The word “keyword” is a buzz word in and of itself - but what does it mean? You may have heard of adding keywords to your website and social media platforms. This helps your end user (new or existing) find your business’ website and channels in order for you to grow. It’s effectively adding thesaurus keywords and phrases to the backend of your website to make it easier for an audience to find you. 

What are keywords and why are they relevant to your online presence?

The keywords on your website define what your content is - and here’s hoping it’s all about your service or product! Focused keywords and key phrases encourage your audience (new or existing) to find you online. Through keyword research, you can find the optimal keywords that are in demand but still niche, guessing what consumers want and providing it to them before they even realise it. Including high-quality keywords in articles, blog posts, or product descriptions can help push your website up the rankings, allowing you to attract a larger audience and beat out the competition.

Start with topics relevant to your search

Make a list with broad “buckets” or categories linked to your service or product. Think about what your target audience may be interested in. Keep it short and simple - up to 10 topics.

Expand each topic with key phrases that are relevant

Once you have a list of broad terms, identify what your customer base is searching for, things they may be typing into a search engine. For example, the location of your business, product names or services in their area. 

If you already have Google Analytics or a similar service set up, it’s helpful to peruse the organic search results there to gauge how your audience is finding your business online. You’ll be able to incorporate some of those search terms into your content.

Find related search terms

There are a few creative ways to do this, one of the main ones being typing your keyword phrase into Google and simply scrolling to the bottom of the page. You’ll see a list of related search terms!

Many websites also offer limited free searches for a list of keywords that you can start with. Google Keyword Planner is also helpful, if you’re familiar with using it. It’s predominantly used for Google AdWords (PPC).

Analyse the strength of your keywords

There are plenty of tools online you can use to analyse your keywords - Google Keyword Planner is a big one, followed by Semrush, Ahrefs and more. Compare your list to what these tools generate and have a look at what terms and phrases have a high search volume. How steep is the competition? The trick is to find search terms that are relevant but also niche enough to promote your business. 

If all of this sounds daunting, don’t worry. Once you get the hang of it, it’ll soon come naturally to you when you are creating content for your business or service. Or you could drop us a line for some help!