot of efforts to improve your ranking in search engines. You need to ensure your content is visible, and the best way to do that is by using the right keywords. In this blog, we have discussed the tips you can use to research keywords for your SEO strategy. Make use of these tips and be sure of positive results.