If you’re running a small business, keyword research is an essential part of your digital marketing strategy. By performing a keyword search, you can identify the words and phrases customers use most often when searching for products or services like yours. This will help you target your content more effectively and increase your website’s visibility in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
How to Perform a Keyword Search for Your Website
1. Start with brainstorming
Before you start researching keywords, it helps to brainstorm some ideas about what words or phrases people might use to find your business online. Think about the words and phrases that are related to your industry or product offerings. Make sure that these words are relevant to your audience and reflect what they are looking for when they make an online search.
2. Research keywords with tools
There are several tools available that can help your keyword search. Some of the most popular tools include Google AdWords Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and Moz Keyword Explorer. These tools allow you to see which keywords have high search volumes and low competition levels so you know which ones will be most effective for optimizing your website content. They also provide insights into the type of content associated with each keyword so you can tailor your content accordingly.
3. Analyze competitors’ strategies
Once you have identified some potential keywords, take some time to analyze how your competitors are using them in their content. This will give you an idea of what kind of content performs best in terms of SEO rankings as well as user engagement levels. Look at their webpages and blog posts to see which keywords they’re targeting and how they’re utilizing those words within their copywriting efforts. This will give you insight into what kind of approach is most successful among similar businesses in your industry so you can use it as a roadmap for planning out the content on your own website.
4. Analyze your target audience
Once you’ve identified the keywords used by competitors, it’s time to analyze your target audience. Who are they? What language do they use? What problems do they have that need solving? Answering these questions will help you determine which keywords are most likely to resonate with your target audience.
5. Focus on quality over quantity
When performing a keyword search, it’s important to focus on quality over quantity. Don’t just stuff as many keywords as possible into your content; instead, take the time to find the right words that accurately describe what you offer and who your target audience is. Focusing on quality over quantity will ensure that you’re targeting the right people with the right message.
6. Incorporate your keywords
Once you’ve identified the right keywords for your website content, the next step is incorporating them correctly into your webpages and other online content such as blog posts and social media posts. It’s important that these words appear naturally throughout the content, so they don’t disrupt the flow; this means avoiding phrases like “our company offers X service” or “we specialize in Y product” as much as possible without sacrificing readability or quality of writing.
7. Don’t overuse keywords
It’s important to remember not to overuse keywords as this can lead to spammy content and make it difficult for readers to understand what you’re trying to say. The goal should be to use relevant keywords naturally throughout your content so that it flows well while still optimizing your website for search engines. Using too many keywords can also cause search engines like Google to penalize your website if they think you are trying too hard with SEO tactics rather than focusing on providing quality content for readers. There is a formula that Google seems to prefer and that is one instance of a keyword for every 100 words of copy.
