Keyword Research is an important practice related to SEO that allows you to understand what people are searching for online and what content to offer them. The purpose?
Grow, rank, and convert your Web site through optimized, useful, and original text that provides complete and detailed answers to what users really ask about on the Web.
And if you’re wondering whether doing keyword research is still important in 2024, the answer is… yes!
It’s true that lately when we talk about SEO we emphasize that it should be increasingly content-value-driven and people-centric, but that doesn’t mean that the practice of KW research should be abandoned. On the contrary. Keywords are still indispensable to the search engine. But why? Let’s understand it better with the next paragraphs, you’ll find out:
- what is keyword research
- what changes with the new Google algorithm and why kw research is still important
- The role of search intent and how many types of search intent exist
- What are the types of keywords to consider
- 3 effective strategies for keyword research
What is Keyword Research
Keyword Research (or KW Research) is a process of searching, selecting, and studying the words and phrases that people use when they want to find a product, service, or information online, for example, on Google or Bing.
Applied to business, then, it allows you to understand what terms users search for the most with respect to the product you sell, the service you offer, and the market in which you operate. What is the purpose of this research? To better understand the ways in which people query the web for certain information, and to evaluate the keywords that can help your business better position itself on the web.
Embedded within an SEO strategy, in fact, KWs are useful for optimizing a Web site, e-commerce site, static page or blog and for standing out from the competition.
How are they identified? Through special tools and programs that, upon specific request, return a series of keywords relevant to your business. A job that does not end there: the SEO specialist must in fact carefully analyze all the results, understanding the potential of each keyword and selecting only those that can really make a difference to the project.
With the new Google algorithm updates, is keyword research still important?
Google frequently releases updates to improve the user experience and their web searches. In March 2024, there was an important update that also affects KW Research. In particular, the company emphasized that more and more emphasis will be placed on texts that are valuable and written for users (and not to satisfy the search engine).
To understand better, we need to take a small step back. An old SEO practice consisted of themisuse of keywords within online content. In fact, before, the Google algorithm, in order to understand which searches to index the site for, analyzed the text and identified the words that were repeated the most and thus deemed to be the most relevant.
But the texts, as you can imagine, were not smooth or flowing. With the new update, then, what changes? The algorithm will penalize those who use keywords out of context and for the sole purpose of increasing site visits.
Despite this, researching keywords to add in the texts remains crucial; in fact, the SEO specialist will have to do a more fine-tuned job with the content to include them in a more balanced and readable way. In addition, keyword research will need to understand the search intent.
Want to know what Google’s Core Updates consist of? We tell you about them here:
The March 2024 Google Core Updates: what changes with the new update
The importance of search intent in choosing keywords
We have seen what KW Research is, but how do you actually choose the right terms to engage users? The answer is: by carefully evaluating the Search Intent, orpeople’s search intent.
We could also define it as the reason that triggers web search and makes users prefer one set of keywords instead of others.
Why is it so important to define it? Understanding what drives web searches is essential to creating and publishing good, useful content to meet the needs of your target audience. It allows you to understand their needs and wants, thus intercepting only those who have an interest in the specific products and services your business offers.
How many types of Search Intent are there?
We can distinguish 4 different Search Intent:
- Navigational intent: the user searches for a particular site or brand. Examples of search intent are “Adidas shoes,” “Braun depilator,” or “nike.”
- Informational intent: the user is looking for information on a particular topic and wants to learn more about it. Some examples: “celiac disease in pregnancy” or “how google advertising works”
- Commercial intent: users seek useful information that will help them in their purchasing choices (“best 55-inch TVs” or “what are the shoes for jogging”)
- transactional intent: the user wants to perform a specific action, usually purchase. Some examples of searches are “download amazon app” or “discounted fujifilm mirrorless.”
Want to learn more about this topic? Read our article:
Search Intent: what is it and what are its applications in SEO and SEM
What are the types of keywords to consider in the Keyword Research phase
In addition to search intent then, the level of keyword precision must also be considered. Regarding this aspect, we can identify 3 types of keywords:
- broad spectrum: refers to those general high-traffic KWs that encompass all aspects of a topic or activity (example: “clothing store”)
- targeted: precise keywords useful for making a specific content or limited to a specific category (example: “versace clothing store”)
- editorial: useful for creating valuable informational content that addresses the needs and/or questions of the target audience for your business (example: “how to choose the right size of a suit”)
As you may have noticed, keywords can consist of a single or multiple words. The latter, in particular, are also known as “keyphrases” or “long-tail keywords,” which, although they have fewer searches, manage to intercept more qualified traffic, being much more precise.
Therefore, the SEO strategist will have to evaluate which ones to include in the editorial project, carefully “dosing” all the different types to meet user demands. SEO copywriters, on the other hand, are tasked with crafting an article or text that is relevant, unique and capable of meeting users’ needs.
Do you know the role of the SEO copywriter? Find out why it is important for your strategy, read our article:
SEO copywriter what is
3 Keyword Research strategies you need to know (helpful in growing your business)
For your SEO strategy to be successful, there are a few steps to follow. Here are 3 strategies to apply right away!
1. Study your indirect competitors
In addition to looking at the keywords used by your direct competitors (i.e., those who sell the same products and/or services that you also offer), analyze those that grow your indirect competitors. By finding out how keywords have been optimized in your website pages and content-and the search intent they fulfill-you can develop content relevant to your business, filling in any gaps and offering something unique and useful compared to others.
2. Find out what people want from your site with Google GA4
Google’s analytics tool lets you know what audience engagement is on your platform. After setting all the parameters carefully you will be able to study the data the tool provides to understand what drove people to visit your website and the queries they used. Using it will enable you to plan original content to meet the needs and Search Intent of your users by publishing valuable articles and guides.
3. Also add keywords with low search volumes
Even keywords with low search volumes can provide pleasant surprises. This happens because high-volume KWs are used by everyone and emerging is very difficult. Being able to rank, on the other hand, in the first pages of search engines with new keywords opens up many opportunities and shows your content for “related queries. “
Hire a specialized agency for your site’s Keyword Research: here’s why you should do it
It is not enough to put keywords in a text or on a page to see your website, e-commerce or blog in the first pages of Google. Keyword Research is an essential, important, evolving subject. It needs a very precise analysis and strategic plan about the contexts, people’s needs and the most appropriate solutions to achieve the desired results.
It takes specific tools, extensive industry experience, detailed knowledge of the target market, and constant updating of SEO tactics. All expertise that only anagency specializing in search engine positioning can have.
At Isola we offer you all this, but also a synergistic and referenced team that can help you concretize your goals and propose targeted strategies to make your business stand out.
Want to discover the full potential of Keyword Research for your business? Request a free consultation now!
