7 Ways To Boost Your SEO Rankings Through Keyword Research

If you run a business online, you’ve probably heard the term “search engine optimization” — or SEO — being kicked around.

This is an area of digital marketing that involves creating content, targeting keywords, building backlinks, and more to climb the search engine results pages (SERPs) for queries relating to your business.

In this article, I’m going to dive into how you can best conduct your keyword research, so you can create the most effective content that will get you more customers.

Look at the keywords your competitors are ranking for

If you aren’t currently ranking on the first page of Google for your desired queries, it’s because your competitors are. So, it’s a good idea to study what they might be doing more effectively, so you can replicate, improve upon, and reap the benefits of the strategies they’re using.

The best way to do this is with some competitor keyword analysis, which will tell you exactly what keywords similar companies are ranking well for, and highlight any opportunities you’re currently missing.

When you’re looking into what keywords your competitors are targeting and successfully ranking for, it’s best to use a specialist tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs Keyword Explorer, SpyFu, or RyRob’s Free Keyword Research Tool.

Once you’ve gathered all of your data, look at keywords your competitors are ranking for and you aren’t even targeting, any opportunities where you’re lagging slightly behind and could fix with a few tweaks, and any gaps your competitors are missing but you could fill.

You’ll be beating them on the SERPs in no time!

Allow your keyword research to inform your content marketing

Sometimes it’s tough to figure out what kinds of content you should be creating. You might have a lot to say, but what is your audience actually interested in reading? This is where keyword research comes in.

You can use tools like Google Keyword Planner SEMrush’s Keyword Magic Tool, and Ahrefs Keyword Generator to look into what your ideal customers are actually typing into search engines.

For instance, say you run an online shoe store and you want to create a styling guide. By plugging the phrase, “how to style shoes” into Google Keyword Planner, you can find a list of other related searches that are more specific and easier to rank for because they have a lower monthly search volume (and, therefore, less competition!). In this case, you could let this search inform your content by creating a styling guide off of the related keyword phrase “how to style combat boots”.

Answer the Public is another tool that can also help you to identify specific questions your target customers are asking. By plugging “leather boots” into their search bar, questions like, “how to soften leather boots,” “when to polish leather boots,” and “why condition leather boots.” appear. These are all great questions that you can base some of your future content on!

If you’re still stuck for inspiration, Bookafy has a great guide to coming up with easy content marketing ideas that you can check out. They cover tutorials, Q&As, competitions, and more.

Target keywords that relate to different stages of the customer journey

To reach as many people as possible through the SERPs, you want to be targeting keywords related to different stages of the customer journey. Let’s break this down easily using the shoe store example from above:

Beginning of the journey: Someone might search “why wear leather boots” if they’re thinking about buying some new footwear but haven’t decided on the style yet.
Middle of the journey: “What type of leather boots to buy” targets people that know they want this kind of shoe, but aren’t sure where to go. You could create a poll or listicle about different styles of leather boots and what to wear them with to target these customers.
End of the journey: Someone who has already bought leather boots, or who is just about to, might search “how to style leather boots” for inspiration or to ensure they’re going to be right for them.

Let’s take a look at some businesses that are already doing a great job of creating content that catches people at different stages of their purchasing journey.

For instance, Venngage and Visme offer an online tool that allows people to create infographics to enhance their content. They create a lot of content that offers design inspiration and advice for people who already know that they need the company’s services, but they also have a guide called “What is an infographic?” for people who are at the very beginning of the customer journey.

It’s likely that people who come across this content don’t even know what an infographic is, or why they might need them. By reading this article from Venngage, they’ll learn about the usefulness and benefits of infographics. Then, if they decided that their content needs these visuals, they’ll be far more likely to enlist Venngage’s help to make them.

Besides that, the content mustn’t include any lexical and grammatical errors. The beginners can face similar difficulties due a lack of enough experience, so they can always reach out to various content marketing or essay writer services for proving their target audience with high-rated content.

Features

Tipaliti is an accounts payable automation service provider and catches people in the middle of the sales funnel with their round-up of the best accounts payable software.

People who are interested in this content will have already decided that they need this kind of software, but aren’t sure which option is going to suit them best. So Tiplalti is trying to help their target customers make the best decision to suit their needs by outlining the pros and cons of the software available.

The company included its own product in the round-up, but not with a hard sell. Instead, they’ve created this guide to help their customers make the best purchasing decision, which will help to build trust.

You can also catch people just before they make a purchase, or even afterwards, with content that addresses any last-minute concerns.

For instance, the online pet products store Chewy has a guide to switching your dog or cat to a new food. People interested in this information might have already bought the new food and discovered their pet doesn’t want it, or they could have the food in their cart but might be having some doubts. This guide puts any concerns to rest and also builds trust, which could lead to a repeat purchase.

If you want to reach as many people as possible with your keyword research and the resulting content, think about what information people will be looking for at different stages of the sales funnel. Then, address any common concerns, questions, or paint points with high-quality content.

Look for longtail keywords that are less competitive

Longtail keywords are more specific phrases that tend to get fewer searches.

They typically catch people in the latter stages of their customer journey, when they’re looking for more specific information about a subject. Because they’re long and specific, they’re usually far less competitive than generic or shorter keyword phrases, too. This means that, if you target them, you are more likely to rank highly on the SERPs and should start to see more conversions. Targeting longtail keywords is a great SEO strategy if you work in a highly competitive market and are going up against a lot of well-established businesses.

One way you can find longtail keyword suggestions is by looking at the bottom of the Google search pages. This is where you’ll find the “searches related to” section, which can give you lots of great ideas.

Alternatively, check out Keyword Tool, which is a free keyword research tool that can provide you with a big list of longtail keywords, along with their search volumes. It will provide you with questions you can answer, prepositions you can target, and more.

Consider the intent behind certain keywords

You should always be considering the intent behind specific searches to ensure that you’re targeting keywords effectively. There are three main types of intent when a person is conducting an online search:

Informational: People will search these terms when they’re trying to learn something. “How to” or “why” questions will be common.
Navigational: These keywords will be used when someone is looking for a specific site. They’ll usually include a brand name.
Transactional: These are the keywords people will search when they’re actually planning to make a purchase.

Keep this in mind when you’re creating content based on your keyword research.

For instance, if you’re working on the copy for a page where people can actually buy a computer, you are going to want to target transactional phrases like “buy a laptop online” or “where to buy a gaming PC.”

Alternatively, if you’re writing a buying or instructional guide, you’ll want to target informational phrases. These could include “best laptops for writers” or “how to build a gaming PC”.

These searches have two different intents, so you need two different types of content.

Consider whether you should be targeting local keywords

If your business has a physical location, or a lot of your customers are based in one area (say, if you run a real estate company in central Ohio), you might want to target local keywords.

Think about when you Google something simple like “coffee shops” and you’re given results specific to your location. This is thanks to local SEO and, if you aren’t harnessing the powers of it, you could be missing out.

When you’re conducting local keyword research, make sure you’re targeting localized modifiers like “in (your city).”

Take a look at how Google Keyword Planner provides additional targetable keywords when you add your location. In this case, the keyword we provided to Google was “real estate central Ohio.” Suddenly, you have a lot more localized terms to build your content with. Doing so will give search engines a better understanding of where you’re based on who you serve, so it can send the most relevant customers your way.

Resist the temptation to stuff your content with keywords

Once you’ve done all of your keyword research, it can be tempting to squeeze as many relevant phrases into your content as possible. The more the better, right? Wrong.

That used to be an effective strategy, but Google’s algorithms have gotten a lot more sophisticated, and search engines prefer to promote well-written content their audience will enjoy reading. So, make sure you only include your keywords in a way that ensures your content still reads naturally.

Would you want to stay on a website if you saw something like this?

“If you’re looking for leather boots, look no further! We are a leather boots store specializing in selling leather boots. Find more leather boots right here on our website! We have the best leather boots you can buy.”

No, and Google is aware of that.

Search engines prioritize the user experience over everything, so you’ll be penalized if you stuff your content with keywords and it ends up reading terribly. Write naturally and throw in a few keywords when you see an opportunity, but don’t force it.

Summary

SEO is one of the most important marketing tools you have at your disposal. And, by targeting the best keywords, you can rank on the most relevant SERPs and attract the right people to your website.

When building your keyword strategy for SEO, always consider the search intent, target different parts of the customer journey, use local keywords where necessary, and keep your finger on the pulse of your competition. It won’t be long before you’re on your way to the top of the results pages.

Ready to take the next steps with your marketing? Take a look at Bookafy’s piece on 5 marketing practices that you can use to grow your small business.

7 ways to boost your seo rankings through keyword research | bookafy

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