- Overview
- Content Structure
- —>Keyword Research <—
- On-Site SEO
- Voice Search
- Off-Site SEO
- Local SEO
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Keyword Research Guide for Small Business
Content structure and SEO copywriting are the way you create content. Keywords are how you know what to write about, and which words your search engine crawlers are looking for. Keyword research can start with many foundations. Your industry, your lead conversion funnel, competitor keywords, audience niches, specific services, and products, along with their use cases are all good channels for keyword research.
Keyword research tools, however, primarily search for a range of the most popular (and least occupied) keywords relevant to the seed. Once you have some core keyword lists, you can expand with keyword variations, organic SEO, long-tail phrases, and keyword density tools.
- Keywords and SEO
- Discovering Your Keywords
- Long-Tail Keywords
- Keyword Density Tools
- Organic SEO vs Keyword Stuffing
Keywords and SEO
SEO relies on keywords. They are like the beacons and anchor-points for Google’s web crawlers. Keywords begin in the search box; they are the words your users enter when they want to find what they are looking for. Over the decades of use, Google’s algorithm and background AI have learned relational words and phrases, so that keywords like “vehicle”, “automobile” and “car” are found in the same keyword cluster.
Keywords are how search engines and similar platforms find the right content to serve, and their guide to guess the most relevant content to a user’s search. Therefore, you will need to conduct keyword research for every facet of your audience. Every service page, product page, and blog article will have a unique mix of keywords that are not just SEO road signs, but also integrated into relevant and useful content for the readers.
Types of Keywords
There are four general types of keywords, though any specific niche or topic will have its own keyword clusters.
- Informational Keywords
- About what the reader wants to know
- Navigational Keywords
- Related to what your leads want to find
- Commercial Keywords
- Specific services and products
- Regional Keywords
- Targeting your service area
Discovering Your Keywords
The baseline of your keyword research starts with intuition and knowledge of your industry. You may know that “Roofing” and “Storm repairs” are definitely on the list of best keywords for your branding strategy, but which keywords should you pursue to build your awareness and market share?
Baseline Keywords
- Product and service names
- Common customer problems
- Information your customers want
- Answers or products your customers want to find
- Places where your customers live or shop
- Challenges your customers face regularly
Keyword Research Tools
The next step is to research your baseline keywords to discover the full scope of keywords that Google (and your users) are looking for when they search for your subjects. For example, you may sell “ear buds” but your customers are also searching for “earphones,” “headphones,” “earbuds” and “head phones.” The answer lies in keyword research tools.
Keyword Research Tools for Small Business
Long-Tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords are strings of words and phrases. Long-tail keywords exist because people think in language, not just one word at a time. “How do I fix my sink” is not the same as “Where to buy a sink”. “Best parks in Denver” should be marketed separately from “Places to park in Denver.” The long-tail relates to the phrase that surrounds or follows your keyword like a tail.
Long-tail keywords are typically much more closely targeted and face less competition in your SEO sphere. Insight into your customers’ motivations and the language they use when they search can allow you to corner the SEO market on your industry, niche, and local business model.
Long-tail keywords can be discovered through SEO research tools, but your own insights can be equally powerful when combined with organic SEO copywriting.
Keyword Density Tools
In addition to keyword research tools are editors designed to help you achieve keyword density. Keyword density is how many of your related keywords are hit in a single page of content. This is why blogs that cover a thorough scope have better a better SEO rating because they hit the keywords in a dense yet useful variation.
Organic SEO vs Keyword Stuffing
The next step is to implement the keywords you have researched. This has been a challenge and an art form since the very beginning of search engines and responsive SEO strategy.
Rule One: Never Keyword Stuff
Rule Number One is to avoid keyword stuffing. This is a known bad-act approach to keyword research implementation by simply dropping keywords where they don’t really belong in your content. Some stuff lists of keywords. Some use words in inappropriate places, or batter readers over the head with a keyword used over and over. In fact, Google has been penalizing detected keyword stuffing since 2003.
Organic SEO is Natural Keyword Integration
The natural solution to keyword strategy without stuffing is organic SEO. This is the use of your keywords in a natural, diverse, and useful way. Instead of trying to jam keywords into existing content, write content inspired by the keywords. If your customers have created long tail “How to fix…” keywords, organic SEO suggests writing how-to guides with your product names and how-to-fix answers built in.
If you need to mention certain regions, write about local seasons or community events. Organic SEO encourages you to find ways to write about your keywords, not just with them. This not only creates pages with high-value SEO, it fulfills the purpose that your customers are searching those keywords for.
Building Your Brand’s Keyword Strategy
Once you have researched and expanded your keyword list, build a keyword strategy. Look for keywords and long-tail phrases that your competitors have not yet occupied. FIll niche demand, and pick keywords that align with your brand personality, not just your inventory. To start building your brand keyword SEO strategy with professional consultation, contact us or read on to explore on-site SEO strategy.
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