How to Conduct Keyword Research Like A Pro: Best Tools and Tips.

Teddy calls himself a storyteller, he has written 6 literature books for students in secondary schools, he recently learned about how to use the internet to reach a wider audience so he started running a blog where he could write short stories and teach people about semantics and the use of English Language. No one told Teddy that he needed to ensure that his articles were relevant to both humans and search engines so he just kept on writing without caring about Search Engine Optimization and the use of keywords. One day he searched for a content he had previously written but it wasn’t displayed on the search engine results pages and this explained why for the past 3 months no one had visited his website through search. Let’s go through a few things Teddy did to save time and resources used in creating those contents.

Understanding Keywords and Keyword Research

One of the many elements of Search Engine Optimization is the use of keywords. The goal of Search Engines is to serve people the kind of content they are searching for, this explains the presentation of search results in order of their relevance. For starters like Teddy, a keyword is what you input in the search bar when you are searching for information on the internet, it could also be a phrase. This makes it important for website owners and digital marketers to optimize their content for search so that their web pages will rank high organically on the search engine results pages (SERPs).

Before developing any content for the internet community, it is important to know what your target audience is searching for and the only accurate way to get this information is by carrying out keyword research using some tools that would be mentioned as we progress. Keyword research gives details on what people are searching for, how competitive a keyword/phrase is, location of the searchers, search volume for a keyword, the cost per click and more. Ideally, you should search for keywords that a large number of people are searching for and at the same time used by a relatively low number of competitors. Having researched your keyword/phrase, ensure that those words are used to create content that will give your website authority and make it rank in organic search.

This post contains tips and tools to help you carry out keyword research like a pro.

Tip 1: Use Long-Tail Keywords

When people search the internet, they hardly type a single word in the search bar, this implies that the best form of keywords is the long-tail keywords. They are unique searches by individuals that contain more than 2 words and can be called keyphrase. Think about those words searchers are likely going to use to describe a topic they are looking for; remember that they don’t really know much about that field so how can you tell search engines like Google that you have what they need on your website? Simply make use of long-tail keywords, for example; Cost of Christmas Trees, Call-to-Action Best Practices, Cheap Samsung Phones, and more. You could write out a list of topics and sub-topics in your niche which you’ll want your website to rank for, then begin to create content around those topics and build a network of articles which will link back to a central article you want to rank on search results.

Tip 2: Use Specific Keywords In the Right Context

Rather than picking broad words like ‘accessories’ why not use specific keywords like, ‘computer accessories for video editors’. Take a close look at this example, when doing keyword research, avoid using words that could get everyone confused when used in a different context.

Tip 3: Leverage Seasonal Searches

When I say ‘seasonal searches’ it simply refers to what people are searching for as a result of periodic changes around the world or in their individual lives. Take a look at these examples, ‘Christmas Gift Ideas for Teenage Girls’, ‘Christmas Shopping Checklist for Families’, ‘2020 Social Media Strategies for Small Businesses’, ‘10 Holiday Jobs to Explore This Summer’, ‘Harmattan Fashion Tips for Classy Ladies’ and more. If you take a close look at these samples, you’ll notice that they are only searched for at certain periods of the year i.e Christmas, Harmattan and Summer. Research on what’s trending or the seasonal changes people are going through and start creating content that they need.

Tip 4: Beware of Highly Competitive Keywords

While doing your keyword research, don’t get carried away by the figures; the higher the figures, the more competitive a keyword is and the more difficult it is for your website to rank for that keyword. Why not select keywords that aren’t yet saturated then create quality content to prove your expertise in such areas? You should try doing this.

Tip 5: Stay Away from Unprofitable words.

You see those keywords that say ‘’free’, ‘at no cost’, for no price’, ‘run away from them’; I repeat, don’t use them. The essence of creating any content on your site is to walk prospects down an invisible funnel and eventually get them to purchase your products i.e close sales. Using unprofitable keywords might be a great way to drive traffic to your site but its a dead-end when it comes to converting those visitors into paying customers. Let me tell you what happens when you do business with people who are in search of freebies, they’ll underprice your business, make life difficult for you and your team, get you to delivery more than your initial agreement i.e Scope Creep and in the end, they’ll make you beg for your money by owing you for as long as they can. To save your business from unnecessary drama, never use unprofitable keywords to attract these kinds of people to your website.

Tip 6: Avoid Technical Jargon

Your keyword research would show you that certain technical jargon is unappreciated when used as a keyword because online searchers probably don’t have an idea that such a word exists. In place of such jargon, explain the term in the simplest phrase that anyone can type in the search bar without stress.

Tip 7: Use Keywords to Describe Your Products or Services

Apart from the content in your blog, website pages, and ad copy, optimizing your products or services for search will do your business a lot of favour. Imagine a prospect is searching for ‘dry-cleaning store near me’, if you are within his location and your ‘Services’ page is optimized with the right keyword as well as listed on Google My Business, you’ll have a great shot at appearing on the first page of such prospect’s SERPs.

Google Keyword Planner, Google Trends, AnswerThePublic.com, Keywordseverywhere.com, Ubersuggest, Word Tracker, Serpstat among others are some tools you should try out to aid your keyword research and help you come up with fantastic content ideas for your audience.