How to Get Outstanding Results with Keyword Research Tools
How to use keyword research for outstanding sales results by following these tips…
When you’re working on a writing assignment for a client or for your own website, what’s often the most boring part? Most often, the answer is keyword research. Have you met anyone who actually likes to look up relevant keywords for SEO?
I didn’t think so. But it’s also a big part of writing, so you do it anyway. Stop thinking about how to fit words in and start with a plan. Remember that you’re writing for people first and the search engines are secondary.
Why is Keyword Research So Critical in Content Marketing?
SEOs will tell you that keyword research is imperative because the search engines use sophisticated algorithms to evaluate your pages based on your keywords. You can rank well for a particular topic by researching and selecting the most relevant target keywords. Having high search engine rankings drives traffic to your website and promotes your products or services.
But let’s look at the human side of the equation. When you conduct proper keyword research, you also put yourself in the minds of your readers. You find out what they are looking for and give them the answers they need. This is the type of process that content marketing pros live for. To them, audience engagement is primary because no amount of search traffic will help if the audience won’t convert into sales.
One of my favorite research tools is Answer the Public. This is a website that seems pretty straightforward on the surface. You enter a base keyword and it spits out data related to the keyword you entered. When you look closely at the output, you get to see a variety of user-related questions you may not have expected. These are more in-depth queries on areas of your keyword that lead to more questions.
You decide to throw a more targeted version of your keyword (a long-tail phrase) into the Google search box with a bit more clarity. For example, “tinnitus for musicians”. Search results like “when will tinnitus end?” are expected but “can tinnitus be music” seems totally out of left field. That’s an area not normally explored. This leads to musical hallucinations.
Content marketing practitioners continue to dive into keyword research to find hidden gems that can yield positive returns. Not only for traffic or engagement, but for new information products as well. Knowing what your audience wants is invaluable. Finding a whole new market that is relatively untapped is amazing.
Keywords Should Be in Your Outline
Now, I found that the smart way to get that part done is with a strategy. I start with my topic and build the outline first. That’s where the keywords come in. For example, let’s say that I’m writing about tinnitus, and the length of the article is 1,000 words. I’m planning to have about six subheads or sub topics on that issue.
I may choose my keywords at this point. For this example, I’m choosing to select tinnitus, tinnitus symptoms, treatment for tinnitus, tinnitus sounds, tinnitus test and tinnitus causes.
Since most of those keywords a very difficult to rank for on their own, I will select several supporting keywords. These are known as long tail keywords in SEO circles. That’s because they are more specific phrases instead of simple keywords.
Introducing Latent Semantic Index Keywords
For example, “sudden ringing in ear” and “what is the wishing sound in ear” as well as “how to pronounce tinnitus” are considered longtail keywords. When researching longtail keywords to support my main keyword, I’ll also look LSI keywords as well. These are words that relate to the main keyword without connecting directly to it.
LSI stands for latent semantic index. In a nutshell, these are keywords that search engines will consider being remotely connected but pertinent to the theme of our article. For example, a phrase like “why do my ears ring randomly” has high semantic value in relation to the keyword tinnitus. Yet the specific keyword is not inserted in that phrase.
The Importance of Planning in Keyword Research
There are many kinds of keyword research tools to choose from. Some of them work better than others. Some are free and others are outstanding, but very expensive. So it’s critical to choose one that works well for you within your price point. Here’s a list of some of the most popular ones:
· Ahrefs
· Answer The Public
· Content Marketing Magic!
· Google Keyword Planner
· Google Keyword Research Tool
· Google Suggest
· Keywordtool.io
· LSIGraph
· Moz Keyword Explorer
· Semrush
· Soovle
· SpyFu
· Wordtracker
Let’s Dive a Bit Deeper Into These Tools
Ahrefs
This SEO software suite contains tools for link building, keyword research, competitor analysis, rank tracking, and site audits. A majority of the features in Ahrefs are geared towards marketing professionals. Users of Ahrefs employ the app to get higher Google rankings.
Answer The Public
The site gives you a variety of user-generated search questions when you enter a keyword or phrase. The results can lead to highly targeted phrases and questions that relate to audience interests.
Content Marketing Magic!
This app contains a suite of free SEO tools. The keyword suggestion tool is a free online keyword research module that uses Google Autocomplete to generate relevant long-tail keywords for any topic.
Google Keyword Planner
Google’s free Keyword Planner helps you research keywords for your search campaigns. … You can use this free tool to discover new keywords related to your business and see estimates of the searches they receive and the cost to target them.
Google Keyword Research Tool
There is a free online tool on Google that generates hundreds of relevant long-tail keywords. The feature appears in Google Search. This information lets you see how frequently certain words are searched and how those searches have changed.
Google Suggest
Google Suggest is an autocomplete feature that offers suggestions to users as they type in their search terms. Google Instant is another function that adapts the SERP to the keyword or phrase being entered.
Keywordtool.io
A free SaaS tool that generates long-tail keywords and related keywords by using Google Autocomplete and other search engines.
LSIGraph
A web-based keyword generation tool that collects words based on Latent Semantic Index. An LSI graph is a tool that can help you generate related keywords. There are currently 36 million semantic LSI keywords in LSIGraph’s database (and counting). LSI SEO is a combination of search marketing and content marketing to capture the attention of both search engines and targeted audiences using long tail keywords.
Moz Keyword Explorer
You can find profitable keywords and arrange your keywords into lists with the help of Keyword Explorer, a free keyword research tool. Imagine what your potential customers may search for and use this tool to get into the minds of your target audience.
Semrush
The SaaS platform is often used for keyword research and online ranking data. Among other metrics, it includes search volume and cost per click (CPC). Many digital marketers use SEMrush to run their entire campaigns.
Soovle
This is a customizable engine that provides the suggestion services from all the major providers in one place. Soovle does not crawl the Internet it aggregates results for the search engines. Unlike a keyword generator, this free keyword tool
SpyFu
The premier online tool reveals what it takes to be successful in search marketing. Look up any domain on Google and see where it appears. Digital marketers use SpyFu as a tool to conduct keyword research and gather competitive intelligence.
Wordtracker
This Keyword Planner is one of the most popular FREE alternatives. Discover thousands of profitable longtail keywords. The tool reveals related search terms that assist us in developing a more effective keyword strategy. You can also sort across columns using Wordtracker.
These tools can find keywords for whatever topic you are working on. You can also use them to find high-performing keywords for SEO purposes and prompts for research into your topic.
Continuing with Our Research Example
For example, you can type “tinnitus research” into the search box of your favorite keyword tool. Then you can select the top performing variations and find a lot of supporting keywords. You can then narrow down the results by selecting only those that have high search volume and low competition.
We won’t dig into the weeds of search engine optimization here. This is basically about finding the right keywords that relate to your topic. They’ll help you find opportunities to cover your topic.
This part is simple. Now that you have your supporting keywords for the subtitles, you can research questions that people ask concerning your keyword choices. Forget about Google keyword search volume at this point. You are looking for keywords that incite audience engagement.
Competitive Keyword Research Tactics
You can use keyword research tools to look at what competitors are writing. Evaluate their material and see what you can do to top their content. Some tools listed above will show you the potential top performers and how your content compares.
When conducting competition research, many novices will head straight for the high traffic keyword phrases that their competition is ranking for. Why not focus on long tail keywords examples instead? Look for examples of long tail keywords that your competition is ranking for and optimize for them. You are likely to outperform them with increased effort.
AI Powered Tools for Working with Keyword Optimized Content
The digital age has created exciting and innovative tools for content marketing professionals. Once you have a draft of your article or blog post, there are apps that will evaluate the work. These apps will ensure that you have the most competitive material in your niche.
Apps like INK and LSIGraph will give you a score based on your competitive position for keyword usage. The produce an SEO version of a gramma check. If you don’t pass, take the time to fix what’s broken. These apps have a combination of machine learning and artificial intelligence to scan your documents and evaluate your chances of pleasing Google and your readers.
Chrome extensions can also help you optimize your keyword strategy. Apps like Keyword Everywhere and Keyword Surfer offer browser extensions that prompt you with data on the fly. Every time you conduct a search on Google Chrome to research a keyword definition or long tail seo tactic, you can get immediate results in your browser.
Enlist the Aid of Local SEO
Small business owners can use the power of local SEO agencies and content marketing specialists to get them website traffic and qualified leads. Companies like Yext and Whitespark can produce premium analytics for keyword optimization in content for the clients.
That doesn’t mean you don’t have a chance at competing just because you’re still using free stuff like the Google Keyword Tool. The Google AdWords Keyword Tool is still one of the most popular options out there for business owners to use. If you take advantage of the free chrome extensions download of a few first rate apps, you’ll get a long way toward competing on the local level.
Don’t forget to include these keywords to your favorite rank tracker. Get the most out of your content marketing efforts by keeping a close eye on your keyword rankings. Monitor your competition as well. You don’t have to do a lot better, just enough to pass them to the front of the pack.
An Often Missed Keyword Optimization Tactic
When evaluating web content, there is one area that marketers tend to miss — images. If you get your graphics from sites like freepik or unsplash, be sure to add your keywords in the image tags. Although many companies request that you include credits when posting images, include your keyword in the tags.
Conduct image research and look for examples where your competition isn’t optimizing. You can also do keyword research for YouTube video marketing. Many of the tools listed above can work for video keyword research.
Summary:
Focus on learning what your audience wants to know.
Plan our strategy to build consistency.
Use the tools that will get you that information.
Shoot for long tail keywords that offer more targeted audience opportunities.
Optimize your content with keywords.
So now you know keyword research isn’t difficult. There is no “most effective” keyword research tool. Whether you choose Moz keyword explorer or a free keyword finder, or Google’s tried-and-true keyword planner tool, the fact is that using one is better than winging it. To master the process, you just need a bit of time. Once you do, you’ll have an enormous advantage over other marketers.
Now that you know how to do keyword research to build audience engagement, improve rankings and generate traffic, there’s just one thing left for you to do: take action. So get to it, and soon you’ll be seeing results.
For more information on keyword research, connect with me at https://contentmarketingmagic.co/blog
