Why SEO Keyword Research Should Be Based on User Intent
The use of keywords has changed many times over the past decade. It all started with a search box and a user looking for something specific. The words typed into that search box became of the utmost importance to businesses and marketers. From there, developed the concept of search engine optimization and how to rank near the top of search results. Discover why modern SEO keyword research should be based on user intent.
Define Your Goals
The first step is to define your goals. What does your business do better than anyone else in the industry? Who are your typical customers? What is the target audience you want to reach? All of these questions help a company determine what they want from their SEO marketing campaigns. Goals should be definitive, rather than vague. For example, stating you want to get more traffic is a broad goal. Determine how much traffic you want by a specific time. Goals should be clear, so businesses can easily gauge their progress.
Get to Know Your Niche
The next step is to get to know your niche. There might be thousands of companies selling the same widgets or services. But the successful ones focus on a particular niche that searches for their offerings. A target audience may consist of people from various backgrounds with unique reasons for wanting what your company provides. Which parts of the target market are you trying to resonate with and how can you do it? Research your niche to find out what they are talking about and looking for now – then deliver it in your SEO content.
Head, Body, and Long Tail Keywords
With goals and a niche in mind, it’s time to start conducting SEO keyword research. The keywords chosen should accurately reflect that intent users have when they are searching for your type of business. Misleading keywords may attract the wrong audience and result in a frustrating experience for users. Keywords should be direct and include the terms people type into the search engine box to find your company. Choose some head, body, and long-tail keywords. Head keywords are the exact item or service someone wants, and often they are just one word. Body keywords are usually one to three words and further define what the searcher wants. Long tail keywords are specific phrases that are three words or longer. A combination of all three helps boost the ranking of authoritative content.
Traffic and Competition
Beyond choosing valid keywords, it takes more to start ranking on the search engines. Some keywords are highly trafficked, and other sites are already ranking for those words. This presents a challenge that could involve months or years of patience. Beyond the traffic, keywords might also be competitive. Highly competitive words can be difficult to rank for, especially for new websites or ones that a falling behind in ranking. The preliminary content should include well-trafficked keywords that have low or medium competition. These words are easier and set the scene to start using more competitive keywords in future content.
Give Them What They Want
With all this groundwork accomplished, it’s time to choose the right keywords to help improve your site’s ranking. Intelligence and gut reactions are essential in finding them. Create user personas to get into the heads of your target audience members. How would they search for something? What do they want to know or do? What are they talking about now and how does it matter to your business? Read the question and answer sites, study trends, and peruse social media to get answers. Knowing the user intent makes it easy to choose keywords that matter.
Smart SEO keyword research based on traffic, competition, length, and user intent helps drive targeted traffic to your site. The result is higher rankings on the search engines and more leads for your business.
