SEO Keyword Research Guide

Keyword research is the process used to find the keywords that people use on search engines to find information while browsing online. If you optimise your website using the same business relevant keywords that people use on search engines, it can bring considerable relevant traffic flow to your website which can be converted into sales.

Keyword research is the important first step in search engine optimisation. Your business’s online presence can be ruined if you choose the wrong keywords for your SEO campaign. On the other hand, if you select and target the most competitive and relevant (short and long tail) keywords in the SEO campaign, it can dramatically improve your website’s online visibility, traffic, leads and sales figures.

Popular Manual Ways of Keyword Research

Nobody knows and understands your business better than you. You should use the two manual keyword research methods below to find the best keywords related to your business and target them on your website using SEO methodologies to give a big boost to your website traffic and sales.

 

1. Google Drop Down List: There are many ways and many automated tools to find the best keywords related to your business. One of the best traditional and manual ways is to think about what keyword people use on search engines to find your business and your competitor’s business online. Make a list of the keywords and start typing them into Google one by one and see if they appear in the Google drop down menu. The most used and competitive keywords are shown in the Google drop down menu; these keywords are there because the majority of searches have been performed using these keywords.

2. Searches Related To Section: Another popular manual way of finding the best keyword is to type your main keyword in Google and look at the bottom section of the Google page, the “Searches related to“ section. In this section the most important keywords related to your business will appear. You can use your own knowledge to pick and choose the best keywords related to your business products and services.

Automated Keyword Research Tools

Although we always recommend that you use manual ways to find the keywords for your marketing campaign, you can also use automated tools to make the process a bit easier for you. There are several free and paid keyword research tools available in the market (as below) which can present you with an automated list of keywords based on several factors such as business demography, search volume, business type, relevance etc.

 

1. Google Keyword Planner: Google keyword planner is certainly the top contender as the majority of its data comes from Google directly and it is free to use. This tool can give you a long list of keywords and you can filter out keywords based on several factors. 

2. Free and Paid Tools: Other popular automated free and paid tools to find keywords are: Ubersuggest, SEMrush, Soovle Keyword Research Tool, Kwfinder, Answerthepublic, Keywordseverywhere, Spyfu Keyword Research, Explodingtopics, Ahrefs, Wordtracker etc.

3. Google Search Console: Google Search Console is another great tool to find keywords related to your business. Google fetches information from your website and you can find a great list of keywords in the GSC performance report section. Google Search Console not only displays a long list of keywords related to your business but also shows their associated number of clicks and impressions.

Short Tail and Long Tail Keywords

Keywords are the backbone of SEO marketing but deciding which keywords to promote on your website for appearing in the top spots of Google and attracting more relevant web traffic is a tricky task. Once you have prepared your list of target keywords, deciding which ones you will be targeting through your SEO campaign is a part of effective SEO methodology. 
 

There are several factors that can help you to decide which keywords you can use in your SEO campaign e.g. Search Volume, Organic CTR, Cost Per Click Analysis, Google Keyword Trends Tool, Keyword Difficulty, Return Rate etc.
 

Generally your list of keywords will reflect two types of keywords: short tail and long tail. Deciding which ones to target and promote on your website will decide the future of your business on search engines. We have explained both types below to make your decision easy.

 

1. Short Tail Keywords: Short tail keywords are generally highly competitive keywords and are difficult to promote, and consume a lot of time to appear in the top pages of search engines. The purpose of short tail keywords is to attract a lot of web traffic to your website but they generally have a low conversion rate. Examples of short tail keywords are SEO, Link Building, Web Design, Content Writing, SEO Trial, FREE SEO, Web Design Agency, SEO Company, SEO Agency, Blogger Outreach etc.

2. Long Tail Keywords: Long tail keywords are less competitive and easy to promote, and consume less time to gain top rankings on Google and other popular search engines. Although long tail keywords attract less traffic, the traffic that they attract is relevant and has a high conversion rate. Examples of long tail keywords are SEO Agency Near Me, Web Design Agency London, Content Writing Company UK, Blogger Outreach Services UK, Search Engine Optimisation UK, Free SEO Trail UK, Link Building Agency UK etc.

Although there are many tools available in the market, we are of the opinion that if you combine your knowledge with Google search engine you will easily find the best list of keywords for your business without using any third party free or paid keyword research tools.

To sum up, the technique of keyword research lies in grasping what your customers are searching for on search engines, how many customers are searching for your business related products and services and what the market trends are. The principal is simple: once you understand your target customers, market trends and search engine functionality, you will know exactly how to find keywords and target them on your website for the best results.

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