Setting Up An SEO Strategy: Keyword Research

Earlier this month, we began diving into Search Engine Optimization or SEO. In our last blog post we talked about what SEO meant as well as why it’s important. We also touched on the different pieces of SEO and the different ways to optimize your website for search engines. Today we’re going to stay somewhat on topic but focus on SEO Strategy. So, an SEO strategy is merely a plan to create, optimize, and promote content in order to improve its visibility in search engines. In other words, it’s a process to try to follow to increase your organic web traffic. So, let’s get into one of SEO’s most recognizable buzzwords: keywords. 

Keywords are the words or phrases that people type into search engines to discover relevant content. Keyword research is a vital element of improving SEO because it gives you an understanding of what people are searching for and the language they’re using to do it. Sometimes there are differences between how we would describe what we offer and what your audience types into a search engine. Using the right keywords in your content and throughout your website can help search engines better rank your content and drive visitors to your website. 

In order to find your keywords, there are several different avenues. One way you can determine keywords is to listen to the wording your current customers use about their pain points and how your product or service helps. The language your current customers and clients use is important and might help you to connect with future customers. Another avenue would be to frequent relevant community forums or groups; this would apply to subreddits, Facebook groups, or even Discords. It can help determine your language but also what type of content you need to be creating for blogs and such. 

You can also investigate search engine results pages yourself. As you type into Google’s search bar, look and see what words and phrases are suggested to fill in your request; these are the most searched terms around your topic. You can also use keywords research tools to help run some searches and see which keywords cater best to your audience.

When it comes to keywords, there is also a category called long tail keywords. Typically, these are searches that contain more than three words; they have lower search volume levels but tend to be easier to rank and have a higher conversion. So, it’s good to have a mix of keywords that range from general to more specific.

Whenever you’re discovering your own keywords, we suggest starting with a list of around 10 keywords. Once you have those ten keywords, you can start typing them into Google (or a different search engine of your choice) and investigating what is already ranked the highest. Pay attention to the results and take note of any patterns you see in the results. For instance, if the top returns on your keywords are list posts, then a good next step might be to publish a list post on your website’s blog. The hope is that you can take what you learn from your research and find a way to differentiate or improve that content. 

Here are some places you can utilize keywords more once you’ve concluded your research: 

• URL - For instance, this blog post’s url is intentionally chosen; it’s www.thedigitalshore.com/blog/seo-strategy-keyword-research

• Title Tags & Meta Descriptions - Both of these are code-related keyword targeting but show up on search results. 

• Content - I’m using this term broadly, but essentially, the goal is to include keywords in your page title, subheadings, and the body of your content. Now the primary goal of your content should be to provide something of value to users and readers, but there is a way to do that while still keeping best keyword practices in mind.

We’re really only scratching the surface on keywords; there are plenty of other articles that go into the details of keyword research, but we hope this at least provides you with a starting point. Have you ever spent time on keyword research? Comment and let us know.

One of the services we offer here at The Digital Shore is web design, so if you’d like more information on our process, you can click here. 

We’ll be back in August to talk through more pieces of setting up an SEO Strategy.