Google keeps us on our toes with the algorithm constantly changing and becoming ‘smarter.’
So how can you rank higher on Google Search?Understand what your audience needs and offer them the solution
If you already understand your target audience and niche then researching these keywords and SEO will be a lot easier for you to manage because you will understand exactly what your customers and clients are looking for.
You are also capable of understanding your customers pain points and problems and are able to provide solutions through creative copy targeted to these problems.
Why keyword research is so important for SEO
Google has over 100 billion different search terms to filter through. People are constantly searching for solutions to their problems, advice on a plethora of different topics and local businesses to fulfil their wants and needs. In order to take full advantage of your rankings on Google you must understand what your audience requires and what they will be searching for so you are able to rank higher on the search page and provide them with the relevant answer.
The first step is to do your keyword research before you start your SEO. There are a couple of reasons for this but first if you’re unfamiliar with what keyword research is let me explain.
What is keyword research?
The aim of keyword research is to find and analyse the search terms people enter on search engines with a view to using those phrases for a specific purpose, most often search engine optimization (SEO) or general marketing. Researching keywords can help you determine important queries to target, the popularity of these queries, the ranking difficulty, and more.
Why is keyword research so important?
Your target audience searches for various queries every day on Google. Keyword research provides valuable insight into those queries. You can use this information to inform your content strategy and your marketing campaign as a whole. However, keywords themselves are not so important to search engine optimisation, let me explain.
How to research keywords for your SEO strategy
Here is a quick, step by step guide that can aid you in finding the right keywords for your SEO strategy.
Step 1: Compile a list (between 5 and 10) of relevant, important topics related to your business.
Step 2: Add keywords to those topic buckets. For example, because we are expert in web design we would brainstorm terms such as “expert web design Australia,” “web design for small business” etc.
Step 3: Understand the importance of intent in keyword research and analyse it accordingly. User intent has become one of the most pivotal factors in your ability to rank well on search engines like Google. Rather than simply carrying a searcher's keyword, your web page must address the problem he or she is trying to solve.
Step 4: Search for related terms. When you enter a keyword into Google, related search terms will appear when you plug the keyword into the search box. If you are having trouble thinking of more keywords people might be searching about a specific topic, you can look at the related search terms that appear. Depending on your original input, Google will suggest searches related to your phrase at the bottom of the results page. These keyword ideas can provide you with some additional keyword ideas to consider.
Step 5: Use keyword research tools to your advantage.
I personally love using SEMRush and Keywords Everywhere to research and find related keyword searches and also compile my SEO strategy. Keywords Everywhere also has a Google Chrome extension that can be added to your browser. They offer free keyword research versions but the paid versions are relatively cheap depending on what you would like to achieve.
If you would like to learn more about creating SEO strategy and keyword research, reach out to our web design team.