Keyword research – better results with data
Keyword research is the basis of search engine optimization. It is used to find and select the keywords that help the website rank higher in search engine results. Keyword research helps creating content on the website based on the searches made by the visitors. This way, the amount of traffic and conversions will automatically increase.
Why is keyword research important?
With the help of keyword research (sometimes also called keyword analysis or search term analysis), you can see what kind of content should be created and what kind of visitor paths and action prompts should be implemented for your website. Keyword research tells you which words your site’s visitors use to search for information on Google. The results will help you form a better understanding of your target groups and their online behavior.
What can keyword research tell you?
- Search intent
- The search volume (the monthly number of searches for the selected keywords)
- The competition for the selected keywords
- Useful keywords for your website
- Cost per click
This information helps you identify which keywords are the most popular and which have the lowest competition. These should be prioritized when designing the structure and content of the website.
Keyword research is useful for all digital marketing measures. For example, you can build effective landing pages, Google ads and social media ads around the chosen search terms for generating conversions. Digital growth can only be pursued when you know your target groups and their needs thoroughly.
The benefits of keyword research
By studying the keywords and phrases used by your target audiences and by analyzing the content and structure of your website, you can improve your ranking in search engines and direct targeted traffic to your website. The six most important benefits of keyword research are:
- More efficient search engine optimization – Using the best and most popular keywords helps you optimize your website’s content and improve its visibility in search engines, increasing organic traffic and conversions.
- A better user experience – Keyword research can increase your understanding of what your target audience is looking for and help you create relevant and useful content for your audience.
- Higher conversion rates – Using the right keywords can attract higher-quality traffic to your website, thus increasing the number of leads and sales.
- Competitive advantage – When you know the keywords used by your competitors, you can find ways to make yourself stand out. On the contrary, you might find useful words for your business that you didn’t even think of.
- Measurable results – By actively monitoring keyword rankings and website traffic, you can measure the success of keyword research. Gathering and analyzing data helps you figure out how optimization should be developed in the future.
- Effective advertising – After performing a keyword research, it is much easier to plan a functional campaign and ad group structure for Google Ads.
The steps of keyword research
Keyword research involves several steps. The first step is to identify the most important topics and themes related to your company or organization. Once these are clear, you can begin to research specific keywords and terms that your target audience is using to find information.
Search intent
In keyword research, it is a good idea to take into account the purpose behind the search. Visitors search for different information at different stages of the purchase path. By identifying visitor needs, it is easy to create content that corresponds to a specific search.
- Informational search is used when looking for general information on a specific topic. For example, a visitor can search for information about restaurants in a certain city, or search for food recipes for a certain ingredient.
- Navigational search is used to find a specific website. When someone is looking for a specific brand’s website, they usually type the brand name directly into the search engine. The purpose of this search is to go to a specific website rather than searching for general information.
- Commercial search is used to read customer experiences or to compare products and services before making a purchase decision. For example, the user can search for experiences of a certain car model.
- Transactional search is used when the user is ready to make a purchase or other conversion. They often search directly for a specific brand or product and add more detailed information to the search, for example, “Ipad discount” or “teeth whitening treatment in Helsinki”.
In addition to keyword research, the current content and structure of your website should be analyzed to identify the areas that need improvement. This includes, for example, making sure that titles and metadata contain the important keywords found in keyword research.
Finally
Keyword research and its utilization for content creation is an ongoing process that should be reviewed and developed regularly. We often start search engine marketing with keyword research, because it gives us a good base for site development, content optimization and advertising. In addition, it helps us understand our client’s industry and target groups.
We use the best tools in the industry (Semrush, Google Search Console) to ensure high-quality results. When performing a keyword research, we also look at the purpose of the searches outside these tools, directly from search engines. We don’t just produce a list of keywords, we want to give our clients a tool for planning and creating great content. This means, for example, identifying larger themes, using the right keywords, and writing content in the correct format.
When website content is built based on the results of keyword research, you can achieve:
- Higher visibility in search engine results
- Increased quality traffic to your website
- More leads and conversions
- Cost-effective advertising
Keyword research can be done when renewing a website or whenever you simply want to improve your current website and its organic visibility. Read more about our digital marketing services or contact us if you are interested in the potential of keyword research!
