The internet presents a plethora of opportunities for businesses big and small. At the same time, the web is a crowded place, and the technical details can be mind-boggling. Even if you offer exceptional products and services, standing out from the crowd can be a tough task. Fortunately, with the right keyword research strategy in place, it’s possible to connect with potential customers and drive sales. Here are a few ways organizations utilize keywords to their benefit.
What Are Keywords?
Before getting into the details, however, let’s make sure we’re on the same page. Keywords are terms that users type into Google, Bing, or other search engines to find a product or service. If a user living in New York wants to find pizza, they might type in “best pizza in Brooklyn” to find local pizza parlors. They might also type in “pizza deals near me” or “must-try gourmet pizza,” among other things. Anything that’s typed into that little search box can be a keyword!
The aim is to attract customers who are typing in relevant keywords to your website You can target keywords both organically and with paid campaigns. “Organic” refers to getting customers and clicks without paying, say with content that shows up on search engine pages or through organically shared social media posts. Companies can target keywords by adding those keywords, or versions of those keywords, to their site. With paid campaigns, you’ll pay for ad space to help boost your rankings. Now, let’s take a closer look at how you can approach keywords.
1. Consider the Customer
When your marketing partner conducts keyword research, they’ll place themselves in the shoes of the customer. By envisioning themselves as a customer sitting in front of a computer, they can consider what a customer might type in to find your specific product or service. This includes figuring out key, target demographics and what the customer wants! A customer might search for “wedding photographers in Atlanta” or “online shoe store with free delivery,” for example. The most important thing to remember is that search intent matters; someone seeking information will type in something different than someone looking to buy a product or service.
2. Include Your Location
You may have noticed that some of the hypothetical keywords we’ve included here use a location, like “Atlanta” or “Brooklyn.” This practice, called geotargeting, plays an important role in keyword research. Google and other search engines want to show as much relevant content as possible to customers; when you add a location to your search terms, that specificity helps connect customers to your brand.
Imagine someone in Detroit wants to find a burger joint. If they type in “best burgers” and results turn up showing restaurants in Chicago, is that useful for the user? Someone in Detroit isn’t likely to drive to Chicago just for a burger. Instead, they’re going to look for a restaurant in or near Detroit. When you include those relevant locations in your keyword, Google may highlight you as a local result when potential customers search for your area.
When setting up ads or writing content it’s wise to include geographical terms. Users don’t have to include geographic terms, however, for geotargeting to be relevant. If you type in a product that’s likely to be consumed locally, like food or movie tickets, you’ll likely get local results. If you offer digital goods or services, or if you ship nationally (or internationally), geographical targeting may not be as crucial. Still, in most cases, location may be a factor.
3. Think About Volume
According to Semrush, “Keyword search volume refers to the average number of times a keyword is searched for within a particular time frame.” In short, some keywords are used more often than others. For example, “best burger in Boston” may be more commonly typed into Google than “best vegan burger in Boston.”
In the long run, keywords that produce higher search volumes may yield more traffic and thus will generate greater results. On the flip side, targeting high-volume keywords means that you’ll have strong competitors. Because of this, it often makes sense to target low-volume keywords. Some keywords may be more likely to produce specific actions, such as signing up for newsletters or making a purchase. Second, there may be less competition for low-volume keywords. You may also have an easier time ranking for organic content that targets keywords that generate less volume. With low-volume, location-based keywords, small businesses will have more opportunities to connect with local customers, rather than competing with big corporations. No matter the specifics, your keyword research team will be qualified to find the right fit.
4. Look at Topic Clusters
Keyword clusters, which are also known as keyword groups, are groupings or collections of related keywords that revolve around a central topic or theme. The keywords themselves are closely related in meaning. By targeting keyword clusters, you can improve SEO. This happens because Google reads related keywords, and when the algorithm sees related content, your site is seen as more authoritative on a subject.
To create effective keyword clusters, you usually start with a core keyword that represents the main topic you want to cover. Then, you can identify related keywords, synonyms, long-tail variations, geographically targeted keywords, and supporting topics. Ultimately, this will help you reach a wider but still focused audience.
Once you’ve gathered a set of related keywords, you can organize them into clusters based on their thematic similarities. This organization helps you plan and create content that covers the entire spectrum of the topic, capturing a wider audience and enhancing your website’s overall authority on a given subject.
5. Trust Your Keyword Research Team
Many entrepreneurs find that they simply don’t have the time needed to devote to digital marketing skills, like keyword research. Your time may, in fact, be better spent elsewhere, such as hiring staff and developing general business strategies. In other words, you need to find some marketing experts you can trust – and that comes with finding the right marketing agency partner.
When working with an external marketing agency, you’ll gain access to a team that alreadyhas the skills needed to conduct world-class research and get the results you’re looking for. When you connect with the right experts, you can be confident that they’ll bring ample knowledge to the table.
As you’ve probably noticed, effective keyword research involves many moving parts and constantly updated guidelines. While we’ve covered many of the most important points, there are plenty of other considerations and strategies that your team will use to effectively leverage keywords.
Looking for keyword research experts? We’ve helped countless companies not only with keywords, but also with crafting holistic, effective approaches to digital marketing that can produce excellent results. Our digital marketing services can help you grow your business and achieve your ambitions. Get in touch with Digital Current.
