So you have recently started a blog and want to learn how to do keyword research for your blog?
Are you curious to find out what type of keywords you should target to get more ranking and visitors who later turn into buyers?
If Yes, then in this article I will tell you everything you need to know about choosing the right keyword.
As you know, Keywords are the base of SEO. If you are targeting good keywords that people are looking for, then chances are you will get lots of organic traffic from Google (in case your blog ranks).
Many people would think that choosing low-competition keywords is the key to success. But my friend, if nobody is searching for that keyword, how will you get visitors?
If you want to get your blog indexed quickly, rank better and get more organic traffic from search engines, then choosing the right keyword is the first step.
Keyword Research should be the very foundation of your SEO strategy. While Google keeps us busy with daily new Algorithm Updates, targeting good keywords that people are searching for constantly could be a lifeline for your blog.
The journey to getting a better SERP ranking starts from Keyword research, so you must not take it lightly. Writing lots of content that nobody is searching for will only waste your time.
You must understand the limitations of your niche, find what people are looking for, and craft informational content that will solve your reader’s query and also has potential for monetization.
A keyword should have all of these qualities and then only can make good money through the blog and set up it as a business.
The primary motive of every blogger is and should be monetization otherwise do all this hard work if you are not going to get paid.
But to make your blog a source of information, so that people could trust your words and buy whatever you are selling is an art. If your blog is the canvas then Keywords are colors.
In this guide, I am going to help you understand how to do keyword research in 2022, but first, you need to know some basic things.
What is a Keyword?
If you are a beginner, then you must be thinking “what is a keyword?”. Actually, when you start a blog, you ought to share some information online that people will read if they need it.
But how do they reach your blog, they search for any particular word or phrase in search engines like Google or Bing. That term could be anything like “how to tie a knot” or “best gaming laptops” or anything else.
Now the sites or blogs that rank for these queries will show up in search results and users will open those pages. So the word or phrase that people search for is Keyword.
If you want to rank on Google, then you should write your content according to a particular phrase that will define your article.
For example; If your content is all about “how to make fruit salad” then it is your keyword.
Why do you need a keyword?
As I already told you, a Keyword is the base of your article. If you are writing anything, there must be a topic.
Can you write an article which is about nothing? No, you cannot. Whatever you write, there must be a base and that is the keyword.
It is also very important to make your keyword very clear to rank in SERP because people mostly search for a word or a phrase.
The keyword is also important for other tasks that you will use to get more visitors like on-page SEO, off-page SEO, Social media marketing, link building, email outreach, and many more.
Keywords are often referred to as SEO keywords because they are based on which you will optimize your content for Search Engines.
So, the term you are looking to get ranked for on Google with the help of SEO (search engine optimization) would be your SEO Keyword.
Now, you might have got a clear idea of why you need a keyword. Well then, let’s move ahead.
What is keyword research?
Keyword research is the process of finding what to write on your blog that will attract readers. You need to find the best possible match of queries that people in your niche are looking for in search engines.
You must understand your business as well as your customers to maximize your success. Finding the right keyword is the base of SEO (search engine optimization) for your blog.
You also need to prioritize your keywords to desired results and grow your audience. Understand your business, dig out what people are looking for, and create content that fulfills your customers’ queries.
In simple words, Keyword research is finding out what people are typing in Google when they search for any product or service that you are offering.
In this way, you will get a better ranking which will lead to more visitors who will eventually convert into buyers. It is the primary model of every business or blog out there.
Why do you need to do Keyword Research?
Keywords are like guides of your blog for the people who are trying to find what you write.
When someone searches for any phrase on Google, your blog gets ranked by the keyword you used in your article. Then people open your page to see what information you are offering.
So Keyword research helps you understand your audience. You cannot target the Whole world, every other person is interested in a different thing.
So, you will need to find out who is your audience, which means you need to find out people who are interested in what you are publishing.
Now the question comes next, are people going to read what you are writing or you are going to write what people are looking for?
Let me be harsh here, you are not J.K. Rowling or Charles Dickens. Your blog is a business place where you are recommending people to try or perhaps buy certain products.
In this case, you will need to find out what people in your niche are looking for, and to do that you will need to do keyword research.
How Keyword Research can help your site grow?
Understanding your market, knowing your audience, provide them with what they are looking for is the best business model in the world.
All this start from one tiny but rather difficult decision which is finding a keyword that leads to user satisfaction and eventually generates some revenue.
Obviously, getting a high SERP ranking and making money through your blog needs so much work but all of that start from one point.
In my personal opinion, you should consider the profitability of your keywords even before choosing your niche. If you are in process of choosing a niche for your site, then keep the potential of conversion in mind too.
Choose a niche where you can monetize your content and make a good profit out of your blog, otherwise how much longer can you do it for free?
As I always say, before you start a blog, choose a profitable niche for your blog then do lots of keyword research and write content with conversion in mind.
Writing content to help solve users’ queries is important but it also has the potential to sell.
For example, if your blog gets 10K visitors daily but the scope of monetization is slim to none, then having a blog with 2K daily visitors that convert is better.
If you are making constant money with your blog, then obviously you will work harder to increase the revenue and thus it will increase the growth of your site.
Although there are various other factors that help in the growth of any site money could be a very serious motivation.
Is Keyword Research Still Relevant in 2022?
Google is keeping us on our toes with frequent algorithm updates, then how much relevant is Keyword Research in 2022? If are also thinking the same question, then the answer is right here.
Previously people used to stuff lots of keywords in their articles (which is a black hat SEO technique) and easily rank their websites.
Now Google is getting smarter and it ban such websites, so you need to write better content and use your keywords smartly.
You will need to find out what people are looking for, maintain keyword density between 1-2%, and use Semantic and LSI keywords to beat your competitors.
As you can see, knowing how to target your audience is very important, without it you will never rank on Google. You need to know what to write to drive more traffic to your blog or site.
So, in my opinion, finding keyword is still relevant in 2022 and will stay relevant even in upcoming years.
Different types of Keyword trends
Keyword trends vary for every business, product, blog, country, or even region. It all depends upon the trend which you are following for your particular needs. Below are some keyword trends worth checking:
1. Traditional terms: When people just go and start writing about topics related to their respective niche. Like if you have a technology blog, you start writing keywords like best laptop, best routers, best processors, etc. So these are traditional terms that are pretty common to think about but hard to rank.
2. Product terms: Some people who create a blog to promote any particular product like software, start articles on a product name basis. For example, writing articles on Video Converter, PDF creators, TeamViewer, and so on. These keywords are easy to think of but again very hard to rank.
3. Competitor terms: It’s one of the most common practices among bloggers out there. People spy on their competitors and pick the keywords they are ranking for. This may be the easiest method to find a keyword for your blog but it could be pretty hard to replicate your competitors’ results.
4. Audience terms: This is the best category of keyword which really helps to increase traffic and make more money. You find terms that audiences in your niche are seeking then optimize your article. It is the best method to boost your SEO and establish your blog as an authority in your niche. These types of keywords could be hard to find but easy to rank.
Understanding Intent of any Keyword
While doing keyword research, the intent is quite important because it helps you create an SEO strategy. Intent means the intention or motive behind any particular keyword. Search Intent is very important if you want to know the audience. To know why your customers are searching for what they are searching for. If once you solve this mystery then finding the perfect keyword will be a lot easier. Here are some common intents that help you decide your keyword.
Informational – If the keyword you choose is only for providing information to your user then it falls under the informational intent. These types of keywords typically solve a problem for users or educate them to do something or answer their questions regardless of selling anything.
For example, if “selling paintings” is the keyword, then where is the intent here? It might prove hard to rank on this particular keyword and the intent is also not clear.
So if you want to make your content informational then you can use keywords like “how to sell paintings online” or “selling paintings on eBay” or anything similar.
This clearly shows the user that you are explaining a method to do a particular task. If they are interested, they will visit your site.
Informational search queries often come in question form. A person searching for theme terms tends to visit site that offers a solution.
They are not looking to buy anything, but they are looking for answers. They might generate a lead for further sale, like joining any service that helps them do any task, but the main intention here is to gain information.
You can build your content strategy around such keywords to build trust and grow organic traffic.
Commercial – Primary motive behind this kind of keyword is to convert readers into buyers. They work like a medium between your user and the product. People normally search for these types of Keywords when they are planning to buy something.
For example, if the keyword is “DSLR Camera” then it simply explains that this webpage has information about cameras but again no intent.
If you want to sell any product on your blog, then you need to be clear about that. So that people looking to buy a camera will visit your site.
Like you can choose “Best DSLR Camera” or “Affordable DSLR Camera” or “Best DSLR Camera under $$price range$$” and so on. These types of keywords make it clear that this website is only showing cameras according to search queries.
If the user is interested then they will visit your site, choose the product and make a purchase.
Most E-commerce websites and affiliate marketing sites use these types of keywords because they are trying to sell something.
Most review sites also use these tactics to compare products and review them according to price range and functionality to give users choice to purchase any given product.
For example, if you have used an informational keyword like “Xbox x vs PlayStation 5”, so the intent of this keyword is to inform users about which product is better than the others.
You can add your affiliate links to your content and direct your visitors to the owner’s website to make purchases. You can also discount coupons to make the deal sweeter. People would click on your link, go to the owner’s site and you will get your commission.
A clear intent about the keyword and content brings lots of daily organic traffic to their sites that convert into sales and they make lots of money with this strategy.
Transactional – Unlike commercial intent, these keywords simply define where and how to buy any product or service. They mainly attract visitors who are looking to make a purchase and willing to pay for it but looking for certain information about the process.
For example, if I want to buy a collar for my dog, then I will search for “buy dog collars” or “dog collars coupon code” or similar terms.
This clearly says that I am looking to buy this product. So every other person who is looking to buy any specific product online will search like this.
These keywords are called transactional because they lead to certain purchases. If you optimize your content according to such keywords then you will get lots of visitors who are willing to buy.
If you are a blogger then you should research keywords that could lead to the sale of some products to bring in more target-oriented visitors and sell products on your site.
Navigational – The intention behind such keywords is just to promote some brand or create awareness about any product or service. In such cases, users are aware of the brand name like “Apple” or “Nike” but they don’t know how to access specific pages or information about that brand.
They just simply write the Brand name and service they are looking for in the search box. For example – a user may type “Nike shoes” and all the related results will show up.
Unfortunately, if you don’t own the brand, you cannot get much traffic on these keywords let alone monetization opportunities.
Understanding SEO Keyword Types
Now as you know how to find a keyword and how to target your audience by using Search Intent, now the next thing is factor. Depending on the person who is searching, a couple of changes could be made which can affect your ranking very much. So We are going to understand some of the common keyword types which can help your SEO strategy and boost your rankings
Short Keywords – These are the most generic types of keywords that are short and to the point. They usually consist of one or two words and hence they are very hard to rank. They often don’t reveal the intent of the article. These are the most generic terms within a category.
For example:
- running shoes
- dog food
- golf club
These types of Keywords are very short and generic. They can attract a wide range of people but it would be hard to rank for such keywords. They might whole lot of visitors for the site which is ranking on top, but most of them are brand owners or blogs which are very old.
It would be very hard to compete against websites that are decade old and has thousands of backlinks on these types of generic terms as a beginner.
Normal Keywords – These types of keywords are preferably easy to rank and bring a small amount of users looking for specific things. You can add some filters to generic keywords to make them more specific.
For example:
- best running shoes
- best dog food
- best golf club
They are a bit more specific than normal keywords and target a specific audience. People only looking for the best running shoes will search for that term. These types of keywords cut short a lot of competition and give more optimization opportunities.
Long-tail Keywords – These are the easiest to rank keywords, only used to target specific audiences looking for very specific kinds of services or products. You need to add some filters to normal keywords to make it more specific.
For Example
- best running shoes for men
- best dog food for labrador
- best golf clubs for beginners
They are very specific and people looking for only such items will visit your site. You can probably make these keywords more specific by including some other filters like year or price range, or location. They will get very very specific and will be very easy to rank but you won’t get too many visitors, however, they will also convert highly.
Trending Keywords – These types of keywords offer huge search volume but only for a limited time. They mostly surround any popular word or topic which is trending at any particular time, but after that, they become completely irrelevant.
For Example:
- Best black friday running shoes deals
- Best Cyber Monday golf deals
- Best Dog Food Deals for Christmas
These types of keywords are only viable for a short time and after they don’t have any relevance for a long time. They bring lots of traffic and conversion for a short time and then stay dead for a while.
Evergreen Keywords – These types of keywords should be the base of your blog. They always keep bringing a decent amount of traffic to your blog. These types of keywords always stay relevant even after a few years you publish the article. These keywords should be well written to make you an authority in your niche and also need some updating time-to-time and they always stay fresh.
For example, a keyword like “How to lose weight” is an evergreen keyword and people still be searching for it after 10 years.
You might think it would be hard to rank for such a keyword, but if you have read this article carefully, you could easily optimize this keyword like
- How to lose weight naturally
- How to lose weight without exercise
- How to lose weight at home
- How to lose weight dieting
These all are examples of Evergreen keyword with some specific filter but still, people would be searching for these term like always, and if your site rank for these terms, you will keep getting organic traffic regularly.
How to do Keyword Research for SEO in 2022
In this article, I am going to share some keyword research tips that I personally use. Plan your strategy based on these tips and I guarantee, your blog will soon get a decent amount of traffic from Search Engine.
How to find a profitable keyword
1. Brainstorm your site niche
The process of every strong structure should start from the ground level. In this case, picking the right niche for your blog. Once you do that, brainstorm your niche for the topics that could interest your potential audience.
Like if your blog niche is Health, then you need to start thinking about which is the most common health issue that everybody is struggling from.
For example, you can choose obesity which is a quite common problem and people often search for terms like “how to lose weight”. Now you can find related keywords to this, explore other trends, and target a whole bunch of people who are looking to shed some kilos.
2. Know your audience
The second thing you need to do is, know your audience. Like what kind of people you are targeting Male, female, kids, or elderly people. If you are writing an article about hearing aid, then you should probably target elderly people. If your potential audience is kids then you can target the keywords “best gaming console for kids”.
3. Define your goals
Finding a good keyword is very important to bring organic traffic to your blog, but what’s your goal for that keyword? There could be many goals behind an article like you just want to provide knowledge or want to sell specific products or websites.
So you need to define your goal before finding a keyword and putting a whole lot of extra work into writing an article. You need to decide forehand what you want to achieve by blog post.
You need to use the Keyword Intent formula here which I have described earlier in this article. If the post is written to solve users’ problems for free then it will hardly generate sales.
4. Think Like a User
You need to think from your reader’s point of view. Ask yourself questions about what your audience is looking for. The best way to do that is, to search Google for the set of questions that pops into your mind. It can help you draw a clear picture of what people in your niche are searching for.
5. Make a list of keywords
Keeping a record is always important. While doing research, you might find multiple ideas or related keywords. You need to keep a record of all your findings preferably in an Excel sheet. While doing all the research work, if you ignore all the other terms that you are not using then it will a big waste of your time. Maybe, keywords that you see as unfit now, can help you give other ideas in the future even if it is just ignoring certain terms.
6. Analyze your competition
Knowing what your competitors are doing is the best way to find keywords that attract the audience in your niche. Look for the keywords they are ranking for, the amount of traffic they are getting, and even the content writing strategy. Make sure you take notes of everything you find and collect all the data.
7. Use Google Auto-suggest
When you type any keyphrase in Google, you will several related terms that users are already searching for. It is one of the easiest ways to get more keyword ideas for the blog. First, pick any keyword, type it in Google, and you will see a bunch of new phrases. You can also scroll down to the end of the page and find out some more keyphrase related to your search.
8. People Also Ask
Finding a profitable keyword is a process that needs a lot of research. But the whole purpose of this article is to cut short that extra work. Google has another amazing feature that is quite helpful in such activity. You might have seen a block of questions on Google while searching for any specific terms. If click on one, it will expand and you will find a whole lot of keywords too. You can compare notes and find a suitable phrase for your article.
9. Quora, Reddit & Forums
If you want to know what people in your niche are looking for, then you have to interact with them. You should join websites like Quora and Reddit to find out what people are talking about. They often start communicating and ask questions and you can analyze those to find out a suitable keyword. Joining forums is also a very good way to read people’s minds. They are taking time to join a discussion, share their problems and wait for answers. It clearly means that keyword is worth writing.
10. Keyword Research Tools
Now as you have done enough research and probably built your initial list then it’s for professional advice. You can use professional keyword research tools like Semrush, Ahref, Ubersuggest, Google Keyword Planner, etc. to find out whether keywords that you have found are worth writing or not. You can find out monthly search volumes, related keywords, rank difficulty, buying potential, and much more. With all this extra data, you can prioritize your writing schedule and put your effort where it’s most needed.
What makes a Keyword Perfect for SEO?
Now as we have learned various different ways to research keywords but how to find out if it is perfect for SEO? After doing all this work, if your articles don’t rank higher in SERP then you will get no organic traffic which means no profit at all.
Well, lucky for you, I have crafted a list of some very important points that you should consider before writing your article. Your keyword might not fit all the criteria but finding a balance should do enough magic.
High Search Volume: First and foremost thing you should look for is the monthly search volume. If people are not searching for it then chances are you will not much visitors to your blog. You need to choose a keyword with a high search volume which means lots of potential visitors to your site.
Relevance: Your keywords should be relevant to your niche. Articles you publish on your blog should clearly show what you are offering. If you have a cooking blog then you cannot go writing about the benefits of running.
Provide Value: You need to provide value to your audience through your content. Find keywords that explain something or answer users’ queries. In this way, they will be more compelled to click on your website.
Think like a user: Before deciding your keyword, you should think like a user and realize what type of content you would like to read. If you are not being compelled enough to click then your users will do the same.
Be Specific: Being specific is the key to getting more attention from your targeted audience. You should choose a keyword that makes it clear to your readers what they are getting. For example, if you are writing about “blueberry chocolate chip pancakes” then be specific, don’t use only pancakes as your keyword. It will not define your content properly and you might not get any visitors at all.
Conversion opportunities: Creating a blog, doing keyword research, writing long informative articles why do all these if you are not getting paid anyhow? All these efforts should ultimately lead to a sale. Choose keywords that have monetization opportunities and which can compel your audience to make a purchase to get the desired result.
Best SEO Keyword
After reading all of these tips and tricks, what did you learn? What type of keyword is best for SEO? Still confused?
Actually, no keyword is Good or bad for SEO, just one kind which is searched by the audience of your niche.
Keep this only trick in your mind that you need to find keywords that people are looking for and base your SEO and content strategy accordingly to rank your pages and drive traffic to your blog.
You just need to consider high search volume, low competition, search intent, long-tail keyword relevancy, and authority mind while choosing a keyword for your blog.
There is high competition out there in every niche that you choose. Many of your competitors are working for a decade and you have to work hard if you want to level the plane.
You need to do lots of research, explore the Internet, find a piece of new information and most of all create content that outmatches the quality which is currently ranking.
Key takeaways of this article
Ranking high in Search Engines is not a child’s game. Google keeps changing its algorithm regularly which ranking on the first page and maintaining that rank constantly is a never-ending task.
In every blog post you read, you will different tips or the same tips in different styles but you have to cook your own formula to success.
SEO is not an easy task and sometimes it may take even a year to show the kind of result you are expecting but with proper training and strategy you can make that happen.
All these above tricks will help you in keyword research and how you use it further SEO is totally upon you. Well not completely, because you can read others of my blog articles for more information.
I am here for your entire blog development training and my aim is to help you earn money online.
So if you found this article informational then share it with your friends on Social Media and if you have any questions then feel free to ask in the comment.
