By now, we’re all familiar with keywords. 

We type those simple words and phrases into Google (other search engines are available) to find out what we just have to know. 

Important things like: 

“Where have I seen that guy from that TV show before?” and; 

“Exactly how many ounces are in a cup?” 

Keywords are part of the reason people find your website via organic search, and with 93% of online sessions arising from a search engine results page (SERP), it makes sense to try and cater to your ideal searcher’s queries. 

But with millions of web pages all vying for attention, how do you select the right keywords to get your website noticed?

Finding the Right Keywords 

Keywords are typically assessed against a few criteria, and it is up to you to analyse the data that comes with each keyword to find the right fit for you. Criteria include:

Search Volume 

Search volume is the number of searches for a particular keyword in a specific place over a given period (usually one month). Ideally, you want to find keywords with a search volume of between 100-1,000 searches per month, but if your service is more niche, that number may be smaller. 

Difficulty 

This rating, provided by keyword research tools, tells you how likely it is for you to rank for that keyword against the current competition. The rating takes account of the page authority and domain authority of those already ranking for that keyword. It is worth noting that every keyword research tool uses a different technique and criteria to assess this.

Organic Click-Through Rate (CTR) 

This figure is the likelihood that someone will click on a result in the search engine results pages after searching for the keyword. The higher the percentage, the less likely the results page will be covered with distracting ads and that visitors will click on an organic, unpaid search result like yours. 

Search Intent 

Search engines serve up the type of content they think people are looking for. So, for example, if you type in “steak pie recipe”, it will serve you up (excuse the pun) a recipe block right along the top highlighting the best recipes. This takes you directly to the content you need rather than steering you through an unrelated webpage. 

Search intent is important because if you’re trying to get a ranking for your service page, that will be less likely if the search engine is currently serving up blog articles for that keyword. So you need to consider the specific page you’re looking to rank and how it fits in with current search results.  

Undertaking Keyword Research

The first thing you’ll want to consider is your seed word/s. A seed word (or words) sums up your service, product or offering in its most general terms, for example, “gym equipment”. 

From there, I usually open up a Google Sheet, noting the seed word at the top. I then hop over to two keyword research tools, MozPro and Google Keyword Planner. 

I use MozPro for in-depth details and Google Keyword Planner to understand the local audience. It’s worth noting that MozPro is a paid-for tool, and Google Keyword Planner is free to use but is designed to work with AdWords rather than SEO. If you’re not looking to pay for a service but want to get an idea of what people are searching for, Answer the Public is also a great resource. 

With the tools ready to go, I enter my seed word. I then note down, in my Google Sheet, the suggestions that are most relevant, taking a note of search volume, difficulty and organic CTR (combined as Priority in MozPro) along the way. I then supplement this with the search volume from Google Keyword Planner, narrowing my search down to the local area. 

Once I’ve got all my figures, I add another column for search intent. MozPro provides SERP analysis for each keyword so you can see the types of pages that come up, e.g. blog articles or individual service landing pages. However, you can also do this by manually typing your keyword options into your search engine. Once I’ve had a glance at page 1 of the SERP, I note down whether the search favoured “blogs”, “service pages”, “guides”, etc.  

While assessing search intent for a keyword, it’s worth bearing in mind that you could also be examining the page for opportunities. For example, if the search engine serves up videos for that keyword, could you create your own video on that topic?

Sorting through your Keyword Data

By now, you probably have a long, overwhelming list of keywords in front of you. Been there!

So, first things first, we need to weed out the keywords with the wrong intent. You don’t need to necessarily delete them though. For example, if something would be better as a blog article but you’re writing a service page, you can still keep it in your bank of blog article ideas for later. 

Next, start examining your keywords for any that are similar. Again, taking our gym equipment example, you don’t need to keep “gym equipment for legs and glutes” and “gym equipment for legs” on your list as they overlap. 

Then sort your keywords by whichever criteria feels right for you. For example, I sort by Moz Priority, which combines search volume, organic CTR and difficulty. Now remove the terms that give you low search volume or low priority until you’ve got a list of just 2-3 long tail keywords (longer, more specific search queries such as “gym equipment for legs and glutes”). 

Now that you have your long-tail keywords, you can begin using them in your copy, including in your headings, metadata and alt text

But remember, keywords aren’t a one-and-done type of thing. The way people search is constantly changing. For example, 16-20% of the keywords searched on Google have never been searched for. So make sure you note your keywords and undergo a keyword review periodically to ensure you’re going after the right traffic. 

If you want to review your target keywords and freshen up your copy, please give me a shout. Or you can look at my blog for more website copywriting tips.