Easy, Effective Keyword Research for SEO

Doing effective keyword research online is a little bit like figuring out how to create the ideal general map for the tourists who visit your city. It involves finding out where people want to go and then listing those destinations on the map. Because it’s a general map, it won’t necessarily need to list, say, every bike trail or every pizza parlor in the city, but the challenge will be to provide all the vital basics! Because every tourist is unique, not every tourist will want to go to the same places. But in general, a Chicago mapmaker, for example, can assume that it’s a smart idea to highlight the Willis Tower, the Shedd Aquarium, and Gino’s East Pizza because these are places tourists frequently visit and love.

What is the best way to make sure you’ve created a useful map? Real-life facts about the places on the map, statistics, and solid information on who goes there. Basing the map’s creation on research - what locations receive the most traffic, and what tourists’ favorite spots are - will ensure that the map proves helpful to the highest number of people and guide those people where they want to go.

Keyword Research Guarantees That You Get on the Map!

Are you getting the connection here between old-fashioned maps and keywords for SEO? The keywords that you target for your website are like the locations on the map where people are headed in droves. Your job as the “mapmaker” - a.k.a. SEO consultant - is to find out where people are congregating in your city (your industry!) so you can include those destinations on your overall city map. The city map, in this analogy, is your keyword strategy - that method by which you will attract website visitors!

If you’re a little lost on what exactly key phrases are, I wrote about how key phrases factor into SEO - maybe take a pit stop before you keep reading.

1. I determine what this website needs or wants to be found for (i.e. products, services, offerings, branding). I will sometimes create a visual listing key terms, phrases that sum up what the company does, and the company's top offerings. Then I'll compile a list of basic possibilities. These are untested and unresearched, but it's good to get my brain going before I use any tools.
2. I list all the local areas that people might search in conjunction with this company or brand. This could be the city the company is located in, the cities served, the name of a metropolitan area, or the state.
3. Using free or paid tools, I get ideas. I plug in all important services/products/words and (if applicable) geographic locations, if that is important to the business, to get keyword ideas backed by actual traffic information. I also test keywords that I already have in mind. I try to test all possible combinations of services, main descriptors, and location-specific words (if relevant). SEO's used to love Google Ads Keyword Tool to come up with keywords to target for SEO campaigns. Now that tool is no longer available, but Google recently introduced the new “Keyword Planner,” which modified the previous tool and aims to create better Ad campaigns for Google Ads users. Even if you don't use Google Ads, the tool can still be a big help for SEO purposes. (Note: you do need a Google Ads account to use it.) I don't think it should be the only tool you use, however, as people debate the accuracy of the search volume it gives. See it as a tool and not a magic wand! Here is a list of helpful tools that can steer you in the right direction for keywords to select. It's not a comprehensive list, but it's a list I've used with success:
   • Google Trends
   • Google Ads Keyword Planner
   • Ubersuggest
   • Local marketing source keyword tool
   • Moz Keyword Explorer
   When you do keyword research and compile choices, make sure to keep a spreadsheet documenting all of the following information:
   • The keyword itself.
   • Monthly search volume. Global and local. You may only want to focus on local results, or global results, depending on your business.
   • Relevancy This is your opinion. Use your common sense. Is the keyword truly a good fit?
   • Ranking difficulty. For MOZ pro members, the keyword difficulty tool I list above is my favorite. Otherwise, you can simply type the keyword into the search results and check out the Page Rank or Domain Authority of the sites that are currently dominating for that keyword. If these sites are comparable to yours in size, look, content, and relevancy, give the keyword in question a low competitive score - say, 1 on a scale of 5. But if it seems like it will be very difficult to outrank one of these sites, rank it higher, like a 4-5.
4. I determine how easily I could incorporate these keywords into existing website pages. Do I have homes for them? Will it be natural to include them on specific pages? Will I have to create new content for your website?
5. If possible, I consult with other team members to get their opinions. I'll admit, when I know a key phrase gets a ton of traffic, it can be tempting to get greedy and justify targeting the key phrase when it's really either out of my reach or irrelevant. Getting someone else's opinion keeps my feet on the ground and keeps the keyword strategy logical.
6. Finally, I select the most relevant keywords that encapsulate your business offerings and seem to provide worthwhile traffic to target. And hopefully, these keywords are the ones that will work!

Now, my final advice:

DON'T underestimate the importance of keywords. They’re worth your time because they’ll be the guide to your site for people who are looking for you!

DON'T be afraid to tweak the strategy even after you implement it. I've done this time and time again with strategies, sometimes with minor changes, and sometimes re-doing all my research. It's all trial and error. There are no guarantees that you'll rank, or that the keywords you research will work for you. Getting it right takes a combination of solid research and solid intuition.