Keyword research – What is it and how does it work?
Marketing
Posted 10 Jan 2023
You want to be heard and seen, but how is that possible in a world where the Internet rules? After all, the Internet is flooded with content of all kinds every day, and anyone can also express their opinion on any topic. As a result, you quickly become invisible. Since the invention of the Internet, its popularity has grown rapidly over time and is currently an integral part of everyday human life. In addition, the World Wide Web has become a platform for communication and interaction, on which an ever-growing number of users generate and publish content. So, what can you do to stand out in the content-filled world of the Internet and get people to notice you?
Successfully reaching people on the Internet is closely related to what users type into the search engine because ultimately, what is displayed is what is most relevant to the search query. However, the workflows and processes of the World Wide Web have been continuously optimized over the past decades, which has led to the fact that nowadays it is almost irrelevant whether one enters “summer vacations” or “vacations in summer” in the search line. Synonyms, the plural form of a word and word similarities are recognized and often lead to the same search results. To optimize the search and reduce the number of results, there are so-called keywords.
Keywords – are the words entered by users in the search query. It can be a single word, for example, or a combination of several words. The goal here is to be ranked high so that as many searchers as possible are made aware of the website and its content. Among other things, this helps to attract potential customers and generally generate more traffic from the target group.
A distinction can be made between short-head and long-tail keywords. An example of a short-head search would be the word public relations, for example. If you enter the word into the search engine, about 37 million suggestions are shown. Short-head keywords are words that are frequently searched for and do not have a precise search intent and are characterized by the fact that they are short, as the name already implies. Most of the time, they are one or two short words. However, if you enter “B2B public relations” instead, the results are limited to 7 million. This would be an example of a long-tail, which means the combination of several words, the search query concretized. The search volume here is very pronounced because the searchers know exactly what they are looking for, which gives the company better ranking chances. Ideally, they are closely related to the products or services, which in turn can lead to a conversion or favours it.
When keywords are included in an online text, it is important that these articles are not flooded with keywords and end up compromising readability. Therefore, a page or article should always have one main keyword that appears multiple times in the text. However, it is important to note at this point that the keyword density is in proportion. After all, too many repeated words (high keyword density) lead to an insufficient reading experience.
In addition, keywords should also be implemented in the corresponding URL, meta tags and in your own content, for example on the homepage or social networks.
First, all keywords related to the selected topic should be picked out and then prioritized and ranked. All the terms that are related are grouped together. The keywords that are irrelevant are also sorted out, so that the ideal terms are available at the end. In this step, you can also use Google Search Console to facilitate this process.
To make the individual keywords easier to find, the next step is to summarize all relevant keywords by singular/plural, conjugated, filler words, synonyms, and similar meanings.
In the third and last step, the keywords are again differentiated according to related topics, location of the search query and relevance, so that finally, the best possible result is achieved.
Of great importance is also the use of the right tools. Therefore, the best tools are explained below.
Keywordtool.io is a tool that helps especially with search volume, CPC and current trends. It also compares keywords with those of other competitors.
Semrush shows competitor pages and common KPI’s that can help one with keyword research.
Google Auto Complete shows nearby search intentions, which can also add synonyms, plurals, or similar terms to one’s own research.
Searchmetrics Content Experience finds all relevant terms and shows you their readability, this tool is especially helpful for completeness.
The Internet is nowadays one of the most important marketing channels, and therefore it is also essential to continuously update your own keyword set so that you continue to maintain your success, despite the changing consumer behaviour. According to current estimates, you can reach at least half of all people on this earth through the multitude of platforms. You just must know how and where to target them. However, keyword research is not just about SEO. This research is so important because it is the foundation of various marketing and communication techniques. Keywords communicate the company’s values and core competencies to the target audience. What it stands for and what they want to achieve. So if you don’t get familiar with the importance of keywords, there is a low chance of customer acquisition, as well as sales figures and a low ROI (= Return on Investment). Therefore, keyword research is so important.
Communication Advisor at HBI Helga Bailey GmbH – International PR & MarCom
Annika Müller has been supporting HBI in the areas of PR and marketing since 2022.
As a Communication Advisor, her responsibilities include the creation of professional articles & the conceptualization of social media postings.
Furthermore, Annika is involved in directly assisting our client work.
