Keyword planning is a key part of proper SEO, but it can be tricky to get right. We’ve put together this guide to help you understand what keyword planning is, why it matters and how you can use keyword research tools to create a comprehensive strategy for your business.
Keyword planning helps you hone in on the right keywords and phrases to get your website and blog noticed.
Keywords are the words or phrases that people use to search for things online, such as “best pizza in Chicago” or “summer camps for toddlers.” They’re also known as “search engine optimization” (SEO) because when you rank higher in search results, more people see your website.
A keyword is one word or phrase that describes your business, product or service. If you were an accountant who offered tax advice as well as financial planning services, then “accountant” and “tax services” would be keywords for you.
Search engines find your content by finding the keywords people are searching for.
Search engines use keywords to find content, and they use them to rank the content they find. They want to be able to bring up the best results for a given search query (or “keyword”), so they look at how relevant your page is likely to be by searching through its text and looking at other signals like whether or not it has been shared on social media.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is all about making sure that your site gets found by people who are in need of what you’re offering. It’s about creating content that includes those keywords people are using when researching topics related to your business or industry.
When you’re thinking about keywords for your business, think about what questions people might have when first learning about your products or services, as well as what terms they might use in their searches.
If you sell shoes, for example, a customer might ask:
- What are the best shoes to buy?
- Where can I find high-quality running shoes?
- How do I choose between different types of running shoes?
- Are running shoes important for walking too?
Google is good at understanding what you mean.
When you type something into Google, it will match your search with the best possible results. It does this without you needing to use a keyword exact match (a word or phrase surrounded by quotes).
Google understands what users mean when they make searches, so it can find results that contain those words in context—not just their exact word matches. So, for example: if you’re looking for information about “SEO strategy” but then add “for beginners” at the end of your search query, Google would understand that you want to see more results on how to do SEO strategies as opposed to simply answering what SEO is all about.
Having specific long tail keyword phrases that mention your city or area along with a particular service will help local consumers find you more easily.
Long tail keywords are more specific and more relevant to the searcher. If you have a local business and want to rank for people searching for plumbing services in your city or area, it is important that you use long tail keywords that include your location. For example, instead of just using “plumber,” try something like “plumbing service Fort Lauderdale.”
You can utilize other “power words” beyond geographic names in keyword phrases, including words such as free, how-to, tips, review, best. These interest readers and can be great organic traffic magnets.
For example: this article provides a detailed review of the best keyword research tools available today!
Okay, so how do you do keyword research that can help you plan for SEO?
Well, the first thing I want to emphasize is that there is no single way to do this. There are some basic principles, however:
- Know your audience and what they’re looking for on the Internet. It’s important not only for your own personal brand but also for any clients you may have who may be looking for different services or products than yourself!
- Use tools like Google Trends or SEMrush’s keyword research tool to find out what people are searching for online right now (and in the future). You’ll also be able to see which terms have more competition than others so it’s easier to rank higher in search engines like Google if those terms appeal more than others would be. This can help guide how much time should be spent on each type of content piece being created based on what people want right now – which could mean doing less upfront planning ahead of time but ultimately end up saving time later down the road! So don’t worry about spending too much time doing this step either 😉
- “Brainstorm” keywords by using resources such as Moz Keyword Explorer or WordStream’s Keyword Tool; then narrow down those choices by using Google Trends information or other sources such as Wikipedia pages related directly with those topics/concepts being researched beforehand! These types of queries tend not only get more traffic from users searching online but also because they have been found by other similar websites already ranking well within search engines due their popularity within niche industries!”
Now that you understand the basics of keyword planning, start refining your own unique method for identifying good keywords to target. Try out a few different ideas, identify what works and what doesn’t, and apply these methods over time to fine-tune your search engine optimization campaign process—and watch your traffic grow!