By 
With the rise of the internet, more and more people are using the internet every day to their benefit. Nothing is better than having all the information collected in one place organized in a very efficient way. As of January 2021, there were 4.66 billion active internet users worldwide, making 59.5 percent of the global population. Hence, it becomes essential for companies to find out the popular searched and current keywords used to make necessary updates.
Keyword research is one of the most used strategies by companies these days. It is a practice search engine optimization professionals use to find and research search terms that users enter into search engines when looking for products, services, or general information. There are many applications and tools specifically designed for companies to aid in the process. You can either use these applications or do your own research without the need for any application.
Why is keyword search important?
Keyword research lets people know what the current trends and searches are. For example, if you are a new business owner, you might like to find out how much people are searching for the product or service you wish to provide. Moreover, you might want to find out if specific keywords are being used concerning the product that you should use while advertising. Thus, keyword research can provide graphs and statistics that can help you set up the perfect advertisement to drive internet traffic towards your brand.
How to practice keyword research?
Some tools and applications that help in keyword searches are:
1. Google Trends
Google Trends is the best way to find out what people are searching for on the internet. It is an application specifically designed by Google to provide up-to-date information on the current trending searches on the internet. It uses graphs and statistics to provide a comprehensive guide to its users and supports multiple languages. It is a free data exploration site and can be used by anyone. Some benefits of using Google Trends are:
- Understand Keyword Search Volume
- Identify Seasonal Trends
- Avoid Temporarily Popular Keywords
- Find Trending Relevant Topics
- Use Trend Predictions
- Find Related Queries
- Optimize Local SEO Strategy
- Enhance Video SEO Strategy
How to use Google Trends?
As with all Google tools, you need to sign in and create a user’s profile kept safe with a username and a password. Once you are in, you can use different tabs and buttons to search trending results. You can choose specific topics related to your brand and search keywords relating to them.
Google Trends is considered a very accurate and reliable source of data. There are some tools available that provide more accurate data, but Google is still considered the most user-friendly and widely used tool.
2. Observe Related Searches
Although this is a very amateur trick, it is surprisingly effective. When you search a term on Google, you see a drop-down list of terms related to your search word or the ones starting with the same letters. This can be a great way to find out the terms people are searching for. Along with the list, Google displays another list of ‘Related Searches’ at the bottom of the page. When you type in your phrase and scroll to the bottom of Google’s results, you will notice some suggestions for searches related to your original input. These keywords may help you to look into other keywords you would want to take into consideration.
3. Ubersuggest
Ubersuggest is one of the most convenient keyword search tools out there. It is a free chrome extension that can be added on search platforms like Google, Youtube, or Amazon. Some services it provides are monthly keyword search volume, CPC & competition data. Once you type your keyword, you will see keywords and search terms data. If you want more details on any given keyword you searched for, click ‘view all’ next to the search bar, and you will get access to even more keywords and SEO insights. Like Google Trends, it is available in many languages, uses graphs and statistics to provide visual data, and gives traffic estimations.
4. SEMrush
SEMrush is an online all-inclusive SEO tool used for understanding digital marketing insights and keyword volume. Brands use SEMrush to keep a close eye on their competitors and study the keywords and phrases that get the most traffic on the internet. However, this particular tool picks up most of its data from Google and Bing browsers. SEMrush displays the current ranking present on Google or other browsers for each keyword or URL one searches for. You can track your keywords or observe how browsers display your pages to the users. The only downfall of SEMrush is that it is paid and doesn’t have any free versions, for starters. Hence people have to look for free alternatives.
5. Answer the Public
Answer the Public is one of the most user interactive tools to get a first-hand account of what people are searching on the internet. It doesn’t only work for brands and specific keywords but can be used to explore the statistics of any word you want. Once you type in a word, it forms interactive web charts and flow charts outlining every possible phrase and question that can be formed around that word. It also displays an alphabetical list of terms that include the word you want to search. Hence, Answer the Public is a one-stop data recollection site. It is free of cost and is open to everyone who wishes to find information and statistics about any word.
Finding out what people are searching about on the internet can be very useful to anyone in the field of digital marketing. However, it is an ongoing process. New trends get caught on every day, and thus, keyword rankings are constantly changing. Therefore, it is important to frequently check your keywords and find out how you rank compared to your competitors.
You may also like: How to improve brand image
