Ten Reasons Keyword Research is Important

One of the most important foundations of search engine optimization is keyword research. Search engines like Google have a very specific job and they want to give users the best answers to their questions. They do this by scanning websites for clues, and those are keywords when you type a query into a search engine.

That search engine will then search websites for that exact query. If your website has those words, it could show up in the results. So being able to understand and identify the right phrases and words that people use in search engines can help you to align them with your business goals. Keywords are clues that help search engines match user queries, so if you’re doing the right research, you’ll be able to understand more about your user intent and so will Google. This ensures that your website meets a specific audience needs.

By doing the right keyword research, you’ll be able to predict and stay on top of the ever changing trends in your industry. You shouldn’t look at keyword research as just something to tick off a list. Let’s take a look at the reasons why it’s so important for search engine optimization. 

1. Keywords help you to understand your users. As a business, you have a target audience and these are the people that you want to be able to reach. Being able to understand what they want without having to ask thousands of people directly is with keyword research. If you are running a website to do with travel, but you think that people are searching for specific words to do with travel, you might find out that they’re searching more for specific locations rather than the word itself. This can tell you something because it shows that your users have an intentional search for a specific location, rather than just asking for general travelling tips. When you look at search volume against keywords, you get an idea into what people are thinking and you see their questions, their needs and their desires. Through an understanding of common keyword phrases and search terms, you can determine whether users are looking to buy something, looking to learn something or looking to browse. The right keywords you’ll be able to tailor your content correctly to meet the needs of your audience better, which pushes you up the search engine results pages.
2. Improving targeted traffic. You want more people to come to your website, sure, but you also want those people to convert from visitors to leads. If you’re selling something specific, you might focus your keywords on something more generic at first only to see it doesn’t work. So if you’re selling handmade leather bags, you may focus on keywords like bags, which means you get a lot of visitors, but those same visitors leave quickly. This is because you may not be selling the exact bags that they are looking for. It’s important to drill down your keywords so that you can improve targeted traffic to people that will actually come to your website and buy something. Seeing people through the sales funnel is important. 
3. Making your content more relevant. One of the biggest reasons that keyword research is so important is so that you can write the content people are looking for. There’s nothing like spending hours researching and crafting the perfect article for your website only for it to get no clicks because it’s just not what people are searching for online. It’s nice to have blog posts that you think are going to be a hit, but as you’re the person writing it, of course you’re going to think it’s a hit. You want blog posts that other people think will be a hit.
4. Keeping your competitive edge. You can outshine your competition with the right keyword research. It’s not just limited to understanding what your customers want, but it’s a good window into the tactics that are employed by others in your industry. Are they ranking for better keywords than you? You can be missing huge opportunities for your business if you’re not keeping up with this.
5. Adapting to user behaviour. In search engine optimization, specifically keeping up with the changing user behaviour is vital for you to be able to be relevant. Keyword research is the biggest tool in this for you to succeed. It can provide you with the data that you need on emerging search queries and trending topics, and it allows you to develop a strategy that is responsive but tailored to the right audience. You’ll be able to unveil new market segments or opportunities that could have gone unnoticed without this kind of in depth analysis. 

6. Having a cross-channel strategy that works. When you carry out in-depth keyword research, you can take your cross channel marketing to a completely new level. Aligning your content across various digital platforms will help you to be more successful. From the content on your website and your blog posts, to the messages in your e-mail marketing, you’ll be able to work across different channels to maximise your whole marketing strategy. You want to create a strong brand message that is cohesive, easily identifiable and connects with your audience no matter what.
7. You’ll craft a meaningful value proposition. You want to get into the head of your target audience to understand what they’re searching for and the language that they’re using to do so. It’s so much more than just identifying the trending terms because thorough keyword research reveals their behaviour. When you have this type of understanding, you can create a value proposition that aligns not only with their expectations but addresses their pain points.
8. You can generate new content. Innovative new content creation ideas should be something that you focus on. Keyword research plays a huge role in discovering new content, essentially acting as your generator for SEO strategy. You’re going to be able to uncover a language and phrases that people are searching for in your field. Brainstorming can leave you guessing but keyword research allows you to pinpoint and narrow down.
9. You can optimize your paid advertising. If you have any paid advertising campaigns like pay per click, keyword research is going to play a huge role in this because you’re going to be able to stop wasting money on what you think is a good keyword and start putting your money to the keywords that you know your audience is using.
10. Boosting your profits. If you want your digital strategy to be effective, it should be bringing in some money. Keyword research is an essential in helping you to achieve this. The simple goal of keyword research is to work on understanding what people are searching for and how to deliver content that sells. This leads you to a more robust campaign.