Keyword research is the process of discovering the most popular words and phrases that people enter in search engines.
The goal of keyword research is to find the most relevant and searched for terms that will help your content appear higher in the search results. There are many tools readily available to help online marketers conduct keyword research, such as Google Keyword Planner and Semrush Keyword Overview.
There are, however, several overlooked and underrated keyword research tips you might not be aware of, that could assist you in finding keywords that would give you an advantage over your competitors.
We have detailed a handful of these tips below to help you improve your keyword research technique and increase the levels of traffic visiting your site.
Use social media platforms
Social media can be useful for keyword research, as it provides insights into real-time trends through informal, unbiased conversations.
You can easily discover what people are talking about on various social media platforms by looking at the most popular hashtags or most commonly searched phrases. You can then include these topics and keywords in your online marketing strategy to help better target your audience.
Online forums such as Reddit can be a useful tool in identify trending topics, which can help inspire content ideas. Posts that feature a significant number of upvotes and comments can help identify what it is that resonates with your target audience, which can lead to more effective keyword targeting.
Applying modifiers to keywords
By applying modifies to your base, or ‘seed’ keyword/s, you can create variations of words or phrases that may target different search intents or a more specific audience. Modifiers can often include adjectives, actions or time-related words, such as “cheap” or “2024”.
For example, if you use ‘running shoes’ as your keyword, there are many modifiers you can add to this base keyword to help expand the coverage of the keyword.
“Best running shoes 2024” will show different results on the search engine results page than a search for “running shoes for women” would. By simply adding these modifiers, you’re targeting a different searcher intent, and by publishing content related to these terms, you’re likely to draw your exact target audience to your website.
Identify keywords at different stages in the funnel
Identifying common search terms at different stages of the marketing funnel is an underrated strategy for keyword research, as it allows you to identify keywords based on the specific needs and intent of your audience at each stage of their journey.
A search engine user in the awareness stage at the top of the funnel will be making distinctly different searches than a user at the bottom of the funnel in their decision-making stage.
Those at the top of the funnel will be doing a bit of general research on a topic using broad, informational keywords, such as “what is X”, while those at the bottom of the funnel, who have already done their general research, will be conducting searches using transactional keywords, like “X discount codes” and “buy X”.
It can be helpful, therefore, to do some manual searches on Google using modifiers specific to users at different stages of the marketing funnel, to ensure your keywords meet users where they are in their decision-making process.
While online keyword research tools are helpful in identifying what people are searching for, these recommendations should help you take your keyword research to the next level by broadening your online marketing strategy.
Need help identifying the best keywords to target? Contact the team of experts at Engage Web today.
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