Keyword Research Important for Content Strategy
Some folks say keyword research is dead. We disagree. Keyword research is not dead; but, it has changed a lot.
A few years ago, search engines used keywords as a primary search ranking signal. Today the search engines seek to gauge a searcher’s intent.
Google starts completing a search phrase as searchers type their inquiries. We refer to the list generated by Google as Google’s suggested list. Google also shows a different screen to each searcher based on the searcher’s location and recent search patterns. All these changes make keyword research challenging, but it remains very useful.
Example of Google Suggest List
Our keyword researchers use tools to harvest relevant keywords from Google’s suggest list.
The old way of thinking about keywords was to identify a single term on which you wanted to rank and to build pages for that keyword. This no longer works. Now you must think in terms of keyword phrases and keyword mapping, a set of related phrases.
For our discussion, we will use the term “keyword” research, but it is much broader concept.
While keyword tools and usage have evolved, the basic strategy remains. You must understand the problems your potential customers want to solve and how they search for solutions. Your online marketing activities should use the language of your audience.
Keyword Research Is Important Because:
- Prospective Customers Must Quickly See Your Value.
When prospective customers come to your website, your text must speak to them quickly. If you fill your text with industry jargon, website visitors may well leave your website. If they leave in seconds, you have no chance of converting those website visitors or starting a dialog with them.
- Your Customers Are Using Their Language to Search.
You should write your website’s text to appeal to real people. For example, if people are unfamiliar with industry jargon, they will use more general search terms. Customers may use search terms that are common to the public, but not professionals.
If your website only uses the technical terms for your product or services, you may not appear on the searcher’s search results pages. You will also not appear on those search results pages if you use “branded” terms that only apply to your company.
Here is an example. We conducted keyword research for a company and determined the phrase “internet security software” was a good target.
The marketing copywriter did not want to use the phrase because she thought it was “cliché.” She preferred a unique-branding phrase, “internet serenity software”, which no one in her market used. She wanted to describe it as “serenity software” because she thought the company’s product gave users a “peace of mind.”
While a unique phrase such as “serenity software”, might be very creative, people looking online for “security software”, will not find the page. Moreover, this phrase would not quickly describe the product’s value. People worried about the security of their home computer coming to a page with a headline on “serenity software’, might quickly leave.
- Competition is Fierce for Top Keywords
the ideal keyword phrases are:
• popular with potential customers searching online,
• relevant to your offering, and
• less competitive (face fewer competing pages).
In the above example, a keyword phrase such as “anti-virus” software faces too much competition, and the competition includes some very big-name companies. You really need to look for the sweet spot when you select the keyword.
Sometimes you are too close to your own market to see industry jargon. This myopia may be a good reason to use an outside resource. Or, you may not have the tools to gauge the search volume and competition for each keyword. We have conducted keyword research for many years and would be happy to talk to you.
Our Keyword Research Fees
We provide keyword research on a fixed-fee basis and our fees start at $750 per target market focus. Our staff has years of keyword research experience. We also subscribe to the best industry tools and have some awesome in-house tools we use. While we use tools, our professionals do the hard analysis. We do not merely automate the process. We work diligently to understand your business. To learn more about our process and to discuss your needs, please complete the form on the right.