How To Do Keyword Research For SEO [Beginer’s Guide 2023]

Keyword Research

Keyword research is of utmost importance for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and is practiced by SEO professionals to understand what people are searching for using search engines. The data is compiled and used to prepare a ranking strategy for a particular website that might be offering products, services, or content to target its prospective customers. Once we find the target keyword that people are searching for most, they proceed to make a list by searching similar keywords. However, keyword stuffing should be avoided as it brings no positive result. A website could be penalized by Google citing policy violations and could result in demotion on SERP(Search Engine Results Page) witnessing a considerable drop in rankings.

Types of Search Queries

1. Navigational Query

A navigational query is when a user searches for a particular brand, product, or service. For example, if someone searches for ‘Nokia Flipkart, Google will display the product from Flipkart as it’s already mentioned in the query. 

2. Transactional Query

In a transactional query, the person is looking to buy something. For example, a person searching for ‘buy dog food’ will be presented with a list of e-commerce websites offering the product. Buy, order, shop, etc. are examples of transactional queries.

3. Informational Query

Informational queries are those when a user is seeking to get information. For example, ‘what is thermostable will get results giving the relevant information about the query. For some questions, Google also shows the answer while the user is still typing the question into the search box.

Classifying these three query types will help you differentiate the keywords gathered and use only the relevant key phrases. For example, an e-commerce site offering footwear shouldn’t target a generic keyword like ‘shoe’ even though it has high volume because someone could be just searching for an image that is not relevant to what the site offers. But using keywords like, ‘best shoes online’ or ‘buy ladies shoes’ are relevant because the user is looking to buy that product and would be beneficial to the e-commerce store.

Types of Keywords

1. Short Tail Keywords

Short tail keywords consist of either one or two words. Such keywords have a high volume which means more people are searching for them. However, it has high competition which could make it difficult to rank the website higher even after applying the best SEO practices. To rank for these types of keywords on the first page usually takes years of effort and dedication in SEO tactics. These keywords are known as generic keywords. As these are generic keywords, it has a lesser conversion rate than long-tail keywords.

2. Medium Tail Keywords

These keywords range between two or three words. Medium tail keywords are considered to be the best of the other two. Because they have both good traffic and moderate competition. This helps in better SERP rankings.

3. Long-Tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords have more than three keywords and have less competition. However, it is more specific than other types and relatively has a higher conversion rate. Most SEO professionals target well-researched long-tail keywords to intensify the conversion rate. People generally type long-tail keywords if they desperately want certain products or services.

Your target keyword should be carefully chosen by keeping keyword length, volume, and competitiveness in mind. Going for medium tail keywords like 3-word terms will your best bet, as it not only gives you a chance to outsmart your competitors but also helps you convert visitors into quality leads.

We have presented how you could carry out your keyword research by analyzing the various trends in terms of searches. There are multiple tools that you can make use of for your keyword analysis. Some of them are available for free such as Google Keyword Planner, Keywords Everywhere, Google Trends, and paid tools such as SEMush and Ahrefs. You can use Google’s own Google suggest a feature that offers a list of relevant keywords that people are searching for as you type your query. Google suggestions at the bottom of every page could be used as suggested keywords. Because these are the queries people are looking for.

Conclusion

However, the ultimate line is that you should aim to deliver quality to the user that they value. In this way, you will instantly contribute to your efforts of optimizing your website for a better ranking. It might take time, but it is worth the wait. Check out this space for more fascinating articles to help improve your ranking strategies!

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