Keyword Research

What is keyword research?

Keyword research is a process in search engine optimization (SEO) that involves finding keywords related to your products, services, or content that your target audience might use in search and using it in your content to get it to rank in search engine results pages (SERPs).

If you want a more in-depth understanding of this topic, check out the FAQ section below:

Question #1: Is keyword research important in SEO?

Yes, keyword research is an integral component of SEO. It allows you to craft your content in such a way that it attracts your target audience.

Keep in mind, though, that keyword research is just the first step. You also need to be able to incorporate it naturally into your content without overdoing it to the point where Google starts penalising you for keyword stuffing.

We call this content optimization and it should be considered when you are designing your content marketing plan or curating content.

Question #2: What is search intent?

Search intent, as the name suggests, describes the user’s intention for performing a search. If you want to rank in search, you need to make sure that your content not only has the right keywords, but also addresses your target audience’s search intent.

There are different types of search intents that you need to take into consideration:

1. Informational intent is a type of search intent that indicates that a user wants to learn more or gather specific information about a particular topic. For example, if a user types ‘keyword research’ into a search engine, they probably want to learn the definition of or the steps involved in keyword research.
2. Navigational intent is what users who are looking for the website of a certain company have.
3. Transactional intent is what users who are looking to shop online have.
4. Investigational intent is what users who want to know more about a product, service, or event they are considering have.

Question #3: How do I conduct keyword research for SEO?

There are six simple steps in conducting keyword research for SEO:

1. Analyse your target audience. Understand what makes them tick. To find truly meaningful keywords, learn the sorts of topics your target audience is interested in. Look for problems of theirs that need addressing and you have solutions for.
2. Identify topics closely related to your line of business. For example, if you run a coffee brand, you should craft content about things such as:
   1. Coffee beans
   2. Coffee makers
   3. Espresso
3. Identify keywords related to these topics. Examples would be:
   1. Soft water
   2. Hard water
   3. How to clean your espresso machine
   4. How to choose beans
   5. How to grind coffee beans

      Notice that we’re not just looking for single word keywords, but also long-tail keywords.
      

4. Determine the search intent behind each keyword. Figuring out the search intent of each focus keyword will help you figure out the best angle for your content. For example, should it be a short guide, a video, or a long form content post. In addition, it will also ensure that you are targeting a keyword that is actually related to your business. If the search intent does not match the purpose of your business, then it is best to just skip it. To discover the search intent behind your keywords, use them to perform a search. The top results for each search keyword should give you a good idea of the intention of the people using it.
5. Funnel your topic by searching for long tail keywords and latent semantic indexing (LSI) keywords. Long tail keywords are longer versions of your focus keyword. LSI keywords are words or phrases that are related to your focus keyword that may or may not contain it. Both will help give search engines (here’s  list of search engines other than Google that you may not have known about)a deeper understanding of your content, making it easier for them to recommend it to the right people.
6. Compare notes with your competitors. Look for gaps that you could fill. Find relevant keywords keywords that your competitors have not used yet. If you use the exact same keywords as everyone else all the time, it would be challenging for you to rank high in search, especially if you operate in a relatively saturated industry.