Doing keyword research is an important aspect of your content marketing strategy. Being able to find and utilize the “right” keywords can make a difference between a successful and unsuccessful campaign.
But, how do you find the right keywords? Even if you’re utilizing keyword tools to uncover keywords related to your niche, you still might be choosing the wrong ones.
Below we offer three tips that will help you get the most out of your keyword research efforts, so you can choose keywords that will help your business grow.
1. Uncover the Language Your Prospects Use
Keyword research isn’t the time to guess what your audience is searching for.
Your customers will speak and enter search terms in a specific manner. Just because you found a solid keyword doesn’t mean your prospects are going to be typing this keyword into Google.
Beyond using keyword research tools you can expand your search to the comments section of your blog to see what specific language your customers are using, or you could even run a poll on social media or via email to ask what keywords your visitors consider typing in when searching for information related to your business.
2. Update Your Keyword List on a Consistent Basis
Keyword research isn’t just a one time thing. New search terms spring up on a daily basis and if you want to take advantage of these it’s helpful to be one of the first sites to learn about it.
Plus, the way that your customers speak and search about your topic changes and evolves over time too. You can also utilize Google Trends to see the popularity of certain keywords you’re targeting over time.
Make sure you have a system for regularly performing keyword research. Try to branch out your search as well by using new keyword tools or customer interviews.
3. Look at Existing Popular Articles
One of the best ways to improve your keyword research process is to have an in-depth understanding of the space for you dive deeper into the research process.
For instance, you need to study the blogs and other written information that other successful businesses in your space put out. If they’re successful, then chances are their readers enjoy what they put out. You can learn the type of language they use, what topics are popular, and the general keyword choices they make. You can use a tool like Buzzsumo to determine the most popular topics for a chosen website, or niche.
Once you have a thorough understanding of your space this will give you a bigger bag of keyword ideas you can draw from.
We hope the tips above will help to improve your keyword research efforts. If you’re looking to take your content marketing and digital marketing efforts to the next level, then get in touch with our team today.
Photo via Mary Whitney
