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The importance of finding the right keywords and inserting them into your content marketing strategies couldn’t be overemphasized. Even though Google keeps on updating its search algorithm continuously, the significance of keyword research remains one of the most critical parameters of consideration among experts and researchers in the online domain.
In this specific article, we’ll provide you with insightful information on a) what is meant by keyword research, b) why it is essential, and c) how to select the right keywords for your blog posts or websites.
Introduction to Keyword Search
The concept of keyword search entails finding, analyzing, selecting, and inserting keywords that your target audiences use to search for the desired information. This specific process of researching the keywords and then inserting them into content to improve traffic to the website is known as Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). By specifically looking into the keywords, an organization can gain insights on its target market, queries of prospective buyers, the significance of questions, ranking of sources, and many more.
Why is Keyword Search Important?
Keyword research is a sure-shot strategy to gain insights into the nature of queries that your target market generally searches for on Google. You will know the actual terms that buyers use to capture information. Accordingly, these keywords can be used in the content strategy to optimize traffic flow and conversion ratio. No wonder, therefore, that all online businesses, content marketers, influencers, bloggers, etc., attach so much importance to keyword research.
Specifically, in the inbound marketing process, the primary emphasis is to create content that your prospective buyers are looking for. Unlike outbound marketing, organizations share the information they want to put across to customers. Therefore, to successfully implement inbound marketing, you should thoroughly search for appropriate keywords and insert them carefully into your content to connect and communicate with prospective buyers.
Which keywords are best to target?
There are primarily three criteria for choosing the best keywords for achieving desirable results on your content strategy: 1) Relevance, 2) Volume and 3) Credibility (refer to figure 1 for details)
1) Relevance
The concept of relevance is fundamental to achieving a higher rank in Google’s search results. The search algorithm of Google ranks relevant content high in the results, which means the value your content holds for seekers is an essential determinant of the success – more valuable information is likely to rank higher up in the search results. The chances of finding a top place in Google’s search results get further brightened if your resource is best among the available sources of information available on the internet.
For example, let us consider the topic of work-life conflict, which describes a situation in which executives’ professional goals and personal goals are incompatible with each other. If readers are searching for information on this particular topic, the relevant keywords that should become part of your content include career, family, goals, conflict, and performance.
2) Volume
There are many instances where your content figures on the very first page of Google’s search result, though, in the absence of high search volume, you might not be able to reap the benefits of high ranking. It is just like setting a shop in a remote country where there is no customer to demand your product even as you’re fully equipped to deliver almost anything.
For instance, the phenomenon of consumer’s acatalepsy, the term used to denote incomprehensibility of a particular thing in customers’ buying behavior. Even if you’re able to insert the right keyword and achieve a high rank in the search results, the website traffic won’t be optimum if people don’t search for the keyword, acatalepsy. In other words, low search volume won’t yield desirable benefits in terms of website traffic, conversion ratio, or acquisition of new customers.
3) Credibility
Another critical factor that impacts the search results is the credibility of the source of information. As a marketer, you have to do extra work to prove your authority in the specific domain. This can be done in many different ways – posting informational content, promotion in social media circles, earning reviews and feedback, and building solid backlinks.
It is essential to understand that in the absence of having a strong authority in the domain, you won’t get a high rank in search results – especially if you’re pitted against the heavyweights such as Harvard Business Review, Mayo Clinic, Times of India, etc.
Helpful tips for choosing the right Keywords
The following steps are recommended and can prove instrumental in helping you choose and select the right keywords for enhancing the site’s traffic and profitability of your online business:
- Put yourself in the shoes of customers: The best way to choose the right keyboard is to think from the perspective of a customer. Try to answer the question: if I were looking for information on this specific topic, product or service, what would I write in the Google Search bar? You can also consult your family, friends, relatives, and experts in the particular category to further make the choice of your keyword effective.
- Keyword Research Tools: Google Ads, Raventools, and SEMRUSH are some of the leading names in the category of keyword research tools. These tools can prove immensely helpful in analysing potential keywords and selecting the most preferred one from the perspective of site traffic and new customer acquisition. All these tools provide information on a number of parameters including keywords trends, search volume, similar keywords, and competitive keywords among others.
- Analyse competitors: The analysis of competitors’ strategy to target the market through selected keywords can also help you to broaden your understanding and selection of keywords. To benefit from it, start by making a list of your competitors, visit their websites, and then carefully evaluate the keyboard they are using to attract potential buyers. Also make sure to keep a close tab on the meta tags as these can provide insightful information on the keywords your rivals are using as part of their content strategy.
- Evaluate Results: Selecting and using the keywords as a part of your content strategy is the first part of the process. The second important thing that must follow the first step is continuous monitoring and evaluation of the results. Also a constant evaluation strategy will help you to identify the emerging keywords or phrases that you can use to get more optimum and profitable business outcomes.
Conclusion
Selecting the right keyword is critical for ranking high on Google’s search results. Many factors come together to culminate into a successful keyword selection strategy, and one must continuously evaluate the selection of keywords to leverage the emerging opportunities in the online world.
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