Keyword research is the first and most essential step in creating content that connects with your audience. Keywords are the exact words and phrases your potential customers type into search engines when looking for your products or services. But how do you know which keywords to focus on?
Understanding how search engines crawl, index, and rank your website is key. A successful Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy starts with identifying relevant keywords—those that your audience is actually searching for and that carry meaningful monthly search volume.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to do effective keyword research to attract and convert the right audience for your business.
1. Create a Buyer Persona
Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. How would they search for your business online? What are their goals, challenges, and needs?
Ask yourself:
- What would someone type into Google to find a business like mine?
- What problems does my product or service solve?
- What words or phrases would my audience use?
2. Identify Core Topics You Want to Be Known For
Once you have a list of potential topics, decide which ones are most aligned with your business goals. You may end up with several, so prioritize them to help determine which keywords to focus on first.
3. Discover What People Are Actually Searching For
Open an incognito window in Google Chrome and type in a few of your potential keywords. This gives you a clearer look at the search results without your past search history influencing it. Take note of:
- Google’s auto-suggestions
- The “People also ask” section
- The search results themselves
You can also use keyword research tools like:
Or, let our team at Dogwood handle the research for you!
4. Analyze Search Volume and Competition
When doing keyword research, two critical metrics to consider are:
- Search volume: How often is this keyword searched each month?
- Competition: How difficult will it be to rank for this keyword?
If a keyword has zero search volume, it likely won’t drive traffic. If it has a low volume but is important to your business, it might still be worth using. If the keyword has around 1000 monthly searches or more, it is often a good choice. Be mindful of highly competitive keywords—dominated by large, authoritative websites—as they may be harder to rank for.
5. Study the Top-Ranking Content
When performing a Google search of potential keywords evaluate the kind of content that ranks for your keywords?
- Is it list-based? Create a list article with your unique spin.
- Is it a blog post with a longer word count? Write a blog but add your unique insights.
- Is it video content? Consider producing a video, then supplement it with written content.
Matching your content format to what’s already ranking gives you a better chance of reaching your target audience.
6. Monitor Trends
Use Google Trends to see if your keywords are gaining or losing popularity. Trending keywords can give you a competitive edge when you create timely, relevant content. Don’t get too caught up in trending keywords though- your keyword strategy should be foundational to the core terms your business is built around.
7. Research Your Competitors
What keywords are your competitors targeting successfully? What content are they producing that’s ranking well?
Try this: Use an incognito window to search for your competitors and see what keywords they’re ranking for.
Use keyword research tools that include competitor analysis features to go even deeper.
8. Build Topic Clusters
Topic clusters help you organize your content for both search engines and users. For example, if your main keyword is “digital marketing,” related topic clusters could include:
- What is digital marketing?
- Why use a digital marketing agency?
- Email marketing
- SEO best practices
- Search engine marketing
Think about the questions your audience is asking about these terms and use your content to answer them. Write more specific content around subtopics on each of the bigger topics in your cluster. Be sure to include links within your content to connecting blogs.
9. Align Content with the Buyer’s Journey
Where is your audience in their decision-making process? Don’t be hyper-focused on just one stage but be sure to include content on all the stages.
- Awareness Stage: Create content that informs and positions you as an expert.
- Consideration Stage: Provide deeper insights and comparisons.
- Decision Stage: Show why your business is the right choice.
Tailor your keywords and content to meet your audience where they are.
10. Start Creating SEO-Friendly Content
With your keyword strategy in place, it’s time to get to work. Develop high-quality content based on your keywords and topic clusters, keeping SEO best practices in mind. You can use AI to help write your content but be sure to edit and add your own personal insights to make it your own.
Let Dogwood Help
We have a talented team of keyword researchers, content writers, and blog creators here at Dogwood. We’re ready to help you develop an effective keyword strategy and create content that drives results.
Contact us today, and let’s start building content that will help your business grow. When you succeed, we succeed!
To learn even more about how to incorporate keyword research into your SEO strategy, visit our blog post Dogwood’s Guide to SEO.
