how-to-find-the-best-keywords-to-boost-your-search-engine-rankings

How to Find the Best Keywords to Boost Your Search Engine Ranking

Are you looking to find the best keywords to boost your Google search ranking? We will answer this question in this article. However, does keyword research play a crucial role in SEO, content optimization and search rankings? Certainly, it does!

Keyword research helps you drive massive traffic and boost search ranking on Google. But considering the fact that Google now considers many factors when analyzing websites and web content for search ranking, some marketers believe that keyword research is no longer relevant.

The truth is that keyword research is, and always will be an import part of SEO and content optimization because all search queries – both voice search and traditional search queries start with a keyword. However, the problem you might be facing today is not the issue of finding the best keywords to use in your SEO campaigns, rather, it is how to find the right keywords or search terms to rank high on SERP.

But to be in a better position to create a list of keywords for your search engine marketing strategy, it is important that you understand the different keyword types and how to group them.

This brings us to…

Types of Keywords & Groupings

In search engine marketing they’re called seed/head, body, and long-tail keywords.

● Seed/head keywords are normally one word, but sometimes you get two words. This keyword group has a remarkably high search volume.

● Body keywords are two ~ three keyword phrases that your target market are searching for. But the difference is that body keywords are not as high in search volumes as seed keywords.

● Long-tail keywords, on the other hand, are keyword terms that consist of four or more words. These types of keywords have a low search volume, which means they are less competitive but have the potential to drive massive traffic because they are more descriptive phrases.

Looking at the various keyword groups, you agree that the more phrase you add to long-tail keywords, the more descriptive and specific your keyword will be. Which is why it accounts for the majority of traffic, because when users search for your keywords, Google only has a few results on the search terms to show you.

Now, let’s analyze these keyword terms…

A one-word phrase like “WordPress,” is a seed keyword with high search volume and high cost & competition. That means when you search for the keyword term, “WordPress,” you will get millions of search results.

Two or three-word phrases like “ WordPress Tutorial” are body keywords.

This implies that if your search term is two or three words, such as “WordPress Tutorial,” search engines will offer you hundreds of thousands of search results to choose from.

Four-word phrases and above, such as “Custom Fields in WordPress,” are a long-tail keyword. You can clearly see that the long-tail keyword is descriptive and more specific.

Which points out that if your search terms are from four words and above, your Google search result will be a few hundred, because your search is more descriptive and specific, with a high conversion probability.
You’ll see that long-tail keywords perform amazingly well, accounting for 70% of all search traffic. This is made possible because long-tail keywords are less competitive. It gives you a more profound reason to focus on finding the proper long-tail keywords for your SEO strategy.

Now that you understand keyword types and how they work, let us move on to…

How can you find the best keywords to boost your search ranking

In this article, you will learn simple, yet effective ways to find the best keywords to rank high on search engine results page (SERP).

1• Brainstorm a list of keywords you are already ranking for

It is healthy to believe that as a digital marketer and website owner, you already rank for a few keywords on your website or blog. It is time to brainstorm those keywords you already rank for and use them in your SEO strategy. You can use SEO tools like Google Analytics or Google Search Console to find the keywords you are already ranking for.

To brainstorm keywords with Google Analytics, simply sign in to your account, then go to > Acquisition > All Traffic > Channels > and click the Organic Search tab.

Google analytics result will provide you with a list of keyword phrases to add to your list.

However, if you chose to use Google Search Console, here’s what to do. From Google Analytics, go to Acquisition > Search Console > and click Queries.

Google search console will show you more keyword data to add your list, such as:

● The average position of each keyword you rank for

● Number of impressions for each keyword

● Number of clicks you are getting from each keyword

These tools will provide you with a complete analytics of what works and what doesn’t. But if you are a newbie in the blogging and content marketing industry, it is obvious you are not yet ranking for any keyword.

So the best thing to do at this point is to try to find the kind of keywords your buyer persona is searching for on Google, and make a list of those keywords to use in your content.

You can use an app like Google Drive to organize your keyword list.

2• Find keywords your competitors are ranking for

Brainstorming keywords do not only mean conducting keyword research on keywords you already rank for, it goes beyond that as it includes finding keywords your competitors are ranking for as well.

Your competitors already know the game plan – how to do keyword research to find the best keyword to rank high.

So, researching them is a win-win strategy for you because it will help you find the best keywords they are using to rank high on the search results page.

Add those keywords to your list as well.

How to find keywords your competitors are ranking for

Some marketers are having a hard time identifying their competitors. If you fall into this category of marketers, simply enter your main keyword into the Google search box and click the search button. All those who appear on Google’s search result are your competitors. Make a list of the websites with a focus on page one. Sometimes I go over to page two.

Then, go to Moz Keyword Explorer or your preferred keyword research tool and enter one of the websites on your list. If you’re using the Moz Keyword Explorer, the results page will show you a site overview of your search. For instance, I ran a search for Smartblogger.com and below is my result in a screenshot:

screenshot-of-moz-keyword-explorer
Screenshot of the results page from MOZ Keyword Explorer

 

The results page shows you:

  • Keyword overview
  • Ranking keywords
  • Top ranking keywords & monthly search volume
  • Top position
  • Page authority
  • Domain authority
  • Etc.

As you can see, the process is easy, so repeat the process with each of the top websites on your list.

In the end, your keyword research efforts will give you more than enough keywords for your marketing strategy.

3• Take advantage of trending topics

Taking advantage of what is trending in your niche to find the best keywords to boost your search ranking is remarkably amazing. Why?

Because trends are topics that are popular on search engines. These types of topics are ranking for a number of keywords, so leverage them to create a list of keywords for your SEO campaigns.

How can you find trending topics in your niche?

Finding what is trending in your niche market is simple if you use the right tools.

Although there is never a shortage of tools in the marketplace, I recommend you to use BuzzSumo or Google Trends. These tools will help pinpoint trending topics in your niche.

4• Use keyword research tools

Content marketing is the act of communicating with your target market without having to sell to them. This process will help you inform and retain your prospects. But for a maximum result, you need to perform keyword research to find the best keywords for your content marketing campaign.

Doing it all by yourself is overwhelming – you need tools to help you out. So, to help your target market and customers find your content, you will have to search for and use relevant keywords they are constantly searching for.

There are several tools that can help you out … For instance, Google is definitely your #1 go-to to do keyword research.

As a result, if you are using Google, simply type in your keyword terms and click the search button. The result page will provide you with more than enough keywords for your article.

At the end of your result page, you will see keywords related to your search terms. From there you can filter your result and focus on those you want to work with.

Here are other keyword research tools you can use to find the best keywords:

These tools are comparatively similar to use and great for finding unique keywords for your content optimization campaigns. To use any of these tools, open your desired software and type in your keyword in the keyword search bar and hit the search button.

For example, if you want to use the Moz Keyword Explorer, go to access the Moz.com website, login if you already have an account or create a free account. Thereafter, enter your keyword in the keyword search bar above and hit the “Try it” button.

The results page will show you the following:

  •     Keyword overview
  •     Monthly volume
  •     Keyword difficulty
  •     Keyword suggestion or related keywords

The screenshot in this section shows you the result I got for my search terms, “find best keywords.”

5• Check keyword difficulty

One of the most interesting ways to find the best keywords is to check for keyword difficulty, and you can only do this by analyzing the competition. For this strategy, use the Moz Keyword Explorer I used for my search in section 4 above, or use the Ahrefs Keyword Explorer.

This tool will evaluate your keyword terms and present you a search result with each keyword metrics, such as search volume and keyword difficulty.

If the result shows a keyword with higher difficulty, it means that it will be harder to compete in Google rankings. The data you collect from your analysis will help you decide which keywords to choose for your SEO campaign.

Conclusion

In a world of digital marketing where search engine algorithms continue to change, the challenge to keep up with the competition has become even more intense.

As a result, some marketers are confused about how to perform keyword research to find the right keywords for their SEO campaigns.

Consequently, having a well-defined keyword research strategy in place will help you to contend with the challenges and find the right keywords to rank high on Google.

The steps above are practical tips you can apply today and improve your search ranking.

*Important* In as much as you are busy trying to find the right keywords to improve your search ranking, please make sure to avoid these SEO mistakes.

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About the author

Moss Clement

Mos Clement is a B2B content writer and marketer. Since 2018 he's worked with SaaS and digital marketing brands like Semrush, Serpstat, SocialPilot, NealSchaffer, InspiretoThrive, SmallbizTipster, and others, helping them rank in Google with SEO content and ghostwriting services. You can find him reading top industry blogs when he's not writing!

4 thoughts on “How to Find the Best Keywords to Boost Your Search Engine Ranking”

  1. Thanks for these tips. Much needed. Finding right keywords is so very important if you are running an online business. The entire business relies on the same, Your tips are really valuable for any online marketer.

    1. You’re most welcome, Aswani. Yes, to find the right keywords for your content marketing strategy is crucial to your online success, because it will help boost your content visibility, and improve your Google search rankings. Many struggle in this area, but the tips in this article will surely help you get around.

      Thank you for stopping by and adding to the conversation.

  2. Hi Moss,

    Keywords research is the foundation of a successful marketing campaign – not targeting the right keywords will result in a low conversion rate, high bounce rate, and consequently, loss of sales and revenue.

    Thanks for sharing valuable tips on keyword research.

    1. Hey Shamsudeen,

      thank you for stopping by and taking the time to leave this kind comment!
      You’re right, using the right key words will have a huge effect on your entire sales funnel. I am glad we could help you out with this important part of your marketing strategy.

      All the best,
      Christine

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