Keyword research is vital for your SEO efforts, but what, exactly, should you be researching?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is an umbrella term for strategies that help you rank higher in Google searches, like link building and onsite optimization. But you’re only going to rank for certain words and phrases—“keywords” that web users enter as queries.
One of the most important deciding factors for the success of an SEO campaign is keyword selection. Choose the right keywords, and your campaign could be a hit. Choose the wrong ones, and your efforts could be a waste.
Ultimately, you’ll need to consider three factors for your keywords:
- Relevance. This is the most subjective factor, since it has to do with whether these keywords are appropriate for your business and your audience. Are these keywords and phrases that adequately describe your products and services? Do they seem to appeal to the types of people you want to attract? Consider the “quality” of each keyword or phrase in your brainstorming list in this regard, and eliminate any phrases that aren’t a good fit.
- Volume. Next, think about the search volume of the terms you choose. Simply put, this is a measure of how many people search for a word or phrase in a given period. Google gives ranges of searches, so it’s practically impossible to calculate this exactly, but you should be able to get a good idea. As you might suspect, the higher the search volume for a keyword, the better a candidate it’s going to be—as long as your other factors are in place.
- Competition. High-volume keywords and phrases are great, but they have one major weakness: there are a ton of businesses competing for them. That’s why you also need to consider the level of competition for each keyword or phrase. Ideally, you’ll find relatively high-volume keywords with minimal competition—and still enough relevance to your brand to be valuable.
Need help picking the right keywords? Or are you interested in a free quote for SEO services? Contact Quez Media today for more information!
