What is Keyword Research? Guide for New Content Creators

Keyword research is integral to search engine optimization (SEO) because it helps content creators understand the terms and phrases potential customers use to search for products or services online.

By understanding these keywords, creators can create content that is more relevant and likely to rank well in search engine results pages (SERPs).

This article will explore the basics of keyword research, including how to conduct keyword research, the different types of keywords, and how to use keyword research to improve your SEO efforts.

Conducting keyword research

Several tools and techniques can be used to conduct keyword research. Some standard methods include:

Google AdWords Keyword Planner: This is a free tool that allows users to enter a keyword or phrase and receive data on the average monthly searches for that term, as well as related keywords and their search volumes.
SEMrush: This paid tool provides data on keyword search volumes, information on the competition for those keywords, and suggestions for related keywords.
Google Trends: This free tool allows users to see how the popularity of a particular keyword or phrase has changed over time.
Social media listening: By monitoring social media conversations and hashtags, creators can identify popular topics and keywords used by their target audience.

Types of keywords

Content creators should consider several types of keywords when conducting keyword research. These include:

1. Short-tail keywords are broad terms often used to describe a product or service. For example, “clothing” or “travel.”
2. Long-tail keywords: These are more specific and often include multiple words. For example, “women’s clothing store in San Francisco” or “best places to visit in Europe.” Long-tail keywords are often less competitive and can be easier to rank for in search results.
3. LSI keywords: Latent semantic indexing (LSI) keywords are related to the main keyword and help search engines understand the context and meaning of the content. For example, if the main keyword is “dog training,” LSI keywords might include, “puppy training,” and “dog behavior.”

Using keyword research to improve SEO

Once you have identified the relevant keywords for your website, you can use that information to optimize your content and improve your SEO.

Some tips for using keyword research:

• Use keywords in your titles and headings: This helps search engines understand your content and can improve your page’s ranking.
• Use keywords in your meta descriptions: Meta descriptions are short summaries of your page that appear in search results. Including keywords in your meta descriptions can help improve your page’s click-through rate.
• Use keywords in your content: Including relevant keywords in your content can help search engines understand the subject matter of your page and improve its ranking in search results. However, it is essential to avoid keyword stuffing or the practice of overusing keywords in an attempt to manipulate search rankings.
• Use LSI keywords: As mentioned earlier, LSI keywords can help search engines understand the context of your content and improve its ranking in search results.

By conducting keyword research and using that information to optimize their content, creators can improve the ranking of their posts and pages.