It’s important to know what people are searching for, and understand the language they use in the conversation that’s going on inside their head during the research phase.
Finding the most valuable keywords- the ones worth optimising for- is a science and an art. There’s lots of data around, but one thing it won’t say much about is the breadth of ways different people will refer to the same thing.
Ways to Mine Keywords
Data sets exist everywhere. The Google Adwords interface has a tool for estimating search volumes of keywords. Other sources for keyword discovery include independent data aggregators, competitor websites, and the little jewels in Google called the “auto complete” and “people also search for” tools. Neither of these will be 100% correct every single time, however the benefits outweigh any minor anomalies. As one of the essential components of a tightly focused series of services, keyword investigation shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Many useful keywords and likely search terms can be discovered by simply listening to people and even staff within a business- although the customers provide better, more accurate terms to optimise for. The motel might call the room “interconnected rooms with kitchenette” but the customer types “family suite” before the words [accommodation + location]. Sometimes you hear some amazing things from people on the phone, inquiring about products or services. These snippets of information are as varied as the people themselves, and different levels of shoppers use unique terms.
As SEO providers, we determine the best fit for your business- matching your content to queries- and ensuring those queries are answered by your business and website.
Keyword Types- and Why They Matter
There are two broad categories of keywords, and during any investigative process, we look for variants of both types. Expanding our knowledge of customer query terms pays dividends down the line.
Queries comprising one or two or three words, are said to be using short tailed keywords and they aren’t necessarily the best ones to optimise for.
Consider a query for the word furniture. Is it indoor- or outdoor furniture the person is looking for? If our website sells one and not the other, there’s a 50% chance the visitor will leave, sending a “bad choice” signal to the search engine, for matching that website with the query. If our customer is searching for outdoor furniture, and clicks on a search result, but doesn’t find her wicker, outdoor dining suite for 8 people on the website, you can be assured that her third query will be more specific.
Enter the long-tailed keyword. By the time the person types this into the search engine she’s sending a clear message to the database of websites, about what she’s really looking for.
Researching- and anticipating long-tailed keywords isn’t always straightforward. It comes back to a point made earlier, about getting in on the conversation inside the customer’s head. The next stages of our comprehensive website overhaul, make use of semantics in content creation– the science of meaning. Content is developed which sends obvious signals to search engines- who in turn guide people- based on the real meaning of the page.