SEO Keyword Research

Begin with a list of relevant topics and seed keywords. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner and Ahrefs to expand the list, analyze competitors, and prioritize based on relevance and traffic potential. Regularly update your keyword list to adapt to market trends and search engine changes.

An SEO keyword is a specific term or phrase used within online content to enhance visibility on search engines. These keywords are strategically integrated to help a website rank higher in search results, attracting organic traffic.

SEO is a holistic strategy to improve a website’s visibility on search engine results pages, encompassing multiple techniques. Keyword research is a subset of SEO focused on identifying and analyzing valuable search terms for optimizing content.

Popular tools include Google Keyword Planner for its integration with Google Ads, Ahrefs for extensive keyword analysis and competitive insights, and SEMrush for detailed data and diverse research capabilities. The choice depends on specific needs and budget. Consulting with an SEO firm can also provide expert guidance on tool selection and various SEO services.

All right, so keyword research. Huh? Looks like you’ve really been digging into this, got articles, research, even some notes in here. Yeah. Wow, this is gonna be a deep dive for sure. It is. But I think it’ll be fun. Yeah. A lot of people get kinda freaked out by SEO, all the technical stuff, but really, at the heart of it, keyword research is about people. Right. What are they typing into Google? What are they actually searching for? Yeah, figuring out how to speak their language. I’m seeing in your sources, it mentions things like insights into marketing trends, but I’m thinking it’s gotta be more than just knowing what’s trendy right now, right? Oh yeah, definitely. Think about it this way. You’re that online pet store owner from your notes. You do your keyword research, and you see all these searches popping up for vegan dog food all of a sudden. Okay. That’s not just a trend, that’s an opportunity. Right. Maybe it’s time to add some vegan dog food to your store. Yeah. Or create some blog posts or articles about it. Target that specific niche. So it’s like getting ahead of the curve before all the other pet stores catch on. Exactly, yeah. I like it. The sources also mention stuff like traffic growth and customer acquisition. Those are gotta be connected somehow, right? Oh, for sure. When you really get what people are searching for online, you can make content that directly answers their questions. Okay. Which means your website is way more likely to show up high up in the search results. More people see it, more people click on it, more potential customers. Makes sense, it’s like you’re building that bridge between what people are looking for and what you can offer them. Yeah, that’s a good way to put it. So we keep saying SEO keyword research, but what’s the quick and dirty definition? What are we really talking about here? Hmm, well, at its core, it’s about finding the words and phrases people use in online searches. Okay. Analyzing them. Right. But it’s more than just making a list of words. It’s also figuring out the why behind the searches. So like what are they hoping to find? What problem are they trying to solve? Exactly. What are they trying to learn? What are they trying to buy? So we’re like detectives trying to uncover those hidden clues to understand what people want, even if they don’t know how to say it. You got it. Okay, I’m putting on my detective hat. So what are the big things we need to understand before we actually start doing keyword research? The sources mention relevance, authority, and volume. Yeah, those are the key ingredients. Okay. Let’s start with relevance. Imagine you’re searching for best pizza near me. Okay, I’m hungry already. And you click on a link, and it takes you to a website about car repair. Not helpful. Not helpful at all. Your content needs to match what people are searching for, right? Right. If it doesn’t, it’s like you’re talking to a wall, no one’s listening. So speak the same language as your audience, got it. What about authority? How does Google decide which websites are the experts? It’s not just looking at keywords. It’s judging how credible your website is. Okay. Would you trust medical advice from some random blog? Probably not. Probably not. Unless it was written by my doctor or something. Right, exactly. You’d probably look for info from a trusted source, like a hospital website or something. Okay, but how does Google figure all that out? It can’t check websites credentials, can it? No, but it looks for signals. Okay. Like backlinks from other reputable websites or a big one? Like votes of confidence, kind of. Exactly. The more quality votes you have from other websites, the more Google trusts you. Okay. And the quality of your content matters too, of course. If your website is full of bad information or it’s purely written, it’s not gonna be seen as an authority no matter how many links it has. So Google’s like the bouncer at a club, checking IDs, making sure only the best get in. Exactly. All right, and last but not least, volume. What’s that all about? Volume is how many people are actually searching for a specific keyword. It’s like choosing between setting up shop on a busy street or in a quiet little alleyway. Okay. High volume keywords get lots of traffic. More potential customers. Right, but they’re also way more competitive. So it’s like you wanna find those keywords that have a decent amount of traffic, but aren’t so crowded that you can’t stand out. Exactly, you wanna hit that sweet spot. Keywords that are relevant to your audience, have decent search volume, and are actually attainable for you to rank for. Okay, I’m starting to see how all these pieces fit together, but how do we go from these ideas to actually doing the research? What are the steps? Well, think of it like planning a road trip. Okay, I like where this is going. First, you need to choose your destination. All right. What are the main topics you wanna focus on? What’s relevant to your business or website? So for our online pet store example, that could be dog food, cat toys, pet grooming, that kind of thing. Exactly, you’re defining the map, so to say. Okay, so that’s step one. Getting the lay of the land. What’s next? Time to start packing our bags with keywords. Not quite yet, now we zoom in. Okay. For each of those broad topics, you start brainstorming more specific keywords. So under dog food, you might have things like, best dry dog food, organic puppy food, grain-free dog food for allergies. So we’re getting more and more specific. Exactly, yeah. We’re mapping out the route, not just the destination. I like that analogy. And this is where those fancy keyword research tools can come in handy. Okay, the sources mentioned a few. Right, tools like Google Keyword Planner and Answer the Public can really be your GPS here. They help you uncover valuable keywords that you might not have thought of on your own. So we’ve got our topics and we’re building this awesome list of potential keywords. What happens next on our SEO road trip? This is where we go from just collecting keywords to really understanding them. Okay. We need to analyze search intent. Search intent. Yeah. The why behind those searches. Oh, right, right. For people trying to learn something, buy something, or just compare different options. So we need to figure out their motivation. Exactly. Yeah. It’s not enough to know what words people are using. We need to understand what they’re really hoping to find. So we’re putting on our detective hats again, piecing together the clues. Yep. Look at the keywords themselves. The types of websites that are already ranking for them. Even the related searches that Google suggests. Ooh, good tip. Yeah, are people asking questions? Using phrases like buy now. Those are all clues. Okay, this is making a lot more sense now. Good. We’ve covered the basics of SEO keyword research and we’ve even dipped our toes into the steps involved. I think so. I’m feeling there’s a lot more to discover. Oh, absolutely. What else awaits us on this SEO adventure? Well, now that we have a good grasp of the fundamentals, it’s time to explore some advanced techniques. Ooh, I like the sound of that. Yeah. Techniques that can really take your keyword research to the next level. We’ll talk about long tail keywords, competitor analysis, finding those hidden gems that your competitors might be missing. Okay, things are about to get really interesting. They are. I’m ready to dive deeper. Let’s do it. Welcome back. All right, so last time we laid all that groundwork, figuring out what keyword research is, why it matters, those key elements. Now I’m ready to actually UEC all this stuff. Like how do we optimize our content with these keywords and actually start climbing those search rankings? Okay, so that’s where on page optimization comes in. It’s basically like we’re setting the stage, making sure our website is appealing to both search engines, A&E actual people. So making Google happy and giving people what they want. Yeah, exactly. Finding that balance, that sweet spot where SEO and user experience work together. I like it. All right, so let’s break it down. Where do these keywords actually go on our website? Well, there are a few key places where they can really shine. One of the most important is your title tag. Okay, title tag, that’s that blue link you see in the search results, right? Like the headline of your website. Exactly, it’s the first thing people see. So it needs to be clear, concise, and include your target keyword naturally. So for example, if I’m writing about the benefits of organic dog food, my title tag could be something like, benefits of organic dog food, is it right for your pup? Perfect, you’re telling Google and potential readers what your page is about right from the get go. Got it, okay, what else? Meta descriptions are important too. Oh yeah, those little blurbs under the title tag in the search results. Right, they give people a little more context, try to entice them to click. It’s like your elevator pitch, convincing people to check out your page. Exactly. And just like with title tags, make sure your meta description includes your keyword and it’s appealing to actual humans who are reading it. Okay, title tags and meta descriptions, check, what’s next? Headings and subheadings within your content are important too. Those are like the H1, H2, H3 tags, right? Yeah, they break up your content, make it easier to read for both people and research engines. So it’s not just about stuffing keywords everywhere, it’s about being strategic, creating a nice flow. Exactly, think of headings like signposts guiding people through your content. Use your keywords where they make sense, break down the information into digestible chunks. Makes sense, keep it readable. Right, exactly. Oh, and don’t forget about image, alt text. Alt text, what’s that again? It’s the text that describes your image, if it can’t load, or for people using screen readers. Oh, right, for accessibility. Right, plus it gives Google more context about what’s on your page. And another place to sneak in some keywords. Exactly, make sure it actually describes the image, don’t just stuff keywords in there randomly. Okay, so we’ve covered title tags, meta descriptions, headings, even alt text. But I feel like we’re missing something big here, like the actual content. How do we make sure that’s optimized and engaging? You’re absolutely right, keywords are important, but they’re just one piece of the puzzle. The most important thing is creating high quality content that people actually want to read. So we’re writing for humans too, what a concept. I will write, but seriously, Google wants you to write for humans too. Okay. Their algorithms are getting smarter all the time. They can tell if your content is actually helpful and engaging. And if people are bouncing off your site after two seconds, Google’s gonna notice that. Exactly. All right, point taken. So how do we create this magical content that everyone loves? What’s the secret? Well first, remember search intent. Right, right, the why behind the… We’re not just throwing keywords on a page, we’re trying to actually answer people’s questions, fulfill their needs. So if someone’s searching for best dog food for picky eaters, they don’t want some generic article about dog food, they want specific recommendations, maybe even stories from other dog owners. Exactly, get into the mind of the searcher, give them what they’re looking for, even if they don’t come right out and say it. So be comprehensive, don’t be afraid to go deep. Right, think quality over quantity. Okay. And make sure your content is readable. Break it up with headings, bullet points, visuals. No one wants to read a wall of text. So we’re crafting this amazing SEO meal, keywords are the spice, but the content itself is the main course. I like that analogy. But how do we know if people are actually enjoying it? How do we measure if all this work is actually working? Okay, that’s where SEO analytics comes in. It’s all about tracking data to see how your website is performing in those search results. My favorite. It’s like checking the reviews for your website. Okay, what kind of data should we be looking at? One of the most important is organic traffic. Organic traffic, that’s the number of people coming to your site from search engines, right? Right, not through ads or social media. It’s how many people are finding you naturally. Got it. Tools like Google analytics can tell you all sorts of stuff, like how much traffic you’re getting, where it’s coming from, which pages are most popular. That’s super helpful. It is. And then there’s keyword rankings. Right, where your website shows up in the search results for specific keywords. Exactly, are you on page one, page two, or buried somewhere on page 10? I’m guessing we want to be as close to the top as possible. As close to the top as possible, yeah. Tools like SEMrush and AREFS can help you track your rankings over time and see which keywords are doing well and which ones need some work. Okay, so organic traffic tells us how many people are finding us. Keyword rankings tell us where we stand in the search results. What else? Don’t forget about your backlink profile. Backlinks, right? Those links from other websites pointing back to yours. Yeah, they’re super important. They’re like gold stars in Google’s eyes. So the more good quality backlinks we have, the more Google trusts us and the higher we’ll rank. Exactly, it’s all about building that authority. Okay, and are there tools that can help us with this too? Oh yeah, for sure. RFS and Moz can help you analyze your backlink profile, see who’s linking to you, and find opportunities to get even more backlinks. Wow, this is a lot of information, but it sounds like all these metrics give us a really good overall picture of how we’re doing. They do. And the important thing is to use all this data to make decisions, refine your strategies, and keep improving your website. So it’s a constant cycle of learning and tweaking. Exactly, SEO is always changing. So you gotta be willing to adapt. That makes sense. This has been super helpful. We’ve gone from the basics of keywords to crafting awesome content, to measuring our success, but I have a feeling there’s even more to the story, right? Oh yeah, definitely. We’ve been talking a lot about what happens on your website, but there’s a whole other world of SEO strategies that happen off your side. Off-page optimization, you mentioned that earlier. Right, it’s like we’ve built this beautiful house, now we need to invite people over. Okay, I’m intrigued. All right, so we’ve talked about keywords, we’ve talked about on-page optimization, but you mentioned something about off-page SEO. What exactly is that? It’s kind of like, imagine we spent all this time building this amazing house. Okay. We haven’t invited anyone over yet. Right. Off-page SEO is all about building your website’s reputation out there in the world beyond your own website. So getting other websites to vouch for you, like an online popularity contest? Yeah, sort of. The more positive attention you get from other websites, the more trustworthy you seem. And that helps with Google rankings. Absolutely, one of the most powerful ways to do this is through link building. Link building, okay. I hear that term a lot, but I’m still not entirely sure what it means. It’s basically getting other websites to link back to yours. Like a shout out from a friend? Exactly, and just like with friends, some recommendations carry more weight than others. Right, so a link from a random blog probably isn’t as valuable as a link from, say, The New York Times. Exactly. The higher quality the website linking to you, the more it tells Google that you’re a trustworthy source. So quality over quantity? Definitely. Right. But the more high quality backlinks you have, the better your chances of ranking higher. That makes sense. But how do you actually get these backlinks? Do you just email people and ask nicely? Well, you can, but the best way is to create content that’s so good people naturally want to link to it. So become the ultimate resource, the go-to website for your niche. Exactly. Write amazing blog posts, in-depth guides, do original research, create beautiful infographics. Make it so good other websites can’t resist linking to you. Yeah. But you can also be proactive. Reach out to websites in your niche. Tell them about your content. Suggest ways they could link to it. So it’s a combination of creating great content and promoting it strategically. You got it. Link building is an art, but it’s super effective for boosting your website’s authority. Link building, check. What other off-page strategies are there? Yes, don’t forget about social media. Right. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, all that. Yeah. They’re not just for sharing funny cat videos. Okay, so how can we use social media for SEO? It’s all about driving engagement and getting people to visit your website. So not just likes and followers, but actual traffic. Exactly. Think of it as a megaphone for your content. Okay. When you share your blog posts or videos on social media, you’re reaching a wider audience. More people see it, more people click through to your website. And if it’s really good content, they might even share it with their friends, which amplifies your reach even more. So it’s like a ripple effect, starting from social media. Right, and while Google might not directly use social media engagement as a ranking factor, it definitely helps indirectly. Okay, so social media, link building, anything else we should know about. Oh, guest blogging can be really effective too. Guest blogging, like writing articles for other websites. Exactly. You get to share your expertise with new audience, build relationships with other people in your niche, and get more backlinks. It’s like planting seeds all over the internet. Yeah, the more active you are online, the stronger your presence becomes. Okay, this is a lot to take in. It sounds like off-page SEO is a lot of work. Is it really worth the effort? It definitely takes time and effort, but it’s crucial for long-term SEO success. So it’s like building a strong foundation that will support your whole website. Exactly, you wouldn’t build a skyscraper on a weak foundation, right? No, definitely not. Same with SEO. Off-page optimization is that solid foundation. Wow, this deep dive has been incredible. We’ve gone from understanding keywords to optimizing our content, to exploring all these off-page strategies. I feel like I’ve learned so much. It’s a lot to cover, but the main thing is for a member that SEO is always changing. Right. New trends pop up, Google updates its algorithms, people’s behavior changes. You gotta be ready to adapt. So stay flexible, keep learning. Exactly, never stop learning. The world of SEO is huge, but if you’re curious and you like to experiment, you can achieve amazing results. Okay, that’s inspiring. Any final words of wisdom for our listeners? Just remember, never underestimate the power of a well-crafted keyword strategy. That’s a great takeaway. And to all our listeners out there, keep exploring, keep experimenting, keep optimizing. Until next time, happy SEO adventures.