A Primer on Keyword Research for Search Engine Optimization

Performing keyword research is one of the first steps in optimizing your website for search engines. The keywords searchers use that are related to your products and services should serve as building blocks for your website’s content. But finding the most relevant keywords can be challenging; how do you know which keywords should be used for optimizing your website? Start with this primer.

What Are Keywords

For search engine optimization (SEO,) keywords are words or phrases that people enter into a search engine to find related content. Short-tail keywords are broad (commonly one or two words, like keywords or keyword research) and often have high search volume and tougher competition. Long-tail keywords are usually more specific (consisting of three or more words, like aviation seo keyword research or marketing strategies for aviation manufacturers) and often have lower search volume and less competition. While short-tail keywords generally drive more traffic due to higher search volume, long-tail keywords typically have higher conversion rates and produce more results because they include more specific search intent.

Understanding Search Intent

Search intent is a big factor when it comes to researching keywords and understanding more specifically what searchers are looking for. Someone searching for aviation marketing could be researching effective marketing campaigns in the aviation industry or best practices. The implied search intent is more informational and in the research phase. Alternatively, someone searching for aviation SEO agency near me is very clearly looking to hire a local agency for SEO work. The implied search intent is more transactional and that they know more specifically what they’re looking for and exploring local options.

Why Research Keywords

Researching keywords to use on your site for search engine optimization will not only help you determine the best keywords to focus on, but it can also help you discover new keywords that you might not have considered. You could learn that searchers know your product or service as something slightly different than what you initially thought. Or you could find another variation or extension of your product or service that people are searching for that would encourage you to build additional content around through a new page or blog article. But most important, researching keywords will help you identify and prioritize the best keywords for every page on your site.

How to Do Keyword Research

There are many different approaches that can be taken to research keywords, and it should be fairly comprehensive for the best results. At Greteman Group, we use internal and external resources to build the list of keywords you think (and want) searchers to use to find your product or service.

How to Use Keywords

Now that you have your list of keywords with estimated search volumes noted, it’s time to organize and prioritize. Make a list of every page on your website, and begin mapping these keywords to each page. Once you’ve established a keyword for each page, begin optimizing that page around that keyword. Have highly relevant keywords leftover without a page to assign them to? Consider building content for them through new pages and/or blog articles.

Looking for someone to help with the process? Schedule a call and we’ll go over strategies for keyword success.