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As a business owner or a marketer, you understand that your website is your best marketing tool. With 81% of customers looking up information about local businesses online, your visibility among the competition is crucial. Search engine optimization (SEO), including keyword research, is still an important marketing strategy, even as online searches evolve with artificial intelligence (AI) and digital assistants.
Understanding how to do keyword research as part of your SEO and AI optimization strategy will help you rise through the search engine rankings. It will also help you improve organic traffic. This guide breaks down the basics of how to do keyword research as the starting point of your SEO plan.
The Importance of Keyword Research for SEO
Every time someone does an internet search through a search engine, voice assistant, or AI app, an algorithm scours billions of websites to find the best matches. Relevant keywords serve as signposts that tell these algorithms about your website.
Think of it like being on a road trip in the pre-navigation era. If you were driving through an unfamiliar state, you saw signage highlighting nearby gas stations and restaurants so you could make a stop when needed. Keywords serve as these signs for the algorithms traveling along the information superhighway.
Keyword research helps you understand the terms your potential customers are using to find you online. Using the right keywords puts you in front of the right audience and elevates your position in the search engine rankings pages (SERPs).
How To Plan Your Keyword Research Strategy
Before you open a keyword research platform and start your research, you need a plan. Your overall business goals are the best starting point. Choosing the right keywords depends on whether you’re trying to generate leads, build brand awareness, or make more sales.
These goals will also help you define your target audience. For example, if you’re a new business focused on building brand awareness, you want to target people in the information-gathering stage. You may prioritize content that answers basic questions. A restaurant targeting people at this stage could target long-tail keywords such as “the benefits of farm-to-table.”
However, if you’re trying to convince people to convert, you may prioritize product descriptions and landing pages. A restaurant targeting customers who know their brand may target long-tail keywords such as “Area farm-to-table restaurants for Valentine’s Day.”
Step-by-Step Keyword Research Process
With your SEO goals in hand, you’re ready to start doing keyword research. Follow this step-by-step guide process for a solid strategy to drive relevant traffic to your website.
1. Identify Seed Keywords
Seed keywords are the broad, general terms people will use to find you online. These are usually short-tail keywords, meaning that they only consist of a few words. Since seed keywords likely have high search volumes and a lot of competition, use them as a jumping-off point to find specific keywords.
For example, if you operate a sporting goods store, seed keywords might include “sports equipment,” “athletic gear,” or “workout clothes.” Break your best customers into categories, such as demographic groups or location, to create customer personas. Make a list of the keywords each persona would use to find you online.
Modify your seed keywords to make them more specific to narrow down your categories and subtopics. Our sporting goods store can build on “sports equipment” by adding the specific sport, such as “soccer gear” or “athletic gear for winter sports.” Ahrefs and other keyword research tools help you brainstorm by showing you a broad list of topics associated with seed keywords.
2. Analyze Search Intent
Understanding search intent will help you find the short- and long-tail keywords your customers are most likely to use. User intent is even more important with the rise of AI-powered search tools and voice searches. Search engines are better at filtering out irrelevant sites.
Before algorithm updates and the rise of AI, you might have searched “best wedding bands” to find musicians for your wedding. Your search may have also turned up results for popular music acts or even wedding rings. New search engine algorithms are better at filtering out irrelevant matches. Improve your chances of matching with relevant searches through common search intent keywords:
- Navigational keywords: These are words people use when they’re looking for a specific page and may include a brand name, product name, or specific website address.
- Transactional keywords: These are words people use when they want to make a purchase and include terms such as “buy,” “reach out,” or “schedule.”
- Informational keywords: These are words people use when they’re researching a problem or solution, or even when comparing brands. They include “how to,” “what is,” and “benefits of.”
- Commercial keywords: These are words people use to research specific products or services and include terms such as “best of,” “reviews of,” or “deals.”
3. Use Keyword Research Tools
Keyword research tools can make or break your SEO efforts by helping you target more effectively. Along with Ahrefs, you can use Google Keyword Planner, Semrush, and other similar tools to generate keywords lists and compare difficulty.
Google Keyword Planner works with your pay-per-click ads, but you can use it for organic SEO, too. Choose the “discover new keywords” feature to create a list of related words and phrases to target based on user intent and search volume. Use Google Trends to see what’s popular on a given day for more keyword ideas.
4. Evaluate Keyword Difficulty and Competition
While there are billions of websites online, they aren’t all competitors. That said, some search terms make the search pool larger than others, meaning your content has more to compete against. Seed keywords and other generic terms are usually more difficult to rank for because there is so much competition.
Consider the term “restaurant.” It's so broad and vague that many search engines will match results based on your location. Niche keywords usually have less competition, so you'll likely rank higher in search results. For a local restaurant, you could use a long-tail keyword such as “best Italian restaurants in Salt Lake City” to target a specific audience.
Look for keywords with high traffic and less competition for a broader audience. A successful SEO strategy usually involves a mix of specific keywords and generic ones.
5. Find Long-Tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords refer to phrases with more than three words. These keywords are usually less competitive and great for targeting people who are ready to buy. Use them to target a specific audience based on their search intent. For example, our sporting goods store can use the long-tail keyword “women’s Asics running shoes size 8” to target people looking for that specific shoe.
Local SEO keyword research usually involves long-tail keywords.
6. Group Keywords Into Topic Clusters
After you’ve made a solid list of seed keywords, short-tail keywords, and long-tail keywords, organize them into topic clusters. This involves sorting your specific keywords based on the most relevant seed keywords.
Topic clusters help you plan content and organize your website. Categorizing your content by cluster helps users find relevant content based on their interests and also improves the user experience.
7. Apply Keywords Into Your Content Plan
Your keywords inform every part of your content marketing plan, from topic ideas to content structure. Use your topic clusters to plan blog posts, videos, social media posts, and other content. Incorporate your target keywords naturally throughout your content in headers, body copy, and metadata.
Start Your Keyword Research Today for Better Rankings
If you want to improve your online visibility, keyword research is essential. Outsourcing to an expert can save you time and lead to a more successful SEO strategy. Compose.ly offers detailed keyword research to assess your current position and help you improve it. We can also benchmark you against competitors to find and fill SEO gaps.
