What a decade in SEO I learned in keyword research that works

What a decade in SEO I learned in keyword research that works

Keyword research changes. The rise of the AI search and content recognition via platforms such as TikTok means that people do not click as much on websites as before. You can maneuver at the top of Google and still get zero clicks, since AI overviews now answer queries directly in the SERP.

But in my opinion this shift is nothing to fear.

The role of an SEO specialist today is to combine buyer problems with real solutions and use keyword data in order to promote business growth. And now we sit on a lot of data about the buyer’s behavior. What the search for buyers has about problems that buyers have and how consciously they have the solution.

I have spent almost a decade to do: to help SaaS, e-commerce and service-based brands to increase sales through organic content, to maneuver for highly converting keywords and observe their content strategies across channels.

This guide divides the exact keyword research process that I use with customers. I will show you how you can find keywords that still click, create conversion -driven themed topics and give the search intention to go to every phase of the buyer trip. These are the same methods that helped my customers to increase blog revenue by 254%, achieve top positions in Google and even land quotes in tools like Chatgpt.

Table of contents

What is Keyword research?

Keyword research is the process of finding and analyzing search terms (words and phrases) with which people find information online, regardless of whether they are looking for conventional search engines such as Google using conversation platforms and LLMs or social media.

Previously, keyword research was only synonymous with Google, but the search is far beyond that because the search behavior has changed.

The research of HubSpot on the way people are looking for identified:

  • 31% use social media to search.
  • 12% use AI chatbots to search.

Infographic shows how people are currently looking for online. Search engines are still the most popular.

While these statistics are incredibly important, I should add the restriction 88% of people still use Google Google.

It cannot be denied: At the moment, Google is still the platform with most of the search.

The infographic shows a circular diagram with Google as the most important part in the search.

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However, this could change, and search development is one of the main reasons why the correct implementation of correct research (in the pursuit of business growth) is so important.

Why is Keyword research important?

Keyword research is important because you will find the overlap of keywords that:

  1. Not to difficult to rank for.
  2. You can certainly produce excellent content.
  3. Do you have the right search intent to achieve your business goals (e.g. transaction keywords lead to sale).

Your SEO Keyword Research Sweet Spot

In the following I am near five important points, which I consider for keyword research in today’s SEO and the results listed above for keyword research.

1. Keyword research helps you to understand your buyers.

Keyword Research offers SEO specialists to become the tools to become the most well -founded marketers about buyers, their behavior, their problems, search habits and the sensitivity to solutions.

With this information you generally bring significant advantages to marketing.

If you know what your audience is looking for, you can create content that corresponds to these terms.

Better, you can align marketing to create strategies across channels to target these keywords.

2. Keyword Research combines strategies across channels.

The conversion of SEO depends on the fact that a viewfinder know what he needs and being able to search for it. This way of thinking does not take place overnight, and it does not have to be with holistic keyword strategies.

While SEO is waiting for a viewfinder enough to search for something, social media can educate an audience until they are willing to carry out their final search and to be receptive to a new solution.

For example, if an company sells an ergonomic desk that reduces long -term problems in connection with attitudes, customers could finally convert the “ergonomic desk for home office”. But most people don’t know that they need such a desk. Instead, they are looking for things that surround this, such as:

  • Neck pain at work (20 search queries per month).
  • Best desks for home offices (110 search queries per month).
  • Improving attitudes to work (10 search queries per month).

All search queries can be identified using keyword research.

As soon as I have completed my keyword research, I have articles on topics that bring the right audience (people who need an ergonomic desk, whether they know or not) on the website. I would even create it if it were a search term that led to a search in zero click.

Why?

Because not all content for search engines have to be used.

When I carried out my keyword research, I share them with other marketing teams. Assets like a blog created for the keywords can also be shared on social media and e -mails.

Important NOTE: In order for this to work, you must have a content strategy that includes other marketing teams, and you have to work together to exchange knowledge and create a marketing funnel. Drift Kings Media has a Guide to the content strategy here.

In addition, the inbound methodology is an excellent guide. It focuses less on creating content about what we want to tell people. Instead, inbound marketing is about creating content about what people want to discover. Our audience comes to us for helpful content that provides the desired answers. And everything starts with keyword research.

3. You are future -proof your strategy, no matter what changes in SEO.

Old SEO strategies, including keyword research, were short -sighted.

Instead of thinking in the long term, the SEO industry has long focused on clicks and impressions in Google.

The problem?

The keywords that are used to create most clicks and reach the impressive (on the surface) -looking trend diagrams that are looking upwards were not led to conversions. This thinking was always short -sighted, and now this short -sighted approach will simply not work.

Before this approach, this approach could earn incredible click diagrams with increasing impressions and clicks.

Now that the AI needs meet the user needs, these tactics leave websites on a plateau or worse, with falling traffic and without money from the traffic lake.

If SEO does not make any money, it will be difficult to get future budgets.

A Study by Farmtoro Displays a general negative trend for us and EU traffic clicks from Google.

The graphic from Farmtoro shows how clicks lose weight in the USA and the EU.

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How does Keywords research research a strategy for the future?

You research in a way that meets Audience needs. If you can do this, you can serve your audience regardless of where you are looking for, and your service will be useful for you. You don’t just get clicks for your website.

Here is an example of the old type of keyword research for a florist. The main strategy is the traffic of keywords with a high search volume per month, for example:

  • “How to press flowers” (18,100 search queries per month)
  • “How to dry flowers” (12,100 search queries per month)
  • “How to keep flowers longer” (12,100 search queries per month)
  • “How to keep flowers” (12,100 search queries per month)
  • “Which flowers are safe for cats?” (5,400 search queries per month)

Previously, a rank 1 for one of these keywords would return a mega upward click diagram.

But would it bring conversions? Unlikely.

The key words mentioned above are informative, which means that the viewfinder wants to be trained. You already have clicks, but no conversions. The ranking for these keywords had no influence on the end result.

And now these queries with AI overviews hardly give back any clicks.

Here is a AI overview of the keyword “How to press flowers”. It is very detailed and even contains a video.

Screenshot from the Google search shows how the researched keyword

Information keywords are no longer the goal. Instead, I research the audience requirements, pain points and conversion -driven keywords.

If you stick to the example of florists, keywords can be included:

  • “Where to order flowers for delivery” (9,900 search queries per month)
  • “Flowering goose plants” (18,000 search queries per month)
  • “Send flowers to someone” (12,000 search queries per month)
  • “Buy flowers online” (9,900 search queries per month)

These are transaction keywords, so that the viewfinder wants to fill out an action (a conversion). These keywords probably lead to sales and should be prioritized when carrying out Keyword research.

Regardless of where people are looking for or how they are looking for, these keywords will always bring revenue to the company.

As below, a search for “buy online platforms” does not show AI overviews. Instead, the SERPs get directly to the companies that can meet the searcher’s intention and sell the flowers.

A screenshot from Google Serps offers an example of keyword research that returns conversion-controlled pages.

Although the transactional keywords listed above have a high search volume, this is often not the case, especially in complex B2B. With the new type of keyword research, the search volume is not a problem because high search volumes can lead to zero clicks. They are quality clicks that are important.

I spoke to Drift Kings Media Growth Manager Amal KaleeppWho reflects this feeling.

Kalepp warns that one of the usual mistakes that make people assume that a higher monthly search volume (MSV) is better. “” Instagram Marketing “seems to be the best keyword for which there are millions of search queries,” she says. “But it makes it much more difficult to manage.

“You may be lucky with something like” Instagram Marketing for Small Business ” – and then that can be your niche.”

She says you could “get much more traffic ranking for a keyword with a lower MSV and a lower competition” with a high MSV.

4. It helps you increase sales and achieve business goals.

If you understand your buyer and research the right keywords, you are on the way to earning money directly with SEO efforts.

SEO sales are what the budget flows and decision -makers and stakeholders are satisfied.

There is a complication with keyword research and ranking. It is easy for me to say that we have to address key words with the floor funnel keyword, but we also have to be able to maneuver for you.

5. You can determine whether a website is classified for the desired keywords or not.

Keyword research helps us to determine whether our website has a chance of ranging or not.

Kalepp says that Keyword research “determines who your competitors are and which area of the search landscape you can evaluate. Performing Keyword searches and understanding where your blog or your website -Sweet Spot is -that gives you rankability.”

SEO keyword research begins with the understanding of her sweet spot.

In other words, if we are looking for a keyword, we can see who our competitors (the ranking) and whether our website also has the chance. I cover this in the section “Prioritize low -hanging fruits”.

Elements of keyword research

Keyword research can feel complex. So let us change this by breaking it into four main elements.

Audience needs

First you need to know what your audience Needs From you. How do you help you without that?

The recognition of the needs of your audience can be traced back from keyword research. You can use tools (listed below) to see what people are looking for.

I love to understand the audience through Keyword research, but I don’t like relying on Keyword research. Instead, I want speak To my audience, sales teams and customer service to hear from them.

Ask customers or potential buyers:

  • What happened in your company when you were looking for a solution?
  • What was the biggest challenge with which you were confronted with?
  • What would have happened if you hadn’t solved this problem?
  • What did we do that helped them solve problems?
  • What did you wish we could have done it better?
  • What information do you want that you used to understand in the process?
  • What other solutions did you consider before you select us? Why?
  • What made you choose us against others?
  • Was there anything that almost led you from the purchase?
  • Who was involved in the decision?
  • How did you research or find after a decision?

Pro tip: Use the audience’s findings to create buyer staff. You can use a buyer personality for free Hub spots do my persona Buyer persona generator. It’s simple and the workflow ensures that you don’t miss anything. If you want help in creating detailed buyers, read: How to create detailed buyer personas for your company

Ask sales or customer service teams:

  • What are the most common objections you hear?
  • What questions about prospects most often on calls?
    In which part of the sales process remain leads?
  • What triggers a buyer to look for a solution like ours?
    What language do buyers use if you describe your problems?
  • What are customers most confused?
  • What functions or advantages do you rave about?
  • Are there recurring problems or complaints?
  • What often ask customers that we do not offer?
  • Which types of customers seem happiest (or least of all happy)?
  • Which assets do you need to need the most to help your workflow process?

Pro tip: Use this information to answer frequently asked questions that are an essential component for the design of the customer experience. If you know what your sales and customer service teams need to improve workflows, you will receive your content and your assets an additional value. For example, if you create a blog and share sales and customer service, you save time for care, and your content sees it in mind without relying on the search.

Search behavior

You need to know where your audience is looking for before you can create content for you. Your public research should give you some ideas and you can use tools like Google search console (GSC) and Google Analytics (GA4) to see how people like to look for.

Google search console

The Google Search console shows what people are looking for to find their website and how many searches receive clicks.

This is what the report looks like.

Go to GSC > Performance> Query.

Screenshot from my Google search console shows how you can identify Ranking queries in order to determine which queries can prioritize for prioritization of the keyword research.

All search queries that have led to an impression or click are listed here. You can use this report to see what your audience is looking for and what queries lead to most clicks.

From the screenshot above I can see that most people search my brand name, followed by my name, to click on my website. It makes sense because most of my marketing is carried out via LinkedIn. The next most popular keywords are listed.

Google Analytics

GA4 has a report that helps you to see where the traffic comes from. So you can find it.

Go to Ga4 > Find your project> Reports> Akquisition> Traffic recording

In the report, click on the plus next to the drop-down session “Session Primary … Channel Group” and add “Source/Medium”.

Screenshot from my Google Analytics shows how you can identify traffic sources to identify which platforms can prioritize keyword research for.

In the screenshot above I can see that visitors to my blog from:

  • Google (87.74%)
  • Bing (1.73%)
  • Chatgpt (0.12%)
  • Reddit (0.09%)

It seems that my audience is most active on Google.

A very important restriction: This data is Ownership data, And it only shows how people find my site.

Why is that important?

Because there could be unused opportunities.

In order to find unused opportunities, it helps to carry out wider research with typical user demographies.

For example:

Axios found that a little more than a quarter of 18 to 24 year olds start their search on video platforms such as YouTube and Tiktok. If you know this, you may have to think about Keyword research on video platforms if this age group is your target group.

In his latest Consumer trend reportDrift Kings Media found that more men prefer a generative AI search than women. Men (33%) are significantly more common than women (25%) to find the search “a lot” for online purchases operated by Gen AI.

Take it?

If you take into account the audience and your preferences, you can adapt your efforts to the platforms that prefer users based on the user behavior. Fulfillment of the user preferences is likely to increase the conversions. If you aim at Gen-Z, keyword research may be best on video platforms. If you sell products to men, prioritization of keyword research for LLMS may be the way forward.

3. High quality content and relevance

Google evaluates content based on relevance.

  • The content must be useful for your company. This means: do not create content, only competitors are.
  • The content must meet the search intent, which means that the content you create is exactly what the viewfinder (your audience) is looking for.

Their content is only classified for a keyword if it meets the requirements of the searchers.

In addition, your content must be the best resource for the query. Google does not rate its content as high if it offers no better value than its competitors.

4. Location of authority

Google gives the sources more weight. So how do you become a relevant source? Start enriching your website with helpful, informative content and promoting this content to earn social signals and backlinks.

Drift Kings Media.com and the Drift Kings Media blog are well-established websites, and we are working hard to provide the content that our readers are looking for.

As a result, the root mony and the subdomain have a very high domain authority:

Screenshot from MOZ shows the domain overview for Drift Kings Media's blog. The authority is 93.

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If you are not considered to be decisive in the room or if the Serps of a keyword are loaded with heavy sources with which you cannot compete (such as Forbes or the Mayo clinic), you have a lower chance of a ranking list.

I will set up a keyword research process that you can follow to find a list of terms you should aim at.

In this way you can define and execute a strong keyword strategy with which you are found for the search terms that are important to you.

Step 1. Create a list of important, relevant topics based on what you know about your company.

Before you do something else, think about the topics you want to evaluate and find one to three different topics you want to concentrate on.

There is nothing to complain about when it comes to keyword research.

Important NOTE: You can do as many topics as you want, but in my ten years of experience in different industries, one to three topics normally last. The risk of doing too many is that they do not work particularly well on anything and the resources are too widespread.

Remember that you have to create content to evaluate these topics, and that is time -consuming. Keyword research and SEO are never complete, and as soon as you have postponed a website for one to three topics, you can find a few more that you can concentrate on.

See the above research in the audience. Find exactly what prospects and customers were searched and what challenges they had to fix before they work with them or buy their product.

Not sure where to start? Think about what you want to be known for. You can also get into the shoes of yours Buyer And think about what you want to know.

Drift Kings Media, for example, may have topics such as:

  • “SEO” (246,000)
  • “Blogging” (9,900)
  • CRM software”(60,500)
  • “Social Media Marketing” (49,500)
  • “E -Mail marketing” (33.100)
  • “Lead Generation” (18.100)
  • “Inbound Marketing” (9,900)
  • “Marketing Analytics” (6,600)
  • “Marketing automation” (14,800)
  • “Ai Marketing” (5,400)
  • AI CRM”(1,300)

According to Semrush, the number in brackets is the MSV.

This data enables you to assess how important these topics are for your audience and how many different sub -topics you need to create content in order to be successful with this keyword.

Screenshot from the Keyword Strategy Builder from Semrush shows the relationship between topics and subtopia.

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Now we have topics, we have to expand content ideas and start the keyword assignment.

Step 2. Identify key words for the conversion -driven page.

Every step of the keyword search for SEO and every search platform such as chatt or social media should be completed taking into account the conversion goal.

Although conversion is the last step on the buyer trip, it is crucial if this page begins because it focuses on a strategy. If you know where the audience should end (on the conversion -driven page and buy or inquire about it), you can strategize strategies for it.

For example, hold onto “Ai CRM” on the above topic. Drift Kings Media needs a page to convert people who need AI CRM solutions.

First, we need one commercially or Transaction Keyword.

Commercial keywords are searched by people who examine brands or services.

Transaction keywords are searched by people who are willing to take measures.

I use Semrush’s keyword Magic Tool To identify the intention behind a keyword.

I taped “AI companies CRM” and found the following:

  • AI-operated CRM (320)
  • AI-powered CRM tools (30)
  • AI-operated CRM (30)

All of these search queries have commercial intentions.

Screenshot from Semrush shows how Keyword research and search intention are displayed in your keyword research tool.

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Important NOTE: You don’t have to use Semrush. I share more tools below, including free tools, but Ahrefs also does this well. This is what the search intention to do Ahrefs looks like:

Screenshot from Ahrefs shows how Keyword research and search intention are displayed in your keyword research tool.

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If you have no access to tools, you can do this manually and free of charge!

Like: How:

Enter your keyword in Google and see what appears.

A search for “KI -Operate CRM” shows the following results:

A screenshot from Google Serps shows the keyword research process to identify commercial and/or transaction search.

The top results are product pages. Therefore, you can assume that the search intention is commercial and/or transaction intent. Google shows pages on which people can easily convert.

To identify a transactional or commercial keyword, you will find the SERPS for information search.

I taped: “Should I use a CRM?” And the result looks like this:

Screenshot from Google Serps shows the keyword research process to identify the search for information.

Instead of conversion sites, Google information pages is prioritized such as:

  • AI overviews
  • Blogs
  • Informative videos
  • Reddit

All of the above point Search for information.

Okay, now you know which keywords show the money-generating page. Your next task is to create a page on which your researched keywords are used efficiently, which gives the best chance of ranking.

Here is a screenshot of a conversion-controlled target page of Drift Kings Media’s Bottom funnel for the commercial keyword “Ai powered crm”:

A screenshot from Drift Kings Medias Zehspage shows how keyword research and search intentions have developed a page for converting.

You can see that it is driven for the conversion because you can:

  1. Convert easily Click on “Get a Demo” or “Start for free” in the hero.
  2. Access to important information such as “product description”, “price overview” and “functions”.
  3. Feel safe with the solution Because large HubSpot customers such as Vue, Unipart, SMEG and Casio are listed.

This is the type of side you have to create.

Now we just have to get visitors through the search. If that were just easy.

The long-term goal is to create a keyword strategy that:

  • Runs your page number one in search engines.
  • Earn quotes in AI overviews and large language models (LLMS) such as chatt and confusion.
  • Has your audience a minute so that you recommend it on social media and refer to friends.

Of course, it is not as easy to glue as a convert. The strategy must span the buyer trip.

This is where key words for buyer trips come into play. I use it to support content that the audience steps on the conversion -driven side when it is correct.

I will talk you next.

Step 3. Choose your supportive keywords for content and buyer Journey.

After you have topics and conversion -controlled pages you want to concentrate on, it is time to identify keywords for the support of content.

To do this, you have to think about the entire buyer trip.

It is unrealistic to create a page for conversion and to expect that the people of them will convert them. There is still a long way to go until a person is ready to buy. A The average B2B sale is 379 daysAnd data show that the decision time before buying in B2B increases annually.

Compared to B2B, B2C sales are faster and mostly have one-time purchases.

If a purchase process takes a year or more, your brand must be in the foreground.

Here is a simplified tour of the buyer:

Infographic shows the buyer trip in three phases: identification, consideration, decision level

Keyword research can help you identify suitable pieces of contents for every step of buying buyers. The step before (determine your conversion page and the associated keywords) focus on the decision -making phase.

Good keyword searches work backwards over the buyer trip to convert content relevant and as close as possible. If you start with the identification stage, it is easy to overwhelm yourself from information topics. In the end, you can follow tangent that do not have to convert as you have to be for a successful keyword and marketing strategy.

Your SEO keyword research tools will help you to find content in every phase because you can filter for search intentions.

I want you to think about Keyword phrases for which you want to be classified in the SERPS (search engine results), since your target customer is likely to search for these specific terms.

If you stick to the “Ai CRM” side, the goal is to create content that hires and support the buyer’s journey.

Drift Kings Media did it well. Here are some of the content that people help who need AI CRM and are in the viewing phase:

I wrote both articles and they help people to consider because I recommended tools that they may need. Most people who need a KI -CRM do not have the time to test each individual, but I have relieved some of them for them and help them to make the best CRMs in the narrower choice. This content is not about pressing the HubSpot solution strongly. It is more about providing the information that the consumer requires to make the right decision.

A stronger information topic for buyers higher in the funnel may include choosing the best free CRM system.

Step 4. Map Your keywords and document your keyword research.

If you carry out the steps described above, you want a database to assign your keywords to topics.

Keyword Mapping is the action if you assign keywords to content that gives the keyword the best chance of ranking. To make it good, you need:

  • The key word
  • The intention
  • The type of content that is ranking

I like to use a Google sheet to map keywords. This is what my sheet looks like:

Screenshot of my Google Sheets document, with which I record my keyword search and plan.

I have columns for the following details.

  • Priority: The topics with the highest priority are those who should be created first.
  • Status: Where the content is in a workflow (e.g. briefing, writing, designing pictures, editing, publishing)
  • Briefly submitted: The date on which a letter was submitted to the writer.
  • Title: I use the title or the title day here.
  • Concentrate keyword: The most important keyword for which the content of the content is supposed to rank.
  • Supporting keywords: Additional keywords for which the content of the content is supposed to rank.
  • Writer: The person who is responsible for writing the content.
  • Column: The topic to which the piece belongs. This is usually the main topic (such as AI CRM).
  • Seep type: The type of page that we have to create so that the content has the best chances of ranging (e.g. blog page, target page, product page, etc.)
  • New, edit or rewrite: Whether the content is new or present. I like to distinguish between processing (light processing to an existing page) and a description (to work considerably, possibly even to discontinue the content and to start again).
  • Notes: All notes that I would like to remember later. Perhaps a remarkable insight will help the briefing process or writing.
  • Content short link: I create my letters in Google Docs and link them here.
  • Live -Link: is the URL on which the content is published.

I use this document to manage my workflows and remember where I have depicted my keywords. It is important because if your topics get bigger, you must keep an eye on the already covered keywords.

I often adapt this template depending on customer requirements and workflows. For example, you can also add:

  • Editor: The person who deals with the processing of writing.
  • Word counts: To manage the writing of budgets and expectations for the length of a content.
  • Buyer personality: The audience for which the content is created.

The nice thing about a Google leaf is that you can adjust it as you want.

As soon as you know the keywords for which you want to rank, it is time to refine your list based on the best for your strategy. As well as.

1. Prioritize low -hanging fruits.

Prioritize keywords for which you have a ranking based on the authority of your website.

Large companies usually pursue keywords with a high search volume, and since these brands are already well established, Google usually rewards them with authority on many topics.

You can also consider keywords that have little competition. Keywords who do not yet have several websites that fight for highest rank can do the spot by default if nobody else tries to claim it.

Here is an example:

Let us assume that a new SaaS product has entered the market. A company has created a new CRM solution. The domain name was recently bought and the website is live with the essential pages: a homepage, a product page and some standard pages such as via and contact.

After all, the company wants to classify the keyword “CRM”.

A search for this keyword shows the following top results:

Screenshot from Google Serps shows how a head keyword is difficult to evaluate.

The four best ranking results include some of the largest SaaS company in the world. A startup is very unlikely here.

With this knowledge, the Startup CRM company could instead classify with lower competition for keywords, for example “CRM for dental practices” that returns much smaller companies, look at the picture below:

Screenshot from Google Serps shows how keyword research can identify niche opportunities that may offer better alternatives for a keyword strategy.

Keyword research can help us determine the chances of a website and exterminate the low-hanging fruits, opportunities in which a company can manage And Differentiate its offer.

This is important for Google, but there are also advantages for looking for AI.

Identifying niches can help the websites to stand out in AI search tools such as Chatgpt. When I wrote about the future of SEO for Drift Kings Media, I spoke to me Nate TowerPresident at Perrillwho had some interesting insights into the AI search. He said that Google’s people searched differently. You use longer-tail keywords and become hyper-specific.

“CRM for dental practices” is much more specific than “CRM” and brings us closer to the search for people in LLMS.

Here is an example of a keyword for longer cock and my customer’s ranking in the first place in the KI search:

Screenshot from Chatgpt shows how my customer is mentioned thanks to the former keyword research in the LLM.

We have achieved this through keyword research and understanding the buyer needs. We know that such a service is needed. Therefore, we have created a page that aims at the keyword and received the Chatgpt quote and the rank on Google.

CHeck the monthly search volume (MSV) for key words that you have selected.

You would like to write content about what people want to discover, and checking MSV can help you do exactly that. The monthly search volume is the number with which a search query or a keyword is entered in search engines every month.

Here are the results of Semrush in the “SEO keyword strategy”, which has an MSV of 390:

Screenshot from Semrush shows monthly search volume (MSV) for the keyword

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Tools such as Searchvolume.io or Google Trends can help you find the most searched keywords for the associated keyword clusters free of charge.

2. Factor in SERP functions if you select keywords.

Certain keywords return certain extended listings, which are referred to as SERP functions or rich snippets.

I will share some of the most common below, but there are more than 40 – you can read about it Google.

I will summarize the more common excerpts here.

Image packs

Image packs are search results that are displayed as a horizontal series of images that appear in organic position. If there is an image package, you should write a visual contribution to win the placement.

Here is, for example, the picture package for “What is the buyer trip”:

The screen grave of the image package shows how SERP functions can influence keyword research.

AI overviews

AI overviews, a relatively current addition to Google’s SERP functions, offers a AI-written summary for some search queries.

Keyword research: Screen -grave from AI overviews on Google

Selected cutouts

Selected excerpts are short text sections that can be found in the Google search results in order to receive quick answers to common search queries. I asked Google: “Where do elephants live?” And there was this equipped snippet:

Keyword research: screen grave of the presented snippets

Understanding the searcher’s intention and the provision of concise answers can help you win a equipped snippet.

List on snippets

Lists snippets or lists for contributions in which steps are described to take some from start to finish, often for “how to” search inquiries. Writing contributions with direct, clear instructions and formatting can help to gain this placement.

Screen grave from list cutouts

Video excerpts

Video snippets are short videos that Google shows in a SERP instead of text-based snippets.

Screen -grave from video snippets for the keyword research

If you publish a video both on YouTube and on your website, you can win this placement if you are marked in the targeted keywords that people are looking for.

3 .. Check a mixture of head concepts and long-tail keywords in every bucket.

Circuit are keyword phrases that are generally shorter and more generally, usually only one to three words.

Long-tail keywordsOn the other hand, there are longer keyword phrases that usually contain three or more words.

You should have a mixture of head and long-tail viewing questions to build a balanced keyword strategy with long-term goals and short-term victories.

Head terms are generally searched more often, so that they (not always, but often) are much more competitive and difficult for long-tail terms.

Think about it: Without leaving the search volume or the level of difficulty, which of the following terms would it be more difficult to evaluate?

  1. How to write a great blog post
  2. Blog

If you answered #2, you are right. Here is the collapse:

Screenshot from Semrush's Keyword Magic tool shows volume and difficulties for a long-tail keyword to demonstrate that keywords to be identified more easily in the keyword research phase.

Screenshot from the Semrush Keyword Magic tool shows volume and difficulties for a head keyword to demonstrate how they can identify keywords to be identified more easily in the keyword research phase.

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Head terms generally have the most search volume (which means greater potential for data traffic), but the data traffic from “How to write a great blog post” is probably more desirable, since people who use certain queries are rather their ideal audience than those who are looking more generally.

Since long-tail keywords are usually more precise, it is usually easier to determine the search intent. Someone who is looking for the main term “blogging” may not be your target group.

Kalepp says that Head keywords “can make it really difficult to manage, especially if they are a newer blog and this domain authority does not yet have entirely entirely”.

She recommends: “Presenting these long-tail keywords because the competition is often lower. And enables them to develop a niche and manage them.”

Pro tip: Check your keyword lists for a healthy mix of head concepts and long-tail keywords to achieve quick results and a long-playing advantage.

Kalepp, who worked both on the Drift Kings Media and on the Drift Kings Media The hustle and bustle Blogs, says it can be difficult to find the right balance.

When she worked on the HubSpot blog: “There were not much fluctuations in the search volume, but there were constant changes for the Hustle blog because we wrote about topics that were really trendy.

“And so it was essential for us to beat when it was hot,” she says about the Hustle blog.

V.

Just because a keyword is important for your competitor does not mean that it is important to you. However, if you understand what your competitors try to evaluate, you can give your list of keywords a further rating.

If your competitor ranks certain keywords that are also on your list, it makes sense to work on the improvement of your ranking list for them.

Kalepp says that she is a big fan of “a competitive analysis and understanding this landscape really good – and then use the same columns of content to build a content library”.

Perform a competitive analysis for the best SEO research.

Do not ignore those who do not seem to be interested in their competitors – it could be a great opportunity to have the market share for other important terms.

Pro tip: A quick way to understand which terms their competitors rank for is the manual search for keywords in an incognito browser to see the positions of their competitors.

5. Think about topics and keywords.

“Search intent” is something that I often hear from Drift Kings Media Seos. This is because the reason why a user typed in a certain keyword is very important.

Our content must solve the users’ problems. If you have found your way to this article via the search term “SEO keyword strategy”, we have to anticipate your questions on this topic. And then she answered.

SEO continues to develop at Breakneck speed, but keyword research remains fundamental for search intent. It tells you which topics are interested in people and how popular these topics actually belong to your audience.

The operational term here is “topics”, plural. By researching keywords with a high volume of monthly search queries, you can identify your content and sort them into topics or buckets with which you can create content.

You can then use these topics to determine which keywords you are looking for and that you make visible.

Keyword research instruments that help with the process

Keyword research and SEO tools can help you to get more keyword ideas based on the keywords and phrase match keywords based on the ideas that you have generated up to this point, based on the keywords of the exact match. And with AI-capable tools for your fingertips, SEO research is more accessible than ever.

In this article I referenced some of my favorite tools (Google Search Console, Google Analytics, Semrush, MOZ and Ahrefs). Nevertheless, there are so many other tools that meet at different needs and budgets.

Here are some popular options that you should try out:

Google Keyword planner

Google’s keyword planner is an advertising tool that can be very useful for SEO keyword research.

It is completely free to use, which makes it very desirable for some. You need an AdWords account to use it, but you do not need a display. In the past, I have set up ads and then only carried out them to get access to this free tool.

As soon as you have an account, you will find the keyword planner here:

Tools> Keyword planner> Discover new keywords

An commented screenshot shows the workflow to discover new keywords with the tool from Google Keyword Planner.

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You can receive search volume and traffic estimates for keywords that you consider. Enter the keyword and see what Google Keyword planner suggests.

Screenshot shows how to carry out Keyword research with the free tool, keyword planner.

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Take this research by taking the keywords in Google trends to fill some gaps.

Google trends

Take a look at the trend history and projections Google trends To see if the sentence has a seasonality. Google trends can help you determine which terms tend upwards and your focus is worthy.

An upward trend as it shows that the keyword is now trendy and is worth covering.

Screenshot from my Google Trends search to demonstrate how to carry out this tool Keyword research.

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A downward trend suggests that the key word/the topic is less popular than before and possibly no more being pursued.

Another Free keyword research instrument Is Ryrobs Easy to use Keyword research instrument that offers keyword and keyword cluster topics.

Keywords everywhere Is a fixed favorite of mine. It is so cheap that I use it for analysis within Serps alongside Semrush. I like the Chrome expansion that brings some keyword knowledge into the SERPS. This is how it looks:

Screenshot shows one of my preferred, affordable keyword research tools, keywords everywhere in Google Serps.

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Drift Kings Media Marketing Analytics Software

As soon as your keyword research has been completed and strategies are in progress, it is important to measure marketing success so that you can repeat the process and receive more traffic.

With the marketing analytics software from HubSpot, you can manage the performance of all of your marketing campaigns in one place with integrated analyzes, reports and dashboards.

  • Marketing analyzes
  • Dashboard software
  • Website KPIS
  • And even more!

Start with the free transport analysis tool from HubSpot.

Drill into the traffic sources of your website and enforce your organic search traffic to identify the keywords that people use to get on your website.

Repeat this exercise for each of your themed flaps.

Do you have problems with relevant search terms? You can deal with your customer -oriented colleagues in sales or service at any time. Ask you what types of questions you ask.

These are My favorite Starting points for keyword research. With this step you can not only create great SEO-optimized content, but can also create helpful resources that you can share with customers and use in marketing campaigns.

HubSpot uses the search insights report, a template with which you bake your keywords into themed clusters, analyze MSV and inform your editorial calendar and strategy.

Selected resource: Find the knowledge report template

Search Insights Report Dashboard.

Download the template

You are ready to build your SEO content.

Keyword research is still very important, and I hope this article gave you the knowledge you need to carry out Keyword research in a way that supports the business goals.

Here are some articles that I think you can help you develop your keyword research skills in a way that makes your strategy future-proof:

Note from the publisher: This post was originally published in January 2014 and updated for completeness.

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