For any marketer, Google’s first page is a coveted place to be. Using the best keywords for SEO means you’ll appear in the first few rankings. You’ll be right where your target audience can see you.
But if you’ve been online for any length of time, you know the rules are always changing. Google’s algorithm changes are consistent and frequent. They’re always working to make rankings better, more relevant.
To you as a marketer, it means a never-ending quest for SEO. And keywords are at the heart of it.
How do you know which are the best keywords to target? What worked in the past doesn’t seem to work today—now what?
Let’s talk about what’s working right now.
What Are the Best Keywords for My Site?
What keywords you should target depends on your business and SEO goals. Without goals, it’s hard to identify the most valuable keywords for what you do. With clear goals, you’ll be better able to steer your SEO strategy for leverage and longevity.
Most businesses start with the goal of driving traffic to a site or a page. But it’s more than that. What kind of traffic do you want? One million vegans driven to a site that sells steaks won’t have successful results.
Get specific. Who is your audience? What demographics work best? How fast do you need results?
SEO is a long-term strategy, but you can start seeing results quickly with the right planning. The more details you put into your SEO plan, the better you can target specific keywords that will make a difference.
Identify What Is Working
Before you move forward, it’s important to note where you already are. Use a tool like Google Search Console or Ahrefs to determine which keywords you currently rank well for. They will help you show you what content has ranked well in the past to provide you with a direction to move forward as you build more. It can also help identify low-ranking pages that need a little work to push them forward and higher into the search results.
As you analyze your current content for keywords, think about:
- What keywords are already working well?
- What keywords would complement the content you have in place and attract a new audience?
- What content can you refresh to work better?
Look at Your Competition
You’ll also want to see what currently appears in Google searches for your top keywords. Simply perform searches using each keyword. Or use tools like Ahrefs to analyze your competitors. Either way, you’ll uncover a list of keywords you might not have content for or currently rank well for in your niche.
Use this for planning and building. High-volume keywords will have high levels of competition, making them harder to rank in search results. But you can find low-hanging fruit: keywords that are easier to compete for and that will work well for targeting your audience.
Use Keyword Tools
You should consistently brainstorm new keyword ideas. Even after doing this for years, you’ll still come up with niche topics you’ve never explored.
Start broad. Make a list of relevant topics based on your target audience’s perspective. Then, narrow it down. This is where keyword research tools come in handy.
You’ll find many keyword explorers that allow you to search for free. Google Search Console, Moz Explorer, and Backlinko provide relevant information as you search. They’re great for generating new ideas and brainstorming new keywords. Different research tools will provide different results, so it’s good to mix it up.
Look at What’s Not Working
Have you ever performed a search with a strong keyword, only to find it dominated by high-performing brands that add new content regularly? They consistently rank high and few competitors outrank them.
Trying to outmaneuver them can drain your resources. A better approach is to target keywords with lower traction and obvious content issues. When you click, you find old content, slow page loads on mobile, title tag and meta issues, and other conflicts.
You can find low-performing keywords through keyword search. You can also rely on SEO tools like Ahref or Moz for more information.
Look at volume and clicks. This shows how popular a search term is. You don’t want to solely go for high volume—lower volume can be harder to rank for and take longer to show up. Lower volume keywords are easier to rank for, which ultimately can drive more traffic to your pages sooner.
Also look at relevance. Google tracks everything. It looks at how often your ranked content is clicked compared with your competition’s. If you find other brands moving ahead, analyze it to find out why. Do they speak closer to the heart? What are you missing?
Build a Mix of Head Terms and Long-Tail Keywords
Head terms are short, competitive, high-volume keywords that command a lot of strength within your target audience. Long-tail keywords bring in the traffic through smaller searches, but quickly become the backbone of your SEO strategy. Your best keywords combine the two, creating a robust keyword strategy plan that builds longevity.
While you might have head terms in mind, long-tail keywords develop over time. It’s a never-ending list of keywords that always impact your content goals. How do you find these keywords?
- Ask your sales team and service center what questions they answer regularly.
- Use Google’s “People Also Ask” feature to find other relevant topics.
- Find keywords that answer the basic five questions: who, what, when, where, how.
- Use keyword search tools.
- Search for seasonal keywords related to your niche or industry.
It’s Your Turn
While this isn’t a definitive guide on keyword research, it is a good starting point for finding some of the best keywords to target for your business SEO strategy.
Most people start with high-level keywords and build around that, forgetting to move to long-tail strategies. Thinking outside the box can transform your plans and help you approach SEO marketing from many angles. This guide gives you more tools to try in your search process.
And if you have any further questions about keyword research, connect with us. We can help you better understand your keywords and develop a strategic plan for better SEO placement.
