Top 5 Keyword Research Tips for quick SEO Success

In our last blog, we learned about the significance of keywords and the growing importance of long-tail-keywords. (What are Keywords? An Introduction for Beginners)  Let’s dive straight into the keyword research process.

Tip #1 for Keyword Research

Analyze the USP of the Blog

What is the main idea of your blog? What is the central point of your content?

Did an answer instantly pop into your head? Hopefully. The answer is yes. But hold on, in most cases, the idea in your head right now might be too broad for a blog. To get the unique selling proposition for each blog, try and narrow your ideas. Get precise.

For example, in this blog, it might typically seem to be a blog about keywords used in an article based on SEO. But specifically, it is about simple tips and tricks a blogger can immediately use and benefit from.

This insight helps get relevant keywords.

Other things to consider are:

• How will your content help your reader?
• What questions does your typical reader have?
• Did you answer the reader’s questions?

Tip #2 for Keyword Research

Brainstorm Keywords

You need to mull over a few primary keyword options before you go and use any keyword research tool. This tip demands you to be in the readers’ shoes and think like them. If you were a reader, what would you type in the search box of your search engine?

Hypothetically, if this blog was to be an answer, what would be the possible question? Let’s take forward the above example.

For this blog, the primary keywords need to be related to keywords as this blog is all about keywords. As a reader, I could type in ‘keyword research’ or ‘keyword checker.’ But which term is naturally used- research or checker? Can ‘keyword search tools’ be relevant? And so on…

Keeping a few keywords handy or as a backup plan will also save you from the dejection, you face if your selected keyword doesn’t match the expected monthly average searches and other SEO criteria.

Tip #3 for Keyword Research

Evaluate Keyword Research Results

Now that you have a list of potential keywords, it’s time to use keyword research tools. That’s not a tip or a trick. Focus on the Average Monthly Searches column – this is the tip. The higher the average monthly searches, the better the keyword is.

As mentioned above, the primary keyword could have been either ‘keyword research’ or ‘keyword checker.’ To decide, I compared their individual average monthly searches.

Keyword research- 1K-10K

Keyword checker- 100-1K

My decision is clear; it has to be ‘keyword research.’ Keyword checker has too few monthly searches.

Remember, the numbers in this column, represent real people using search engines to look for the information your blog content will provide.

If you’re unsure whether a particular phrase matches the blog’s theme or central idea, or you’re looking at words that can have different meanings in different contexts, make sure you Google the phrase or keyword. The results will show you the relevance of that keyword according to the search engine.

Googling the phrase will also reveal the competition for that phrase (both who and how much).

Tip #4  for Keyword Research

Use Keywords in the Headlines

Mandatory Step 1– Use the primary keyword in the H1 title. What would be even better? Start the headline with the primary keyword. You can also use a secondary keyword along with the primary keyword.

Ground Rule 1 – No more than two keywords in the meta title.

Mandatory Step 2 – Include secondary keywords in H2 or H3 titles.

Ground Rule 2 – Again, no more than two keywords.

And, last but not the least…

Tip #5  for Keyword Research

No Keyword Stuffing

According to Google,

‘Keyword stuffing, as the name suggests, is the practice of overloading a web page with keywords in an attempt to manipulate a site’s ranking in Google search results. Often these keywords appear out of context.’

Search engines consider keyword stuffing as webspam. Most bloggers stuff their blog with keywords to gain a rank advantage in search engines, but this is not only unfair but also prohibited. Google penalizes websites using this option for higher rankings.

You can implement algorithms to recognize keyword stuffing. Don’t overload your writing with keywords. Avoid tagging or using irrelevant keywords. Play a fair game.

Kickstart your keyword strategy with these 5 tips and let us know the results in the comments section below. For additional SEO info and ideas, visit these links-

• SEO with a Google Analytics Expert
• Quick Optimization for SEO Wins
• 5 Steps for Creating Awesome SEO
• Use These Quick Local SEO Tactics

Convirza wishes you best luck and happy writing!

BONUS 

13 Free Tools for Keyword Research

 

1. Google’s Keyword Planner

This tool is one of the most used for keyword research, especially when it comes to PPC campaigns. There is an assortment of data that can be extracted while evaluating old keywords and searching for new ones. While Google’s Keyword Planner offers a good place to start, other tools may offer more help for long-tail keyword selection.

 

2. Google Autocomplete

The Google search box is an obvious but helpful option for some basic long-tail keyword research. As you perform a search based on a chief key term, the predictions that appear alongside the keyword can provide some direction and ideas. The terms that show up are typically the most popular searches around that keyword.

3. Keyword Tool

This tool generates several hundred suggestions for every keyword that is entered. It interfaces with an assortment of different languages and is ideal for a quick and simple long-tail-keyword search.

 

4.  Bing Keyword Research Tool 

If you’re trying to rank in Bing’s search results or look for alternate keyword options, then you may want to check out their keyword research tool. It provides organic-focused data, up to six months of historical data, keyword ideas by language and region and also saves the data around your most recent searches.

 

5. Übersuggest

If you are looking to generate ideas and add to your keyword lists then this tool may help you discover some long-tail varieties to your head term. Übersuggest uses the data provided by several search engines to pull recommendations for the keyword you are researching. It isn’t ideal for in-depth exploration but offers a simple way to find niche areas related to your basic keywords.

 

6. AdWords Search Terms

The search terms used by visitors before they clicked on your ad can supply valuable keyword insight. The Search Query Report within AdWords can reveal high-performing terms that you can incorporate into your keyword list.

 

7. WordStream

The Free Keyword Suggestion tool from WordStream is an option for finding significant terms for your specific goals. The suggestions are made up of long-tail keywords and phrases extracted from relevant search queries. WordStream also offers additional keyword tools to help you enhance and cultivate your list of keywords.

 

8. Keyword Eye

This user-friendly tool displays keyword suggestions in a visual cloud using size and color to indicate volume and competition. Results can be sorted in alternate views and by specific metrics. Keyword Eye’s basic version is a great alternative for a highly visual keyword research process.

9. SERPS

In addition to their paid selection, SERPs offers several free keyword research and SEO tools for digital marketers. These useful and effective tools include a Keyword Research Tool, Keyword Research Database, and Google Location Changer.

 

10. SEO Book 

This tool does require you to register for an account before you can get access. Luckily it is completely free and easy to use. Since it was built on a custom database and gathers data from Google, Bing and Yahoo search networks you get information such as CPC and monthly searches in one neat table.

 

11. Moz Keyword Explorer

Moz’s Keyword Explorer has a large database of keywords and is fairly intuitive when it comes to long-tail opportunities. In addition to providing thousands of keyword suggestions, their tool also offers data about ranking difficulty, search volume, and scores for potential and opportunity.

12. Searchmetrics Research Cloud 

Although you can use this tool for free upfront, if you choose to register for a free account then you can bypass the daily search query limit. Also, this tool offers additional sections that include SEO and PPC research, backlink lookup, social links, and content performance.

 

13. SimilarWeb 

At first glance, you may not think of this as a keyword research tool. However, if you’re interested in getting a look at your competitor’s most successful keywords this is a great place to start. Spyfu is also another good option for researching your competitor’s keywords and AdWords campaigns. 

Keyword research can be an intensive process but zeroing in on the ideal terms for your goals can significantly enhance the profitability of your campaign.