Viona W.
4min Read

Keyword Research: Best Online Practices For Success

The importance of keywords to your online business cannot be underestimated, especially in the current digital ecosystem. You need to conduct adequate keyword research regularly to competitively and strategically rank your site higher in search results.
The use of keywords is the primary mode in which your site can communicate to search engines. It’s through keywords that search engines get to understand what your site is all about. For this reason, ensure that you have the right keywords in place.

Here are tips to help you find commonly sought keywords.

  1. Know common customer queries. Use topics and trends relating to your business and find out what your potential customers may ask online. you can then come up with a phrase for identity and then try to answer their queries on your site.
  2. Focus on both long tail and short tail keywords. Longtail keywords are phrases that may have lower searchability but are more detailed in regards to your site; they give more conversions. Short tail keywords are less specific to your site but have very high search intent.
  3. Examine what your competitors are ranking for. The best way to compete is to understand the competition; what keywords are they using? What’s ranking them high? Once you have the answers, focus on what you will do differently and work to dethrone your competitors.
  4. Don’t focus on exact match keywords. When researching keywords, you may find that your content or services are already overcrowded. Aim for keywords that are related to your content but are not as direct. You will still rank while avoiding direct competition with already established digital platforms.
  5. Do keyword research as often as possible and make repairs where necessary.

Tools For Keyword Research

Google Search Console

Under the Performance Report feature, you can easily manage your site and your content’s performance online. The tool returns the total number of web clicks, as well as the words that led to those clicks. If one of your keywords is not performing well, you can use this tool to repair or replace it altogether.

Ahrefs Keyword Explorer

With this tool, you get real-time analytics including impressions and an in-depth analysis of competition on the first page of search results. It also analyzes the complexity of a word and its probability of returning organic click-throughs

SECockpit

This tool has unique features that allow you to get an in-depth analysis of search trends, organic competition, and traffic estimates. It comes with a user-friendly interface and is more fun playing around with possible keywords. Indeed, you can use it to compare up to 100 words to discover the ones that rank better.

Google Keyword Planner

This tool is perceived to be ‘more legitimate’ because its data comes directly from google. With it, you get real-time analysis on keywords and the possible advertising revenue that may come with it.

Moz Keyword Explorer

With this tool, you not only get real-time analysis on the keyword you are targeting, but you also get suggestions on related words and how they may rank. If you sell a wide range of products and want them to rank individually on your web pages, this is the tool for you.

Google Trends

This tool allows you to search for a target keyword. You also get the opportunity to search related keywords and compare how they are performing online.

Keyword Snatcher

This feature allows you to focus on keywords of a certain length. For long-tail keywords, this tool helps you make analysis much quicker

SEMrush

This a much better tool at analyzing the competition. With this tool, you can search a keyword and find out how the already-existing competition is ranking for it. You can then decide whether to enter the competition or analyze the best niche for your site.

KWFinder

This tool shows you how hard it is to rank for a certain keyword, or how easy it is to rank for a keyword. It shows the keyword difficulty score next to each tool. If you are a start-up and not ready to come into direct competition with already established sites, this is the tool for you.

Serpstat

This tool analyzes the competitor graph and how other sites are ranking for a certain search term. You can use it to gauge the kind of competition you are about to get into or what keywords you need to succeed in the online environment

When optimizing for keywords in your content, always be careful not to use too many keywords. Using too many keywords may lead to being flagged as spam. Over-optimization also carries stiff penalties and you need to be aware of it every time you try to optimize your content.

Related; Keywords: The Link Between Success And Failure Of Online Business


The Author

Viona W.

With over 7 years of experience crafting tech content, Viona W is a valuable asset to the HOSTAFRICA editorial team. Her skills extend beyond writing, as she also boasts experience in public relations and cultivating relationships with media outlets. This makes Viona adept at ensuring HOSTAFRICA's achievements and initiatives gain well-deserved public recognition. When Viona isn't immersed in the world of tech, she enjoys seeking out new experiences in nature and the power of storytelling to create positive change.

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