The Crucial First Step of A Structured SEO Plan: Keyword Research
June 23, 2023
Rudra Kumar
The world of search engine optimization is perpetually evolving, and most people need help knowing where to start when doing SEO. So while creating an SEO plan, the first step you take must be proven and structured.
Keywords are at the heart of everything related to an SEO plan. It guides all subsequent optimization efforts, including content creation, on-page optimization, and off-page SEO. So it makes perfect sense that keyword research should be the first step to creating a structured SEO plan.
Keyword Research
How do you find keywords? You must do keyword research. You’ll need to understand the language and terms used by your target audience and tailor your SEO strategy to meet their specific needs. Basically, you’re able to adopt a user-first approach by researching the keywords they use. However, keyword research in itself requires a structured approach, so here’s what you need to do –
Deep Dive Into User Intent or query intent
User intent is the cornerstone of effective keyword research, providing valuable insights into the motivations behind search queries. Understanding user intent is crucial for developing a successful SEO plan, and by doing so, businesses can ensure relevance in their content, target the right audience, and optimize their online presence for queries pivotal to ensure business success.
Here are a few ways to gain insights into user intent –
- Use SEO tools
- Analyze search results
- Determine search behavior
- Figure out the demographics
Find Keywords Using Tools
You can find keyword suggestions and determine their potential by using SEO tools. Here, the Google Keyword Planner is your best bet, but you can also use SEO tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, and Ubersuggest. Each tool has its own set of unique qualities, but the idea is to get the possible queries you aim to target in your keyword universe.
Select Keywords Based on Search Volume and Relevance
The keyword universe you have got now will have a lot of queries. You must sort these as per the search volume and relevance. Relevance guarantees that the chosen keywords are in line with your product and services, target market, etc. And search volume demonstrates the number of people searching for a particular query. If you can get both of these things to balance, you can achieve higher rankings on search results and drive quality traffic to your website.
Check Keyword Competitiveness/Difficulty
Now, even though you have selected keywords based on search volume and relevance, you must also consider the keyword competitiveness or difficulty. It typically refers to the level of competition you’ll face when trying to rank for a particular keyword.
This step builds a realistic picture of the challenges you may encounter in ranking the selected keywords. For instance, broad keywords will have a higher search volume as well as keyword difficulty because a lot of people are using them. And, likely, all the leading players in your industry are also trying to dominate search results for them.
These insights give you an understanding of how aggressive your marketing approach needs to be and what you can do to pivot it to perhaps target long-tail keywords with lower keyword difficulty. If you’d like to find out the keyword difficulty/competitiveness for a set of keywords, try using tools like Ahrefs, Ubersuggest, and Semrush.
Optimize Content To Align With The Target Keywords
Now that you are done with keyword research, it is time to optimize your existing content and even create new content as per the target keywords. By aligning your content with the target keywords, you increase the chances of your website ranking higher in search engine results.
You can incorporate the target keywords naturally within your content, including the title, headings, meta descriptions, and body text. Additionally, you must learn about the intent of the keyword and increase your content’s relevance to satisfy the users’ query.
Assess the Performance
Now it’s time to assess the performance of your content/web pages. Assessing this performance entails tracking keyword rankings on search results, organic traffic, conversions, etc. The idea is to evaluate the effectiveness of the selected keywords and see if it meets the objectives. Based on the results, you must further improve your strategy and adjust accordingly.
Overall, keyword research plays a pivotal role in creating a structured SEO plan. By doing so, you can uncover valuable insights, identify user intent, and align their SEO efforts with the needs and expectations of their target market.
If, as a business owner, you need help in figuring out your Keyword Universe and building a structured SEO plan to boost online visibility and attract potential customers to your website, connect with Techmagnate for SEO Services.