Choosing the right search keywords is one of the most important aspects of a good search engine optimization (or SEO) strategy.
If you haven’t been focusing on keywords when creating content for your website, you’re likely lagging behind your competition.
Of course, choosing the best keywords is easier said than done in a lot of cases. If you’re not sure how to go about this, keep reading.
Listed below are 10 tips that will help you choose good search keywords for your website.
1. Know Your Goals
When you’re working on anything marketing-related, it helps to start by identifying your specific goals. What are you hoping to accomplish here?
The short answer for most people is that they want to attract more people to their website. What do you want them to do once they get there, though? Sign up for a newsletter? Buy a product or service?
Getting really clear on your goals can make it easier for you to move beyond your keyword strategy and know exactly what you want and who you want to target with your keywords.
2. Brainstorm
Once you know more about what your goals are for your website, do some brainstorming. Think about terms people might be typing in when looking for businesses like yours.
Let yourself write down or type out these terms without thinking too much about them. The goal is just to get some words out. Then, later, you can refine your list and figure out which words and phrases will likely be the most effective.
3. Search for Related Terms
After you’ve exhausted your brainstorming abilities, take to the internet to look for terms related to those you’ve written or typed.
First, go to Google and type in a particular word or phrase. Then, scroll to the bottom and look at the list of related search terms.
This can help you get more keyword ideas and think of things in a new way that you might not have at first. It gives you more insight into what people are searching for online as well.
4. Look at Search Volume
Once you’ve got a solid list of potential keywords, start diving deeper into your top contenders. There are a lot of factors that make a keyword a good one. One of the first things to consider, though, is search volume.
The term “search volume” refers to the number of searches a particular keyword or phrase gets.
In general, if you want your website to rank for a particular word or phrase, it needs to be one with a relatively high search volume. After all, what’s the point of optimizing your website for a word that no one’s using in their online searches?
5. Think About Relevance
Another factor to consider is keyword relevance.
You want your keywords to be a good fit for the particular goods or services your business offers. There’s no sense in optimizing your website for the keyword “best raincoats” if you don’t even sell raincoats or anything related to rainy day attire, right?
Remember, your goal here is to connect with people who are already looking to solve a particular problem. You want to optimize your site so that it attracts those people.
6. Consider the Competition
Don’t forget to think about the competition, too. Some keywords are highly sought after and used by a lot of different websites. This will make it harder for your website to rank for them.
For example, the keyword “jogging” is likely going to be harder to rank for than the phrase “how to find good jogging shoes.” This doesn’t mean that you can’t still utilize keywords that a lot of people are using, but you’ll likely be better off picking more specific words or phrases.
7. Assess Search Intent
Search intent is important as well. The term “search intent” refers to, you guessed it, the intention of the person conducting the online search.
When you’re thinking about keywords and phrases, think not only about what that person is likely to type but also the kind of results they’re hoping to find.
Are they hoping to find a particular business near them? Do they want to purchase an item for an affordable price? Considering search intent helps you get more specific and find better ways to appeal to your target audience.
8. Use the Right Tools
There are lots of tools you can use to learn about things like search volume and competition. Answer the Public and Google’s Keyword Planner are great options, as are SEMrush and Ahrefs.
These tools can help you to shorten your list of keywords and figure out which ones you’re going to use to optimize your existing content and create better content for the future.
Remember, it’s okay to try out a few different tools to see which one you prefer and which one is the most helpful to you. You don’t have to use all of them if you don’t want to.
9. Work with a Professional
At this point, you might be a bit daunted at the idea of choosing good keywords for your website.
Are you concerned about having enough time to carry out all of these steps? Are you worried about your ability to choose the right keywords still? If this is the case, there’s nothing wrong with reaching out to a professional.
The experts at Growth LogiQ recommend working with an agency to save time and start seeing your ideal results faster. They can also help you learn more about finding good keywords so that, in the future, you can handle this task on your own.
Choose Good Search Keywords Today
Have you been feeling overwhelmed at the idea of choosing good search keywords for your website?
If so, hopefully, the information in this article has helped you feel more confident and given you the insight you need to make the right choices for your business.
Do you want to learn more about keyword research or SEO in general? Check out the other SEO articles on our site today to dive deeper into this topic and word toward becoming a search engine expert.