In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the complete step-by-step keyword research process for SEO, as shared by Nathan Gotch, founder of Gotch SEO. With years of experience leading successful SEO campaigns and training over 1,000 SEO practitioners, Nathan offers valuable insights into finding the perfect keywords for your campaign.
Understanding Different Types of Keywords
Before diving into the keyword research process, it’s essential to understand the three main types of keywords you’ll encounter:
1. Head Keywords
Head keywords are single words or acronyms, such as “cars.” These are generally the least desirable keywords to target for several reasons:
- Unclear intent
- Low traffic quality and poor conversion rates
- Extremely high competition
- High SERP volatility
2. Body Keywords
Body keywords typically consist of 2-3 words, like “used cars.” While they offer more specific intent than head keywords, they are often highly competitive and may require significant resources to rank for.
3. Long-tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords are phrases with 4 or more words, such as “used cars Douglas Georgia.” These keywords are generally the best option for most websites because they offer:
- Clearer search intent
- Lower competition
- Higher conversion rates
- More profitable ranking opportunities
Three Effective Methods for Finding Keyword Opportunities
1. Analyze Your Existing Keyword Profile
Start by examining the keywords your website is already ranking for. Use SEMrush to categorize your existing keywords into three buckets:
- Low-hanging fruits: Keywords ranking from positions 2 to 15
- Existing: Keywords ranking from positions 16 to 50
- Clustering opportunities: Keywords ranking from positions 51 to 100
Prioritize low-hanging fruits, then move on to existing keywords, and finally explore clustering opportunities to capture more organic search traffic and build topical relevance.
2. Utilize SEMrush’s Keyword Magic Tool
Follow these steps to find keyword opportunities using SEMrush’s Keyword Magic Tool:
- Enter a seed keyword
- Use filters to narrow down results (e.g., keyword difficulty, language)
- Exclude irrelevant keywords
- Add relevant keywords to your list
- Repeat the process with different seed keywords
To expand your keyword ideas, use Wikipedia to find relevant subtopics within your niche and use them as seed phrases in SEMrush.
3. Leverage AlsoAsked.com
AlsoAsked.com is a powerful tool that helps you find long-tail keyword phrases from Google’s “People Also Ask” section. These phrases are valuable for building topical relevance and targeting keywords that your competitors might be overlooking.
Keyword Qualification and Selection
Once you have a database of keyword opportunities, it’s crucial to qualify and select the best keywords to target. Consider the following factors:
- Current position
- Minimum search volume (typically 100 searches per month)
- Keyword difficulty
- Transactional intent
- Relevance to your core offerings
- Keyword trend
- CTR potential
Remember to select one primary keyword per page and create dedicated pages for keywords with different intents.
Keyword Prioritization
After selecting a pool of 50-100 keywords, prioritize them based on resources required for content creation and link building. Use SEMrush to gather data on:
- Target word count for each keyword
- Average number of referring domains for top-ranking pages
Estimate the cost of ranking for each keyword based on content length and required backlinks. Prioritize keywords that offer the highest potential return on investment.
Conclusion
By following this comprehensive keyword research process, you’ll be able to identify and prioritize the most valuable keywords for your SEO campaign. Remember to focus on long-tail keywords with clear intent, lower competition, and higher conversion potential. Continuously analyze your existing keyword profile and leverage tools like SEMrush and AlsoAsked.com to uncover new opportunities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why should I avoid targeting head keywords?
Head keywords are generally not recommended because they have unclear intent, low traffic quality, extremely high competition, and high SERP volatility. These factors make it difficult to rank for head keywords and often result in poor conversion rates.
Q: How many keywords should I target on a single page?
It’s best to focus on one primary keyword per page. However, you can include related variations of that keyword on the same page. If you have keywords with different intents, create separate dedicated pages for each.
Q: What’s the minimum search volume I should consider for a keyword?
For most industries, a minimum of 100 searches per month is recommended. However, for local businesses or niche markets, you may need to adjust this threshold downward.
Q: How can I determine the difficulty of ranking for a keyword?
Use SEO tools like SEMrush to check the keyword difficulty (KD) score. Start by focusing on low-competition keywords and gradually work your way up to more competitive terms as your site builds authority and acquires more backlinks.
Q: What’s the benefit of using long-tail keywords in my SEO strategy?
Long-tail keywords offer clearer search intent, lower competition, higher conversion rates, and more profitable ranking opportunities. They allow you to target specific user needs and often require fewer resources to rank compared to head or body keywords.
