Think of keyword research as the foundation of your SEO. It’s the process of finding and analyzing the words and phrases that people type into search engines. These words are the “keywords” you need to use in your content to get your website to show up in search results.
Without keyword research, you are just guessing. It’s like trying to find a treasure chest without a map. You might get lucky, but you are more likely to fail. Keyword research gives you the map you need to find your audience and create content that they are actually looking for.
Why Is Keyword Research a Must-Have?
Keyword research is the first step in any SEO strategy because it helps you:
- Understand your audience: It shows you what questions people have, what their problems are, and what solutions they are looking for.
- Find new content ideas: It helps you find new topics to write about that are relevant to your business.
- Boost your rankings: By using the right keywords, you can get your website to rank higher in search results.
A professional platform like Clickrank can help you with this. The platform’s keyword insights tool can analyze your website and provide a list of keywords that you can use to boost your rankings.
How to Do Keyword Research
You don’t need to be an expert to start doing keyword research. It’s a simple process that you can do with a few simple steps.
Step 1: Create a Seed List
Start by brainstorming a list of keywords that are relevant to your business. Think about your products, your services, and the problems you solve for your customers. This list should be a mix of short, general keywords and long, specific keywords.
Step 2: Use a Keyword Tool
Once you have a seed list, you can use a keyword research tool to expand it. These tools can show you:
- Search volume: The number of people who are searching for a specific keyword each month.
- Competition: How difficult it is to rank for a specific keyword.
- Related keywords: Other keywords that are similar to the ones on your list.
You should look for keywords that have a high search volume but a low competition. These are the “low-hanging fruit” that can help you get a quick win.
Our Free Keyword Tool: The New Keywords Report
ClickRank offers a powerful, free tool to help you with your keyword research: the
New Keywords Report: This report identifies emerging keywords that your website is starting to rank for, using data from your Google Search Console (GSC).
The
New Keywords Report provides detailed metrics for each keyword:
- Clicks: The number of clicks a keyword has generated.
- Impressions: How often your website appeared in search results for that keyword.
- CTR (Click-Through Rate): The ratio of clicks to impressions, showing the keyword’s effectiveness.
- Position: Your website’s average ranking for the keyword.
Clicking on a keyword in this report opens a
Keyword Analysis Card: This card gives you a score showing how well your page is optimized for that keyword. It also highlights if the keyword is missing from key SEO elements, such as the page title, meta description, and headings. This tool helps you find new keyword opportunities and take direct action to improve your page’s performance.
Step 3: Analyze the Search Intent
Search intent is the goal a user has when they type a query into a search engine. There are a few different types of search intent:
- Informational: The user is looking for information. For example, “what is keyword research?”
- Navigational: The user is looking for a specific website. For example, “Clickrank.ai.”
- Transactional: The user is looking to buy something. For example, “buy a keyword research tool.”
You should create content that matches the search intent of your target keywords.
Types of Keywords to Focus On
Short-tail keywords
These are short, general keywords that are usually one to three words long. They have a very high search volume and are very competitive. For example, “SEO.”
Long-tail keywords
These are long, specific keywords that are usually three or more words long. They have a lower search volume but are less competitive. For example, “how to do keyword research for a new website.”
You should focus on long-tail keywords because they have a higher conversion rate and are easier to rank for.