Keyword research is a critical element when starting and building a blog. In order for it to be successful, you need to make sure that you do this step properly and carefully. Though there are some bloggers who do not consider keyword research as much as they should, there is a big chance that they will miss out on new visitors on their blog.
Keywords are universally used to identify search terms that people type in the search engine. Finding popular search terms and utilizing them in your content is a foolproof way to gain traction. No matter how a blogger tries to produce the best content, without keyword research and its use, gaining more traffic will nevertheless be a struggle.
Here is a list of answers as to why keyword research is essential to your blog’s success.
- It keeps you updated on the popular trends in your niche.
- Land a higher spot in the Search Engine Results Pages.
- Increases the traffic to your site.
- Provides an insight into the popular products and services that your target market is interested in.
Below are the basic ways of keyword research that every beginner must know.
Think as if you were the perfect visitor – Think about the perfect visitor on your site. What questions do you think they have in mind? What are the subject matters that they presumably already know? By asking yourself these two question, you can formulate a list of FAQs. Using these questions, you can formulate a possibly long list of keywords to use.
Look at your competitor’s site – Think of the term you want to use and type it in the search box. Check the top four displayed sites at the top of the SERP and investigate the sites. You can gain valuable insight as to what your competition is offering their customers. Doing this will expand your list and will also show you what the competitors are ranking for.
Use keyword research tools – Blogs or sites that are still starting may use free keyword research tools. However, it will be in your site’s best interest if you shell out a few couples of dollars for an inexpensive keyword research tool. You can use Google Adwords, Google Trends, Google Blogs, etc. Keep in mind that the tool Keyword Planner by Google is used by paid advertisers. But this also produces data that still is a good representation of the organic search competition.
Understand long tail keywords – These keywords are simply a set of three or more words. General or short keywords are usually ranked by bigger competitors. One cautious yet effective way of bringing in more traffic is using long tail keywords. People who are searching for “black furniture” us very likely to be in the initial stage of gathering the information they need. However, a person who uses the key phrase “round blue ottoman” is likely further along the purchasing cycle and is more likely going to make a purchase.
Keep your site’s actual niche in mind – Keyword research is one of the processes of keyword mapping. However, not all relevant keywords will fit the theme of your blog, or the products and services you are trying to sell. To put the keyword research you have done to use, you actually need to use them in your content.
SEO keyword research can be a laborious process in the beginning. But as you get the hang of it, you will soon find the specific words and phrases you need to rank higher in the SERPs. If you wish to skip this step and work on something else, hiring an SEO specialist is the best option for you.
