Utilizing Keywords to Get You Ranked in Google

Keyword Research Tips For Your SEO

Keyword research is one of the fundamentals of digital marketing. Increasing web traffic remains the most important criteria for measuring marketing success and, probably the most important reason, all search begins with keywords. According to Hubspot, more than 60% of marketers identify increasing their organic search presence as their top digital marketing priority. Though SEO continues to change moving forward, keyword research and content strategy remain the cornerstones of digital marketing. We here at Sharp Tack Media offer budget web design that allows you to rank for your specific keywords.

Keyword research is the process of isolating words and phrases to rank on search engine result pages (SERPS). The efforts you take in your keyword research will guide you in developing a content strategy to increase web traffic to your digital products. We’ve gathered some of the tips that have proved useful to us over the years. 

Collaboration 

Once you’ve properly identified your target audience, it’s time t o brainstorm what topics your target audience is interested in. What topics are people searching for related to your business? Social media, YouTube and Wikipedia also similarly reveal search trends by attempting to complete your queries. Do not forget about on-site search. You may have a wealth of topic data right there in your own analytics. Your website analytics will reveal what your customers are searching for on your website.

Think Of User Intent

To know what our people are searching for, you need to think like them. For example, if you’re a user looking for laptops to use for work, how are you going to look for it using your search engine browser? So, look for keywords that aren’t only aligned with your goals but will also satisfy what your searchers are looking for. In this case, you’re not pushing them to go back to the search results, looking for a better solution of what they’re looking for.

Don’t Become Stagnant

There’s always more than one way to ask a question. Consider synonyms and semantic variations on keywords that describe your services. Google’s RankBrain technology recognizes synonyms and expands their search results accordingly. Google also punishes websites for stuffing their content with repetitive keywords. Synonyms and variations can help you to reach a larger audience and avoid getting penalized by Google for keyword stuffing.

Monitor Your Competition

Competitor analysis should be an important part of your keyword research. It’s important to know how your competitors are ranking. Competitor analysis can reveal holes in your own content. Also, you should steal ideas from your competitors (not literally, of course). Never use the same content. Duplicate content will also be penalized by Google and is generally frowned upon.

Emulate success, but be cognizant of keyword difficulty, which measures your chances of ranking with a keyword phrase due to tight competition. Also, be aware that Google almost always rewards brand keywords to the owner. You’re unlikely to trick Google into ranking you with your competitors’ brand names.

Keyword research is an incredibly important part of your digital marketing strategy. Your research should consider trends, audience demographics, competition, difficulty and relevance. Keyword research should be thoroughly and consistently practiced.  There are numerous tools, services and agencies that can help you figure it out.

Keyword research is about connecting with your audience. If you ground your research in knowing your customers, the results can aid you in providing better products and services and increasing your brand loyalty. Remember that in this ever-changing landscape, continuous improvement is key if you want to rank consistently. 

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