An Introduction to SEO Keyword Research 

Many of my clients and incoming SEO prospects ask me to conduct the SEO keyword research for them, so that we can identify the target keywords before embarking on the SEO campaign.

There is alot of misconceptions when it comes to keyword research and identifying the relevant keywords for your website and SEO campaign.

This post is meant to be an "introduction to keyword research" written for the beginner and layman. It is by no means a full, in-depth keyword research which requires more analytical tools that dig out SEO competition on the 1st page of Google, diving deep into Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools etc..

Not all keywords with high search volume are relevant to your website

We need to consider user intent (are they looking for a specific service & will contact you - or just browsing for info ?) and the relevancy of the keyword to your actual services offered (keyword must match the copywriting on your webpage)

Below is a good example of choosing the right keyword which hits the magic spot and abides by the SEO rules of:

  • relevancy
  • high search volume
  • lower SEO competition
  • lower Adwords cost per click (CPC)
SEO keyword research

Most people might choose the generic keyword "business advisory" but the more specific keyword "business advisory services" has almost 3x the search volume

  • "business advisory services" has more user intent when it comes to conversions - people are NOT researching for generic info, but are looking for a company to provide the service for them, and they are willing to pay for that service.
  • "business advisory services" has higher Adwords competition (0.29 vs 0.71) but the advantage is that the Adwords cost per click (CPC) is much lower.
    Only $4.07 per click compared to $8.39 per click for "business advisory"
  • the more specific your keyword is to the service you are offering, the better - in terms of conversions, lower SEO competition (often) and  lower Adwords advertising costs (sometimes)
  • keywords which have 3-4 words phrases have the best conversions (high user intent to purchase or contact you for an enquiry)
Example:
  • accounting  (too broad, low conversion & high SEO competition)
  • accounting service
  • accounting service Shanghai   (specific, high conversion & lower SEO competition)
keyword conversions-halo effect

(image credit: SEOMoz)

The aim is to find the sweet spot for the keywords, so that you can rank fast in Google (cos that's where the main bulk of your organic traffic to your website will come from), and get enquiries and sales from high converting keywords.

To get your free SEO audit and analysis of your website, plus identify which keywords are the best fit for your website and target market,  please contact Reelmedia today 

If you want to gain a fundamental understanding of how search engines work and an overview of how SEO is done, it would be beneficial to sign up for an SEO course first.