While keyword-driven marketing (also known as “keyword-targeted marketing”) is an important component of search engine optimization (SEO), we must also recognize that in order to succeed, companies must have a clear idea of who their target customers are and how to place their businesses on the SERPs in front of them. If you don’t comprehend exactly who you’re trying to attract with your SEO efforts, you will be unable to put together a strategy that provides qualified traffic and leads.
Let’s talk about keywords – a glimpse into what your target audience wants and needs. These are the words your target audience types into their favorite search engine (think Google), to look for more information on topics you can help them with. It’s the cornerstone of any SEO strategy.
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Keywords and Key Phrases
Before we go any further, I think it is important to note that we’re not talking about single words here. You’re not going to rank for “butter” for example, even if you are a dairy farmer and that’s what your customers are looking for. Instead, what you want to go after are longer key phrases that give you a good indication of what your people are looking for.
Also read Boost Your Authority And Make Sure Google And Your Users Take You Seriously.
For example, let’s say you are a small dairy farmer who sells fresh milk at the farmers market and you’ve been hearing people say they are interested in figuring out how to make butter. A key phrase you may want to look at for a blog post or informative article could be “how to make butter at home with fresh milk” or something along those lines.
There are a number of ways to choose your keywords and a few that stand above the rest.
See Why You Need A Solid SEO Strategy And A Way To Measure Results | How The Small Guy Can Win – Relevancy Matters
How To Find These Keywords
The next question is of course where you find those keywords. How can you find out what your target audience is typing into their favorite search engine?
It starts with a guess. I hope you know enough about your topic and niche of choice to come up with a list of several words and phrases that you think your readers may be using. From there you have options. One of your best and free tools is Google.
Read Putting It All Together – A Solid SEO Strategy For Your Site And Business
Start to enter one of your keywords and see what the autofill options are. Play with different terms and start making a list. Once you have that list, search each term and scroll down to the bottom of the first search results page. You will see a list of related searches. Add those to your list of keywords and key phrases and choose several that make sense for you and the type of content you want to create.
See Let’s Talk About User Behavior And What It Has To Do With SEO Rankings
Another option is to use a keyword tool. If you use Google AdWords, or have at least an AdWords account, you can use Google’s free tool which gives you quite a bit of information on search volume and the likes. Other paid keyword tools are also available.
