The initial stage in your SEO journey should be keyword research and basic keyword research tools. In two typical situations, it is very crucial: Learning your specialty: When creating a new website, keyword research can provide you a wonderful overview of the subtopics that are of interest to individuals in your sector or niche. Finding fresh content ideas – planning your content strategy and locating the most lucrative keyword prospects

Keyword Research Chapter navigation

• Where to find keywords?
• Keyword metrics
• Search volume
• Keyword difficulty
• Keyword relevance

Where to find keywords?

There are numerous methods for locating keywords. Creating the seed keywords, or the phrases you’ll utilize as a starting point for obtaining more keyword suggestions, is your first chore. Simple terms like “coffee beans,” “coffee machines,” or “espresso” will work well if you operate a blog about coffee.

The standard methods for finding keywords are:

Google’s suggested terms

In the SERP, Google provides a tone of keyword suggestions. A fantastic place to find keyword suggestions is through tools like Google Autocomplete, People Also Ask, or Related Searches.

Simply enter your seed keyword into the Google search box to activate the autocomplete feature, and automatic suggestions will be generated. The recommendations are based on actual search queries entered by users from around the world.

Keyword tools

A good paid keyword tool is a wise investment that will eventually pay off if you make any money at all from your website. Professional tools provide additional helpful SEO metrics and insights in addition to the keyword suggestions, allowing users to assess the keywords and select the best ones. They can thus significantly reduce your workload and give you a competitive edge.

Using a keyword tool, there are two ways to begin keyword research:

starter phrase

domain/URL of a rival

Keyword metrics

The three most crucial aspects of keyword research should be combined optimally to uncover relevant keywords with large search volumes and low keyword difficulty. This idea is a principle. The three elements and the Keyword Tripod Rule stand in for the three legs.

The tripod will fall to pieces the moment you remove one of the legs.

Search Activity

In the past, keyword research was only conducted by content producers to identify the terms with large search volumes. To manipulate search engine algorithms and guarantee top positions in organic search, they inserted them into content. Since then, keyword research has significantly increased in complexity.

Long-tail keywords vs. search volumes

Numerous keyword research manuals advise concentrating on so-called long-tail keywords, which are more precise and typically have more words.

Simple logic explains why:

Long-tail keywords typically convert better and are less difficult to rank for. There is a greater likelihood that the user is further along in the buyer’s journey because the question is more focused. Not to mention that there are a lot of them—approximately 70% of all traffic is thought to come from long-tail keywords.

Keyword Difficulty

After identifying the keywords you want to rank for, you must determine how difficult it will be by analyzing the competition. Typically, it is described using a statistic called keyword difficulty.

The keyword difficulty value is typically displayed in tools as a number between 0 and 100. The tougher it is to rank on the first SERP for the term, the higher the score. The authority of the pages ranking for the specified keyword is taken into account.

By monitoring keyword difficulty:

• You’ll obtain an excellent overview of the “major” players and “big” keywords in your niche.
• You’ll be able to determine the keywords for which you actually stand a chance of ranking.
• Focusing on keywords that can still produce results for you even if you don’t have much authority yet will help you save a lot of time.

Keyword Relevance

Not least, your keyword ought to be pertinent. The simplest method is to conduct an accurate SERP analysis to learn:

What is the search intent behind the keywords you wish to optimize for? Can you compete with websites in the first SERP? (See the section regarding keyword difficulty previously.) By examining the SERP, you may determine whether the query fits your content and what the search intent is behind it.

There are four distinct categories of search intent:

• Navigational: look up a particular website or brand
• Informational – generic information search
• Transactional: The user wishes to make an online purchase.
• Commercial: Before making a purchase, a person conducts research

How do you conduct simple keyword research?