Are you doing keyword research for your blog post or are you just putting some random content?
According to a recent study by WordPress, Wordpress users produce about 70 million new posts each month.
That’s more than 2.3 million blog post being published every day on WordPress alone.
How are you going to stand out?
How do you optimize your blog’s content for the maximum possible reach, impressions and clicks on Google search rankings?
The answer is doing the proper keyword research before you even write your blog post.
And in this post you’re going to learn exactly how I do keyword research for my blog and how it’s helping me stand out among millions. Bringing me organic traffic on demand.
So, read this article to the very end and discover the dirty little secrets of modern keyword research.
If you want to win in this crazy game of search engine optimization (SEO) you need to master the art of keyword research first.
So, Let’s begin.
It all starts with keyword research
Before you even write your content the first thing you should be doing is know the topic you’re writing.
What keyword are you trying to rank for on Google search results?
It’s very important if you want to rank high on search engines.
Those keywords will help your content getting found by users.
The more monthly search volume of the keyword is, as well as low competition the more likely you’re going to rank higher.
This is the foundation, the first step of SEO.
This is where many bloggers fail in getting traffic to their blog.
Read more about SEO mistakes here so that you avoid getting slapped by Google.
Now here are some of the keyword researching tools which you can use for FREE to improve the SEO of your website.
1. Google Keyword Planner
There’re a lot of keyword research tools available at the moment. But nothing beats Google keyword planner.
Of-course some premium tools like SEMrush, MOZ, ahrefs,etc… can be used.
But that is optional. And more advanced.
But Google Keyword Planner tool is the best as it gives accurate search volume and keyword difficulty stats ( the two most important factors ) for FREE and that’s what I recommend to you.
So, use this tool for your keyword research unapologetically.
As we all know keyword research is the most debated topic among SEO experts and bloggers.
But hey if you don’t know the search volume, its trends and its difficulty level then how are you going to know which keyword has more potential.
Knowing these things are very crucial for the success of your brand new content which you’re going to write.
So consider doing it even if someone says keyword research is dead.
It’s very important to know the monthly search volume and difficulty level of a keyword before creating content on it.
2. Answer the Public
Don’t get confused. It’s not what you think it is.
It’s actually the name of a tool which gives infinite ideas of keywords.
If you’re having trouble deciding your keyword and phrase use this tool to get surplus amounts of keyword ideas.
This is also very important. As it will make your life easier.
And your keyword research practices better.
After this you will have plenty of phrases, short tail and long tail keywords.
Don’t know what they are?
A short tail keyword is basically a short phrase such as “content marketing” while long tail keyword would be “what is content marketing and how to do it”?
Your goal is to win at both short tail as well long tail keyword.
So, along with Google keyword planner, use Answer the public tool as well.
And yes they all are FREE and the best in my opinion.
I use them and that’s what I teach to my community.
3. Search Engine Suggestions
Even though using tools like Google Keyword Planner, Answer The Public tool will give you a lot of ideas about the keyword such as its search volume, difficulty level and even the related keywords and phrases.
The other thing worth checking before the final decision is search engine suggestions such as Google, YouTube, etc…
Try putting your keyword in the search bar of Google and see what Google suggest you.
Do the same with YouTube. This way you will have an idea of what keywords are being searched by users and what you need to focus on in your content for the maximum possible optimization.
Side note: You can even install the Keywords everywhere Chrome Extension which is totally FREE.
The reason why I’m recommending you this keyword research Chrome extension because a lot of time when we’re surfing on internet we miss huge opportunity keyword ideas.
This chrome extension will make your keyword research process a heck lot easier.
4. Focus on Keyword Intent
It’s not much different than point #3. It’s actually the same with a bit more information.
So, now you know your keyword, its search volume, trend, it’s difficulty level, related phrases and what phrases are being searched on search engine.
You need to know the searcher intent as well.
And how do you do it?
You need to have a basic idea of what your target audience wants so that you create the content on exactly what they are looking for.
You can do it by researching on search engine suggestions as well as ask your email subscribers.
And always remember, at the end high quality content beat all the odds.
5. Best Use of Keywords
You have researched your keyword and now want to create a high-quality content which you think you can rank for easily.
I want you to use your main focused keyword in the headline of the article. Just make sure the headline is in H1 tag.
If you’re a WordPress user, then no worries. WordPress titles are set to H1 tag by default.
Include your keyword in the subheading of your article with H2 tag.
These H1 and H2 tags help Google understand the layout and structure of your article and it will reward you for that.
Same with images (alt tags), SEO title, meta description.
see the image below.
These things let the search engines understand what your content is all about so that it promotes your content to the right audience.
Just add the keyword everywhere and you’ve successfully optimized your content for search engines.
This is it. Follow these fundamentals of on page SEO and let the Google do its job which is to show your contents to the right audience driving you tons of organic traffic.
I hope you found your answer on how to do the best keyword research for your blog.
Now, I’d like to ask something from you:
What was your favorite strategy from this post?
Are you going to start with the Google Keyword Planner?
Or maybe you’re going to try Answer the Public?
Or maybe, you want to ask something from me. (I reply to every comment. So ask me anything.)
Either way, comment and let me know your thoughts right now.
Author’s Bio:
Shakir is a professional Internet Marketer and blogger who helps ambitious men and women build profitable blogs and replace their 9-5 rat race income with a laptop passive income.
You can contact Shakir on TheBlogIncubator