What is Keyword Research in SEO?

Everyone wants better search rankings, right?

But getting better search rankings for the wrong keywords is worthless! It’s a big waste of time, effort and resources.

In this Search Engine Optimization Frequently Asked Questions (SEO FAQs) video blog, I address the question, What is keyword research in SEO?

(The article below is a summary of the video, but you’ll get more details and examples if you watch the video.)

What is Keyword Research in SEO?

Many people think they know what keywords they want to rank better for in the search engines. However, more often than not, those assumptions are way off the mark. The last thing you want to do is invest your valuable time, energy, and resources into optimizing a website for the wrong keywords.

So, let’s explore what keyword research entails and how it can help you avoid such pitfalls.

1. Keyword Popularity

Our first stop on the keyword research journey is to gauge popularity. After all, there’s no point in targeting a keyword that no one is searching for, right? Assess the number of monthly searches for each keyword under consideration and factor that into the decision-making process.

2. Keyword Difficulty or Competition

The next factor to scrutinize is keyword difficulty or how competitive a keyword is. If there’s fierce competition for a keyword, especially from websites with high authority and loads of backlinks, it will be impossible to get into the top 10.

It’s like trying to win the Daytona 500 with minivan. You have to consider your competition before you enter the race.

3. Relevance

Of course, it’s essential that the keywords you choose are highly relevant to your organization and its objectives. After all, what’s the point of ranking for keywords that don’t align with who you are and what you do?

But, there are degrees of relevance, so this takes more thought than many people realize.

If you are marketing an A/C company, “air conditioning” may seem relevant, but what do you specialize in?  Air conditioner repair? Weekend air condition repair? Weekend air condition repair in Hoboken, NJ? The more relevant the keywords you target are, the better your conversion rate will be. (The higher percentage of website visitors will contact you).

4. Authority

The next think to consider is the current authority of your website, which is mostly determine by links.

This is closely related to #2 Competition, because you need to know how the authority of your website compares to the authority of the websites already ranking in the top 10. If the authority of your website is much lower than your competitors for a particular keyword, then it’s better to target other, lower-competition keywords for now while also building the authority of your website so it can rank for more competitive keywords down the road.

5. Current Rankings

Last but not least, a website’s current rankings can give a good idea of what keywords to target.

The site that ranks #1 for a keyword gets significantly more clicks than the site that’s #2, #2 gets significantly more than #3. That trend continues through the top 10 which all appear on the first page of the search results. After 10, you might as well not even exist because very few people click past the first page.

If a website is hovering just outside the top ten for a specific keyword, it might not take much to push it into the coveted top ten. And if a site is already in the top 10, getting it to #1 could result in a dramatic increase in visitors.

So, there you have it… 5 things to consider when doing SEO keyword research.

The bottom line is…

Keyword research is the compass pointing your SEO in the right direction. -Paul Steinbrueck

Get expert keyword research

Keyword research is one of the most complicated aspects of SEO. Without the right tools and processes, it’s difficult to do well.

Fortunately, our team has been doing keyword research for 20 years. We’ve developed and continue to refine our keyword research tools and processes, so that we can point our SEO clients towards the the right keywords.

If you’d like to discuss church SEO or Christian SEO for your business, school or ministry, with one of our SEO experts, we’d love to talk with you.

Fill out the consultation request form below (mobile) or to the right (desktop)!

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