Keyword research is essential to any Search Engine Optimisation project.

Start with your business goals.

Before you dive into keyword research, it's essential to understand your business goals. What do you want to achieve with your website? Are you trying to increase sales, generate leads, or build a solid brand awareness? Your business goals will help you determine which keywords are best suited for your business and that you should focus on.

For example, if you're an e-commerce site looking to increase sales, you may want to focus on transactional keywords like "buy fishing hooks online" or "best carp fishing rod." On the other hand, if you're a business-to-business (B2B) company looking to generate leads, you may want to focus on informational keywords like "Blogging SEO for Businesses" or "How long does SEO take to work in 2023?"

Brainstorm Relevant Keyword Topics

Once you clearly understand your business goals, you can start brainstorming relevant topics. Think about the products or services you offer and the problems they solve. What questions do your customers have? What topics or issues are related to your industry?

For example, if you sell running shoes, you may want to brainstorm topics like "marathon training tips," "how to prevent running injuries," or "best shoes for trail running."

Use Keyword Research Tools

Now that you have a list of relevant topics, you can use keyword research tools to find related keywords and phrases. There are several keyword research tools available, including Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, and SEMrush.

These tools provide statistics and insights into the search volume and competition level (Keyword difficulty) for specific keywords and related keywords and phrases you may have yet to think of.

For example, if you enter "best running shoes" into Google Keyword Planner, you may see related keywords like "best trail running shoes," "best lightweight running shoes," or "best running shoes for flat feet."

Analyse Your Competitors

Another way to identify relevant keywords is to analyse your competitors' websites. Look at the keywords they're targeting in their content, meta descriptions, and title tags.

You can use tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to analyse your online competition's websites and see which keywords they're ranking for. This will give you insights into the keywords driving traffic to their site and help you identify opportunities to improve your SEO strategy.

Consider Search Intent

When selecting keywords, it's important to consider search intent. Search intent refers to the reason behind a user's search query. For example, are they looking for information, looking to make a purchase, or looking for a specific website?

There are generally four types of search intent: informational, navigational, commercial, and transactional. Understanding search intent can help you select the right keywords and create content that meets the needs of your target audience.

For example, if someone searches for "SEO Norwich" their intent is likely commercial or transactional, as they want to purchase. On the other hand, if someone searches for "Google My Business Optimisation: Tips to Boost Local Reach" their intent is likely informational.

Refine Your keyword List

Once you've conducted keyword research, refining your list is essential. Some keywords are too competitive due to your domain authority, while others may not be relevant to your business goals. Use your judgment to narrow down your list to the most relevant and valuable keywords.

Use keywords strategically

Now that you have a list of relevant keywords, it's time to use them strategically. Incorporating your target keywords strategically into your content, meta tags, image alt tags, and URL structure can help search engines understand the context and relevance of your website, ultimately improving your SEO efforts.

Conclusion 

Keyword research is a critical step in optimising your website for search engines. By understanding the search terms your target audience is using, you can create content that meets their needs and improve your chances of ranking higher in search results.

Starting with your business goals, brainstorming relevant topics, using keyword research tools, analysing your competitors, considering search intent, and refining your list of keywords are all essential steps in the keyword research process.

Finally, using your target keywords strategically in your content, meta tags, image alt tags, and URL structure can help search engines understand the relevance and context of your website, ultimately improving your SEO efforts. Remember to avoid keyword stuffing and focus on creating high-quality content that provides value to your audience, and your SEO efforts are sure to see success.

If you are needing help with your website design or search engine optimisation contact our Make Space Marketing Team