In 2024, the average keyword will receive approximately 989 searches per month.

The average search user uses just 1.9 words and 8.5 characters in length to find what they’re looking for. How do you optimize your website to secure a good percentage of the search traffic for your intended keywords? How do you determine which keywords are likely to attract your target market?

This article reviews keyword research, why it’s beneficial for high rankings, and how you can perform keyword research for your own website. It also reviews what a seed keyword is and how you can build on it to create a comprehensive keyword list that is likely to generate more organic traffic.

We’ll review a few things to consider when conducting keyword research and some strategies for coming up with keyword ideas. This article also includes a list of valuable SEO keyword tools that can help you track things like search volume and relevancy.

What Is Keyword Research? 

Keyword research is the process of discovering the words, phrases, and questions that your target audience types when conducting an online search. Businesses typically conduct keyword research to learn what information their users want.

With this information, you can optimize your website to appear at the top of the search engine results pages for your most relevant keywords. Keyword research also helps businesses organize keywords based on search intent and different buying cycle stages.

People searching for a particular keyword can indicate whether they’re browsing, gathering information to make a decision, or ready to purchase. Keywords with commercial intent tend to be the most competitive. The ability to analyze keywords can be especially powerful for businesses.

Why is keyword research important to dominate search engines?

Conducting keyword research is a requirement if you want to dominate the search engine rankings. Google aims to provide search users with results that best match their current needs, and this process is done through SEO and keywords.

Keyword research offers the following benefits:

• Increased brand awareness: Choosing the right keywords can boost brand awareness and exposure.
• More relevant traffic: Ensuring your website appears at the top of related searches ensures that you receive more relevant traffic that’s likely to convert.
• Ongoing organic traffic: The right keyword strategy can lead to consistent long-term organic traffic.
• Higher rankings: The ultimate goal of researching keywords is to achieve higher rankings, which would put you in a position to dominate the search market.

Things To Keep In Mind Before Choosing Keywords 

Search engine optimization and the keyword research process aren’t just about choosing related keywords but also the best ones based on factors like search volumes and user intent. Before choosing the keywords you plan to target, consider the following factors.

Search volume

Search volume refers to how frequently a specific keyword is used per month. Ideally, you want to choose a search query with some search volume. Otherwise, with zero search volume, you’re unlikely to notice an increase in traffic as a result, even if you achieve the top position. Monthly search volume can also help you set a budget for what you’re willing to spend to achieve that top position.

High search volume doesn’t always mean it’s the right keyword for you. Some search queries with high volume may be at the top of the sales funnel, which may not always lead to increased conversions. Additionally, keywords with a higher search volume tend to be more competitive, which will usually require better optimization techniques.

User intent

User intent refers to the specific search phrase and the user’s expectation of related results. Matching content and optimizations with user intent ensures your audience receives the most important information. For example, informational keywords provide value to users looking for information rather than to purchase. Transactional keywords are more sales-based. Ideally, you want to create content based on the right keywords and the user’s intent at that time.

Relevance

Relevance is extremely important in SEO. In fact, Google claims that relevance will be one of the most significant ranking factors in 2024. Search engines like Google want to provide search users with results that are most relevant to their search. Ideally, the keywords you’re targeting should match the overall theme of your website.

Keyword difficulty

Keyword difficulty measures how difficult a specific keyword is to rank for. Keywords with high difficulty typically mean they’re very competitive and will usually require a high SEO budget to rank. Keywords with high difficulty can also take longer to rank. Factoring keyword difficulty scores into your research can help you choose a good mix of easier to rank for search terms, as well as ones that are more difficult and take longer.

How To Get Keyword Ideas

There are various methods available to generate keyword ideas. One of the first steps of keyword research is to identify seed keywords, which are a list of short, basic keywords relevant to your business or industry. Here are some of the best ways to identify your audience’s target keywords.

Listen to your readers

One of the best ways to discover seed keywords is to listen to your readers. Find out what questions they have about your products or the most common topics in discussions or review boards. Think about your target audience, and then make a list of the most common pain points or questions.

Study your niche 

Studying your niche market can also help you identify related keywords. Complete a quick search in your industry to find out what information is available. Review the top organic listings based on search results to learn what information your competitors are offering. Browse multiple pages to get an idea of industry thought leaders and to create a list of seed keywords for your business.

Get keyword ideas from competitors

Tapping into your competitor’s keyword research can provide you with useful keyword suggestions on a limited budget. A keyword gap analysis considers the keywords you’re currently ranking for compared against those of your competitors. A competitive analysis also provides valuable content ideas that you can use to optimize for your target keyword.

Get ideas from your competitors using the following strategies:

• Search your competitor’s website using CTRL+F for relevant keywords.
• Use competitive keyword research tools from SEMRush or WordStream.
• Conduct a search for keywords and review top rankings.
• Work with an SEO agency to complete a competitive analysis.

Find what’s trending in your niche from Google trends

Google Trends is another excellent place to find keyword ideas. It includes specific keywords and questions that are currently trending, leading to accurate, current keyword data that can help shape your content and optimization strategies. However, because this tool is based on trending search results, it’s important to implement them into your strategy as quickly as possible.

Look at your Google Search Console 

Businesses can also use their Google Search Console (GSC) to conduct keyword research. Google automatically includes a list of keywords in your GSC that you’re not currently ranking for and that aren’t too competitive. This is one of the best free keyword research tools, which can also help with finding trending topics and relevant keywords.

From Ideas To Easily Rankable Keywords

Google updates its algorithm hundreds of times per year. With each new algorithm update, Search bots are smarter and more sophisticated than ever before. This means that the steps you take after identifying keyword ideas are even more important to your SEO results. Discovering the best keywords isn’t enough to achieve high rankings.

Once you research keywords most relevant to your industry, you can use the following strategies to implement them into your SEO plan.

Put your keyword on the Google Keyword Planner 

Google Keyword Planner is a free keyword research tool that can provide valuable search intent and keyword metrics. You will need a Google Ads account to find keywords, but doing so doesn’t require a paid membership.

You can use the Keyword Planner to conduct easy, free keyword research with the following steps:

• Sign up for or access your Ads account.
• Click “Planning” using the drop-down menu.
• Click “Keyword Planner.”
• Click “Discover New Keywords.”
• Search for relevant keywords or upload your existing list.
• Review the performance forecast.
• Organize chosen keywords into groups.
• Create a content strategy based on the same keywords.

Use other keyword research tools

Keyword research tools can supplement your seed keywords and help make a list of ideas from initial research to a well-optimized website. Here are a few additional tools that can help you rank:

• SEMRush: SEMRush has a paid keyword magic tool that helps track keyword rankings and competitor movement. It also has built-in tools to help identify the best long-tail keyword or phrase match searches.
• TopicRanker: TopicRanker has a paid tool that analyzes your website for your ideal keywords and then makes specific suggestions on how to optimize content and specific web pages better.
• Long Tail Pro: Long Tail Pro is a top keyword tool for identifying long tail keywords, which are just as important to your keyword strategy.
• Serpstat: Serpstate helps locate keywords with decent search volume in niche markets.
• Keywords Everywhere: Keywords Everywhere is a free plugin that helps you discover keyword trends and ideas, even when you’re not actively searching. It is the best keyword research tool for keeping keyword optimization front and center.

Of course, tools like Google Analytics and Keyword Planner are also effective in implementing an SEO strategy, just as they are in conducting effective keyword research.

Keyword research is easier than ever in 2024 with free and paid tools. Discovering your industry’s most relevant, most-searched keywords can help you optimize your blog post and website better, leading to more organic traffic. Closely following metrics, like search volume and keyword difficulty, can also lead to better optimization results.

Conclusion

Use competitive analysis and research tools to generate keyword ideas for your website. Use SEO tools to track metrics and optimize your website based on rankings. As the search algorithm continues to change, these tools can also help you maintain high rankings that bring relevant traffic.