What are keywords and how do you find them?
A term that frequently appears in digital marketing is keywords (also known as search terms or key phrases). But what exactly are keywords, why are they so important, and where can they be found? We will examine this from an SEO perspective in this article.
Book a meeting to discuss SEO with usWhat are keywords?
Keywords are the words and phrases used in search engines such as Google when searching for information, products, or services. Think of them as literal or roughly simplified questions. “T-shirt short green” can be translated to “Where can I find a short green t-shirt?”. Other phrases are more cryptic, like “Puck too small” which could mean either “What TV size should I buy to watch hockey” or “Where is the nearest optician?”. Regardless, these provide insight into people's behaviour on search engines. We have a comprehensive article on what SEO is if you want to refresh your memory.
Why are keywords important?
Increased visibility in search engines: By integrating relevant keywords into your website, you improve the chances of your site appearing high in search results for those terms, which in turn leads to increased visibility and higher organic traffic.
Improved targeting of the audience: By using specific keywords, you can tailor your content to a defined audience actively searching for what you offer.
Understanding customer needs: Keyword analysis provides valuable insights into what your target audience is searching for. This can help you create more relevant and engaging content that covers the entire customer journey.
Increased conversion rate: By addressing relevant keywords, you attract visitors who are more likely to convert into customers since they are already interested in what you offer.
How to choose the right keywords
Understand your audience: Get to know their needs, problems, and the terms they use when searching for solutions online.
Use keyword tools: Intuition is great, but data is essential for SEO. Tools like Google Keyword Planner can help you find keywords related to your business and their search volume.
Analyse the competition: See which keywords your competitors rank for and how you can differentiate yourself.
Balance search volume and relevance: Choose keywords with a decent search volume that are also highly relevant to your offering.
Continuous optimisation: Keyword strategies require constant adjustment and optimisation based on performance data and market trends.
Experience: SEO requires long-term effort—unlike paid advertisements, it’s an investment in your business that continues to yield results even after the work is done. Therefore, experience from past efforts is often needed to determine which path will yield the most and best results six months ahead. This is an advantage of seeking external help for SEO. Additionally, staying updated on new features and updates, such as Google’s SGE, is beneficial.
