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What is Keyword Research? 

Keywords are pretty much the centre of SEO. Without keywords, you don’t rank. Without ranking, well, let’s not discuss that. 

Keyword research is the process of finding keyword terms that are relevant to your business, understanding how you are ranking or could rank for them on search engines. It allows you to stay in touch with your audience trends, behaviours and processes. 

Why Bother?

It may seem long-winded, but keyword research is not something that you want to skip. It should be the first step of any SEO campaign. By doing the graft and understanding keywords, you can cherry-pick your targets and open up opportunities for your website to rank well within different areas. 

Ranking well in search results naturally drives a higher volume of traffic to your website. If more traffic reaches your website, you will be able to sell and promote more products and services online. A win, right? 

If You’re Not Researching Keywords, You’re Missing Out 

Don’t try and guess what your audience is searching for. So many business owners think that they know the market without doing the research, then wonder why they get 0 engagement! You have to understand the details in order to be able to target properly. Here are just a handful of the reasons why you should do your research:

  • Keyword research is the roadmap for your marketing efforts. It allows you to set targets and drive decision making.
  • Knowing keywords helps you to better understand your own brand. It can strike questions like what am I actually selling? Without knowing this, you can’t properly market your business. 
  • Keyword research can uncover key information such as the search volume of keyword terms, where you rank for them and how your competitors perform. 
  • Targeting keywords on your website helps Google to understand what your business is, and in turn, rank you for it. 
  • Following on from the above point, we repeat, if you rank well, you will drive more traffic to your website and business.

Are You Ready?

So, hopefully, by now you’re persuaded that keyword research is vital. You want to do it. But have you prepared? 

Before you dive headfirst into keyword research, you have to identify your target areas. Make sure you have a clear idea of what you are researching and why. Make a list, spreadsheet or document to help yourself out. Divide your target areas and order them in business priority. 

Key point – Keyword research is an ongoing process. You can’t do it once and leave it there. Audience trends and behaviours are constantly changing, alongside Google’s mysterious algorithm. As such, your keyword research should continue, adapt and update throughout your marketing journey.

Keyword Tools to Get you Going

There are many keyword tools out there to assist you on the journey that is keyword research. We favour SEMrush and Google keyword planner, but there are tons and they each have their own style. Here are a few: 

Choosing Your Keyword Term

  1. Identify your target (ensure it is relevant)
  2. Check the search volume 
  3. Check the KD (keyword difficulty)

Keywords with a higher search volume can be of more value, but they can also be a heck of a lot harder to target. The keyword difficulty gives you an indication of how difficult a keyword will be to rank for based on search volume and competition. Low difficulty keywords can be a good idea for new websites as they will be easier to rank for. 

Take a punt, use your instinct. Targeting a rich mixture of keywords will open up your horizons and allow you to identify what works and what doesn’t. 

Get in Touch

So, keyword research. Get to it! If you need some assistance, get in touch with Lightbox Digital today. We understand that not everyone has the time to sift through the details of SEO, which is why our Birmingham SEO team are here to do the leg work for you. We cover every aspect of SEO, not just keyword research. Our expertise will get you on the ranking ladder and boost your website performance across search engines.