Keyword Research

Keyword research is critical to making a website or content more visible in search engines. This guide shares its foundations, good practices and useful tools.

What Is a Keyword?

A keyword is a word or phrase used by someone searching for information in a search engine. The term also describes words representing the main theme of a subject or text. Keywords can help people understand a text more quickly, support indexing, or locate content about a particular subject in search engines. The concept is commonly associated with organising information, indexing and search.

What Are Long-Tail Keywords?

“Long-tail keywords” usually refer to longer, more specific and distinctive search terms. They are generally searched less often than short, popular keywords, but they are used to reach a more precisely defined, niche audience. For example, “yellow shoes” is a general keyword, whereas “Nike yellow running shoes” can be a longer and more specific long-tail keyword.

Long-tail keywords usually face less competition, which can increase the likelihood that content attracts the attention of a clearly defined audience. Because they address more specific searches, content optimised for these terms may also have the potential to achieve higher conversion rates.

Keyword and Long-Tail Examples

Keyword example:

• Keyword: “trainers”

In this example, “trainers” represents a general, commonly used keyword.

Long-tail example:

• Long-tail keyword: “Nike black running shoes”

Here, “Nike black running shoes” is a longer and more specific long-tail keyword. It identifies a particular brand, colour and type of sport, helping the user narrow the search results.

The Purpose of Keyword Research

Keyword research is critical to visibility. Its main purposes are:

1. Identify Your Audience's Words and Phrases

The first step in keyword research is to identify the words and phrases your target audience uses when looking for information in search engines. You can use the following methods to establish that language:

• Audience surveys and interviews
• Monitoring social platforms and forums
• Analysing competitors' websites
• Using keyword research tools

2. Analyse Search Volume and Competition

After identifying the words your audience uses, analyse their search volume and level of competition. Search volume indicates how often a keyword is searched during a defined period. Competition describes the number of websites trying to rank for that keyword.

3. Optimise Content for Higher Rankings

Once you have analysed keyword volume and competition, you can optimise your content with the aim of achieving higher search rankings. The following methods can support that work:

• Keywords in the title, meta description and main text
• Optimising keyword density
• Adding images and video
• Earning backlinks from other websites

Benefits of Keyword Research:

• It helps you gain a better understanding of your target audience.
• It helps you optimise the content you publish.
• It helps your website achieve higher search engine rankings.
• It helps attract more traffic to your website or individual content.
• It shows what your competitors are doing and helps you move ahead of them.

Research is one of SEO's most important elements. Choosing and using appropriate terms can improve search visibility.

How to Conduct Keyword Research

Know Your Audience

• Successful keyword research begins with getting to know your target audience.
• Find out who your customers are, what kinds of problems they face and which words they use to describe them.

Generate Ideas

• Once you understand your audience, you can begin generating ideas for keywords you could use.
• Brainstorming, tools such as Google Keyword Planner, Moz, Ahrefs and Semrush, and analysis of competitors can all provide keyword ideas.

Analyse Terms

• Analyse the ideas you have generated against criteria such as search volume, competition and relevance.
• Tools including Google Keyword Planner, Semrush, Ahrefs and Moz can support this keyword analysis.

Select Keywords

• Use the findings of your analysis to select the keywords that best suit your content.
• Try to identify keywords that combine relatively high search volume with a low level of competition.

What to Consider During Research

• Your keywords should reflect the language and needs of your audience. Communicate with them to understand the search queries they are likely to use.
• Use both short-tail and long-tail keywords. Long-tail terms can bring more specific traffic from a more clearly targeted audience.
• Use keywords naturally within the content. Excessive density can reduce content quality and may be penalised by search engines.
• Review and update keywords regularly. Your audience's interests and search habits change over time.
• Use keywords in page titles and meta descriptions to improve search visibility. Avoid taking this optimisation too far.
• Monitor keyword performance regularly with web analytics tools. Analyse which terms are more effective and adjust your strategy accordingly.

What Should Keyword Density Be?

Keyword density measures how often a keyword appears in a text. It helps search engines understand what a page concerns and determine its ranking in search results accordingly.

There is no ideal percentage for keyword density. The appropriate level varies with keyword competition, the type of content and other factors.

General Recommendations:

• Avoid using keywords excessively. This practice is called keyword stuffing and can be penalised by search engines.
• Use keywords naturally. Integrate them in a way that reads smoothly. Instead of repeating the same term continually, use synonyms and related words. Do not force the text merely to fit keywords into it.
• Use a range of keywords and phrases. This can help your content reach a broader audience.
• Place keywords where they belong. Use them in important areas such as the title, meta description and main body.

To Optimise Keyword Density:

• Analyse your keywords. Identify the words and phrases your target audience actually uses.
• Calculate keyword density. Count keyword occurrences and calculate their proportion of the text's total word count.
• Optimise keyword density. Integrate keywords naturally rather than using them excessively.
• Use the right placements. Put keywords in important areas including the title, meta description and main body.
• Review your keywords regularly and keep them updated.

Density is an important aspect of SEO. Appropriate keyword use can increase your website's or content's search visibility.