Keyword Research for search engine optimisation is a process of selecting phrases for content optimization to improve website ranking in search engines.
Keyword research tools help with the selection of appropriate keywords, that is the basis to make money blogging.
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What are Keywords?
Keywords are the search queries a web user submits in search engines. The search engine then analyzes the indexed webpages to determine the relevance for keywords, and frequency for ranking in the SERP.
In the earliest stages, search engines used to scan the webpages to check if it contained the keywords and their frequency. Now, the algorithm analyses document to determine usefulness which is accomplished through topic modeling.
However, if the keyword density is high and non-relevant to the context of the webpage then Google considers the webpage to be spammy. Hence content writing needs to strike a balance required between content and keywords.
We need to first understand different search categories and seasonality trends before reviewing the keyword research process and tools.
Search categories
Navigational
In this type of query, the user searches for the website or brand name directly and visit the brand result for that page. One should also be aware of the potential news results that contain the brand name will also be displayed. A negative story about the brand may influence their decision to visit the site or convert.
One should also note that brand searches can pull up the Twitter account and the latest tweets. It’s important to ensure that the social media team always maintains brand focus on social channels.
Informational
With these types of searches, people are looking to get a bit more information about a topic or make an informed decision prior to making a purchase.
One can associate this type of query with the middle stages of the buying funnel. An example would be someone searching for laptop reviews while they compare different types of laptops available.
Transactional
In this case, users are ready to buy and they’re hoping Google will provide the results they need for their search query.
For example, the user has decided they are going to purchase a specific laptop. They have typed in the model number in the search engines which displays a variety of sites to purchase that specific product. Note that not all transactional queries have to result in an actual transaction. Someone might be trying to sign up for a newsletter, create a free account, or more.
Keywords classification
The keywords are accordingly classified into three categories representing the search types.
- Navigational
- Informational
- Transactional
Long-tail keywords is also a type of classification based on the number of words in the search query. 70% of queries are what are known as long-tail keywords, that are more specific. Because of their specificity, they have a higher probability of conversion due to being later in the stages of the buying funnel. These keywords are less competitive, making it easier to rank highly and attract more traffic.
Seasonality trends of Search
There are certain times of the year when the search volumes for specific keywords increases. This means one will have an uptick in search during certain times of the year which can be used to take decision for online properties.
For example, a client offers textbook rentals and they wanted to do a redesign of their site. The best solution would be to launch their site during a down season. This will help to get new pages indexed, and ranked, and any authority from pages, which no longer exist, is properly transferred over.
Seasonality trends can also provide great insight into when we might want to publish articles or blog posts regarding certain keywords. If the trend indicates that the searches intend to increase in August, it’d be a great idea to publish the post around the middle of July.
One can view the trends of various search terms available online at Google Trends. The tool allows us to get insight into geographic data which can really help us target appropriate keywords. This can come in helpful for blog posts or site resources that may generate a lot of social shares.
What is Keyword Research?
Keyword Research is a process of identifying a set of phrases or words that can be used by businesses and individuals to drive web traffic. The online content is optimized for the selected keywords so that web pages or online posts are discovered and ranked by search engines.
The search engine’s core objective is to meet the information needs of online audiences and they use multiple factors in determining the website rank. The keyword is an important criterion that determines the rank at which a web page is displayed by search engines. Hence, keywords research is an important step for businesses and individuals for success in the online world.
When a user inputs the search phrase ‘keyword research’ in the Google search engine than Google auto-populates with the variation of the search phrase to understand the context of the query or user intent. In this way, Google is helping the user to be specific so that results meet their requirement.
The search engine maintains records of different search queries such as volume across different geographies, search difficulty levels, and other relevant information. The keywords research process utilizes these parameters to identify and select keywords for the website and/or campaign optimization. Keyword research tools are used to extract data about keywords for the purpose of optimizatioṇ.
What are the uses of Keywords Research?
On-Page Search Engine Optimization(SEO)
There are two key aspects of On-Page SEO with the first being content optimization and the second is metadata optimization. In content optimization, you incorporate relevant keywords within the content while metadata optimization is about optimizing page title, meta description, images, and heading for a specific web page.
A relevant set of keywords is a prerequisite for on-page and metadata optimization which makes keywords research an integral part of On-page SEO.
Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising
The most popular form of PPC advertising is Google Ads even as internet advertisements on other platforms such as Facebook, Instagram. Amazon marketplace is also part of the category.
A business pays to the search engine or the platforms when a user clicks on its ads. The business is charged based on the total number of clicks that its ads garnered during a given time period.
A business bid on search queries or keywords based on the relevance and cost per click. Keyword research is crucial as the selection of the appropriate keywords will enable the display of ads for the relevant search queries. This will ensure ROI(Return on investment) on the campaign.
Marketplaces Optimization
Business and individuals list their products and services on numerous online marketplaces and listing sites. They need to optimize their products and services descriptions to get ranked higher.
In marketplaces, a buyer is at an advanced stage of the purchase cycle, unlike search engines where the buyer is primarily at the awareness or evaluation stage. Hence, keywords research becomes extremely significant since there is a high probability of customer conversion.
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