Keyword Research is the Backbone of SEO

Step-by-Step Process of Keyword Research

Now that we’ve explored the different types of keywords, it’s time to dive into the process of keyword research. This is where you will apply practical strategies to discover the best keywords that will help you attract traffic, meet your business goals, and stay ahead of your competition.

Identify Your Goals and Target Audience

Before you begin the actual process of researching keywords, you need to establish clear goals for your SEO strategy. Are you looking to drive more organic traffic? Are you focused on improving conversion rates or increasing brand awareness? Your goals will help you determine the type of keywords to target, whether they’re short-tail for visibility, long-tail for conversions, or a mix of both.

Additionally, understanding your target audience is essential. You must know who they are, what problems they need to solve, and how they search for solutions online. Creating audience personas is an effective way to define these characteristics.

Ask yourself:

• What is the demographic of my target audience (age, gender, location)?
• What pain points or needs are they looking to address?
• What type of content are they likely to engage with (informational, transactional, product-focused)?
• What stage of the buying journey are they in?

By answering these questions, you can align your keyword strategy with user intent and ensure that your content resonates with the right audience at the right time.

Brainstorm Seed Keywords

Once your goals and audience are defined, the next step is to brainstorm seed keywords. Seed keywords are the foundation of your keyword research—they are broad, general terms related to your business, industry, or product. These keywords will serve as the starting point for discovering more specific long-tail keywords and related search terms.

Start by thinking about what your business offers and how your audience would describe those offerings. For example, if you own an e-commerce store that sells fitness equipment, seed keywords might include "dumbbells," "treadmill," or "home gym equipment."

To generate seed keywords:

• Think like your audience: What terms would they use to search for your products or services?
• Focus on core services: Identify the primary categories of your offerings and create broad terms around them.
• Use customer feedback: Look at the language your customers use in reviews, emails, or feedback forms. This can reveal keywords that may not be immediately obvious.

You don’t need to overcomplicate this step; the goal is to generate a list of high-level keywords that describe your business. These will later be refined and expanded through research.

Analyse Your Competitors' Keywords

Competitor analysis is one of the most valuable steps in the keyword research process. By examining what keywords your competitors are ranking for, you can uncover keyword opportunities that you might have missed. This analysis also gives you insight into the competitive landscape, helping you understand what works in your niche and where you can differentiate your content.

There are several ways to conduct a competitor keyword analysis:

1. Identify your competitors
   Start by identifying your main SEO competitors, which aren’t necessarily the businesses you compete with offline. These are the websites that rank on the first page of search results for the seed keywords you brainstormed earlier.
2. Use keyword research tools
   Tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush and others allow you to input a competitor’s website and see which keywords they’re ranking for. You can see both their organic and paid keywords, as well as metrics like search volume, keyword difficulty, and traffic potential.
3. Find keyword gaps
   Look for keywords that your competitors are ranking for but you aren’t. These keyword gaps present opportunities for you to create new content or optimise existing content. Also, check for underutilised keywords that competitors are not ranking well for, giving you the chance to fill that gap.
4. Analyse competitor content
   Examine the pages that are ranking for your target keywords. What kind of content are they producing? Are they using blogs, videos, infographics, or product pages? Understanding the format and depth of your competitors’ content can help you improve your own content strategy.

Use Keyword Research Tools

While brainstorming and competitor analysis can provide you with a good foundation, you need to use dedicated keyword research tools to refine your list and discover new opportunities. These tools offer invaluable data on search volume, keyword difficulty, competition, and more.

1. Google Keyword Planner
   Originally designed for paid ads, Google Keyword Planner is also a powerful tool for organic keyword research. It provides data on keyword search volume, trends, and competition levels. It also suggests related keywords, which can be helpful for expanding your list.
2. Ahrefs
   Ahrefs is one of the most comprehensive SEO tools available. Its keyword explorer allows you to find keyword ideas, assess the search volume and difficulty, and even analyse click-through rates (CTR). Ahrefs also lets you track keyword rankings over time, which is useful for monitoring performance.
3. SEMrush
   SEMrush offers similar capabilities to Ahrefs, with additional features like domain vs. domain analysis, where you can compare your website’s keyword performance to competitors. SEMrush also provides insights into paid search campaigns, which can be useful if you’re running both organic and paid strategies.
4. Ubersuggest
   This tool, developed by Neil Patel, is a user-friendly option for beginner marketers. It provides keyword suggestions, search volume data, and difficulty scores. Ubersuggest also offers content ideas based on popular topics related to your keywords.
5. Moz Keyword Explorer
   Moz offers a keyword research tool that focuses on both search volume and "Priority Score," which combines volume, click-through rate, and difficulty into one metric. This makes it easier to prioritise keywords with the highest potential impact.

Analyse Search Intent

Understanding and analysing search intent is one of the most critical aspects of keyword research. Search intent, also known as "user intent," refers to the reason behind a user’s query. Are they looking for information, on a specific website, or are they ready to make a purchase? When you can accurately match your content to the user’s search intent, you not only improve your rankings but also increase engagement and conversion rates.

There are four main types of search intent, each serving a different purpose. Aligning your keywords with these intents helps ensure that your content meets the user’s needs, thus improving SEO performance and user satisfaction.

Informational Intent

Informational intent is when a user is searching for information on a particular topic, question, or problem. These searches often start with terms like "how to," "what is," "why," or "best ways to." Users with informational intent are typically in the early stages of the buyer’s journey and may not yet be ready to make a purchase.

For example, a user searching for "how to start a blog" or "what is SEO" is clearly looking for educational content, not a product or service. Ranking for informational keywords can help you build brand awareness, establish authority in your niche, and bring users to your site who may eventually convert.

To optimise for informational intent:

1. Create in-depth, value-packed content that answers specific questions.
2. Use blog posts, guides, how-to articles, infographics, or videos to engage your audience.
3. Include visuals, examples, and step-by-step instructions to enhance the learning experience.

Examples of informational keywords:

• "How to train a dog"
• "What is cloud computing?"
• "Best ways to reduce stress"

Navigational Intent

Users with navigational intent are searching for a specific website or webpage. This type of search intent often includes branded terms, as the user already knows where they want to go. For instance, a search query like "Facebook login" or "Nike running shoes" indicates that the user is looking to navigate directly to a specific website.

Navigational intent is important for brands to monitor, as it signals brand recognition and loyalty. While these keywords are highly relevant to users who are already familiar with your brand, they may not be as useful for attracting new users or driving conversions from a wider audience.

To optimise for navigational intent:

1. Ensure that your website ranks highly for branded searches and key navigational terms.
2. Optimise your homepage and landing pages for branded keywords.
3. Provide a clear user path once visitors land on your site, making it easy for them to find the content or products they are searching for.

Examples of navigational keywords:

• "YouTube"
• "Amazon customer service"
• "Spotify app download"

Transactional Intent

Transactional intent refers to users who are ready to make a purchase or take a specific action, such as signing up for a service or downloading a resource. These users are at the bottom of the sales funnel, and their queries often include terms like "buy," "order," "cheap," "discount," or "best."

For instance, someone searching for "buy iPhone 13 online" or "best price for MacBook Air" has a clear intent to make a purchase. Transactional keywords are incredibly valuable because they target users with strong commercial intent, meaning they are more likely to convert.

Optimising your content for transactional intent can lead to direct revenue and higher ROI from your SEO efforts.

To optimise for transactional intent:

1. Use product pages, service pages, and highly targeted landing pages to cater to users with transactional intent.
2. Include clear calls-to-action (CTAs), such as "Buy Now," "Get a Quote," or "Start Free Trial."
3. Focus on creating product comparisons, reviews, and pricing pages to guide users through their decision-making process.

Examples of transactional keywords:

• "Buy running shoes online"
• "Best deals on 4K TVs"
• "Cheap flights to New York"

Commercial Investigation Intent

Commercial investigation intent falls somewhere between informational and transactional intent. Users with this intent are in the research phase but are getting closer to making a purchasing decision. They are comparing products or services, reading reviews, and looking for recommendations to inform their choices.

Keywords in this category often include terms like "best," "top," "reviews," or "vs."
For example, a user searching for "best laptops for graphic design" or "iPhone 13 vs. Samsung Galaxy S21" is likely comparing products before deciding on a purchase. Ranking for commercial investigation keywords can attract users who are nearing the end of the buyer’s journey, positioning your brand as a trusted source of information.

To optimise for commercial investigation intent:

1. Create content that compares products or services, such as "top 10" lists, comparison guides, and in-depth reviews.
2. Use structured data (schema markup) to enhance your content’s visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs).
3. Include CTAs that guide users toward the next step, such as exploring pricing or making a purchase.

Examples of commercial investigation keywords:

• "Best headphones for gaming"
• "iPhone 13 vs. Google Pixel 6"
• "Top-rated fitness apps 2024"

How to Align Keywords with Search Intent

Now that we’ve covered the different types of search intent, the key to effective keyword research is ensuring your keywords match the right intent for your target audience. This means going beyond just finding high-volume keywords and ensuring that the content you create satisfies what the user is truly looking for.

Here’s how to align keywords with search intent:

1. Identify the intent behind the keyword
   Before targeting a keyword, think about the intent behind it. Ask yourself: What is the user trying to achieve with this search? Are they looking for information, trying to find a specific site, or are they ready to make a purchase?
2. Tailor your content
   Once you understand the intent, create content that aligns with it. For example, if the keyword indicates informational intent, focus on educational content. If it shows transactional intent, emphasise your products or services and include clear CTAs.
3. Analyse SERPs
   The search engine results pages (SERPs) can provide valuable insights into the intent behind a keyword. Look at the types of content that are ranking for your target keyword. Is Google showing blog posts, product pages, or reviews? This will give you a clue as to what type of content you should create.
4. Create a variety of content
   Cover all stages of the buyer’s journey by creating content for each type of search intent. This allows you to capture users at different points, from those just seeking information to those ready to convert.
5. Monitor performance
   After optimising your content for search intent, use analytics tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to track how well your content is performing. Are you ranking for the right keywords? Are users engaging with your content as expected? Make adjustments as needed to improve alignment.