Keywords bring your content to life. They are used to guide Google in finding and promoting your content to the right audience. If you’re looking for a web designer in Brisbane, you’ll go straight to Google and type in the words Web Designer Brisbane or Brisbane Web Designer. What does that mean? It means if this is what you do, then your website should have content with those exact keywords. But it’s not as simple as stuffing your content with keywords. Here’s your guide to keyword research in 2024.
Why is keyword research important?
If you’re creating content using keywords people aren’t searching for, your content will simply get lost in a sea of other online content. And trust me, there’s a lot out there and it’s easy to get lost. The only way to not just stay afloat, but to make your way on shore, is through the right keywords. If you want people to find you, you have to make sure you’re using the keywords needed to not just bring them to your site but stay there.
How do you find the right keywords?
First, imagine you’re your own ideal customer. If you were searching for your service or product, what would you type into Google to find it? Come up with as many words and phrases as you can and write them all down. With this as a starting point, you can use a keyword search tool such as Ahrefs or Semrush to find out how many people are searching for these terms, how big your competition is with these search terms, and what other keywords might work better for you. If you’re a small company you might not stack up against the bigger fish, so it might be worth changing your keywords to something similar with slightly less demand but also less competition.
Remember, keywords aren’t always just one word. If you’re a website designer in Brisbane, it’s highly unlikely you’ll go very far with the word ‘designer’. You’ll need to take it further through specificity.
And don’t forget to look at your competitor’s sites. Use your keyword research tools to find out what keywords they’re using, and which ones are working well for them.
If you’re just starting out, there are a few free keyword research tools that will help you, but as they’re quite limited it might be worth looking into paid options for full functionality.
How do you analyse the keyword research?
No matter what keyword research tool you’re using, you’ll likely come across similar terms throughout the platforms which might be confusing if you’re new to the research.
Search volume: This will tell you the amount of time a keyword is searched per month and is based on the number of searches, not the amount of people typing it in. Remember, just because a keyword has a high search volume, doesn’t mean you should use it. If your website is new and you’re still working on your optimisation, these high-volume search keywords probably won’t help as people with bigger and better websites will get pushed before yours. Look instead for long-tail keywords, which uses more words and more specificity in the search engine. These are less competitive, and lower in search volume, but could quickly get the right people to your website if used correctly.
SERP: This refers to the Search Engine Results Page. When you type in your chosen keyword, look at the results page on Google. What comes up? Do only the big brands appear? Do you see lots of paid advertising at the top? Or does the page have smaller, more localised companies coming up? If it’s the latter, you’re in with a good chance. But if your keywords are up against the big guys, you need to change them up.
Search intent: What is the reason someone is typing in that particular keyword? Is it navigational (to find a specific page, informational (information on a topic), commercial (to research brands before buying), or transactional (to buy a specific product or brand with the intent of making a purchase)?
Keyword difficulty: This is a measure of how hard it is to rank highly in Google’s organic search results based on that keyword. If you want to compete with a high-difficulty keyword you have to ensure your content is of high value, includes backlinks, that you have topical authority on the matter and that the rest of your SEO is strong. If not, you might be better off searching for something with a lower rating.
When it comes to keyword research, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. If you’re going at it alone, do your research and don’t forget to test and analyse.
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