There are many elements that make up an effective SEO strategy. One element that should never be overlooked is keyword research, as understanding the words and phrases used by your target audience is critical to improving your online visibility. A few core principles of keyword research remain the same, but SEO is changing, which means that some new approaches should be used in 2024. Keep reading for a guide to keyword research for businesses in 2024.
Brainstorm Seed Keywords
First, you need to brainstorm seed keywords. These will be the broad terms relating to your business, which will give you the foundation for your content strategy and help you understand the language your audience uses. For a digital marketing agency, a few examples of seed keywords include:
Digital marketing
SEO services
Content marketing
Improve brand visibility
Use Advanced Keyword Research Tools
Once you have a few seed keywords, you can use advanced keyword research tools to find a set of targeted phrases that will deliver results online. There are a few tools you can use that can provide insight into search volume, competition, click-through rates, and more. The best tools to use include:
Google Keyword Planner
Ahrefs
SEMrush
Moz Keyword Explorer
Analyse Search Intent
Next, you need to understand user search intent so that you can align keywords with the appropriate search intent. This allows you to produce engaging content that will meet the needs of your target audience. The four types of search intent are:
Informational: Seeking information, such as “how to improve brand visibility.”
Navigational: Wanting to find a specific website, such as “Facebook login.”
Transactional: Intending to make a purchase, such as “buy laptops.”
Commercial investigation: Comparing options, such as “the best laptops in 2024.”
Conduct Competitor Analysis
You should also analyse your competitors to find new keyword opportunities and uncover gaps. Tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush can help you see which keywords your competitors are ranking for.
Create Long-Tail Keywords
Creating long-tail keywords is intelligent as these are more specific, which means that there is less competition. Long-tail keywords are also helpful with the rise of voice search where people use more conversational tone compared to text queries. Long-tail keywords are longer phrases, such as “the best laptops for remote workers” and tend to have higher conversion rates as users are further along the buying process.
Monitor Keyword Performance
Finally, you need to make an ongoing effort to monitor keyword performance. Do not fall into the trap of thinking that keyword research is a one-time task—you need to monitor performance so that you can see which keywords are working and which are not. You should pay close attention to rankings, traffic, and conversions to monitor the performance of your keywords and look out for new keywords to incorporate into your strategy.
There is no element of SEO more important than keyword research. The above are the main steps to take to help you identify the best keywords to use for your campaign, which will improve visibility and increase organic traffic to your website.
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