How to Start Keyword Research and Why You Need To

When looking to improve your SEO (Search Engine Optimization), keyword research is king. When you understand the kinds of things your target audience is searching for online, you can fill their specific needs and therefore drive more traffic and generate more sales. But it all starts with keyword research.

Why do you need good keyword research?

As you probably know, organic search traffic is the highest-quality traffic in terms of generating leads — because it draws people to your site who are actively looking for the answers you provide. By answering the right questions in your posts, using those keywords that real people are searching for, you drastically improve your odds of converting your traffic into quality leads.

How do you start keyword research?

Start with Google

The vast majority of keyword research is intended to target Google because that’s where everyone goes to search the web. So why not start with the source? Google Trends is a great free tool by Google to report on search volumes of keywords over time — you can access search volumes all the way back to 2004. 

Another great place to start your keyword research is in Google itself — search your prospective keyword, and you will find a section titled “People also search” at the bottom of the results page. This is a great way to make sure you are using a vernacular that your target audience is actually typing into Google.

Look in places your target audience is “hanging out”

Social media is great for many things, and keyword research is one of them. Identify which social media platform your target demographic is most active on, and just spend some time there. Some specific ideas for each platform:

• Facebook Join Facebook groups dedicated to your Niche. If none exists, start your own! Look for people asking questions — when you know specific questions they are asking, you can create solutions or write posts with answers.
• Reddit Similar to Facebook, you can find a subreddit on almost every subject. Since it is a forum dedicated to “real people” answers, you can get a great feel for the kinds of questions people are asking
• Pinterest Pinterest is a unique case because it is a search engine and social media all wrapped into one. You can find what kinds of things people are saving by looking at their boards, but the more valuable resource on Pinterest is their search bar. Much like Google, they have keyword suggestions when you start typing in your keyword, which can help with long-tail keyword research. Once you perform the search, they provide additional phrases commonly used on Pinterest below the search bar as well.

Look at Competitors’ sites

Keep an eye on your competitor’s websites and social media, and take note of what keywords they target. You can use those as a jumping-off point for your own articles or posts — just be sure not to plagiarize!

Keyword research is important, but it is not as scary as some make it out to be. For help to get started,  contact us and get in touch with one of our specialists – we are here to help!