The Process of Keyword Research

By Nona Nada Damanik

Keyword research is a research that we can do as an SEO strategy or optimization for

search engines. This research is an activity to find keywords that are often entered by people

on search engines, which are in line with the topic of the article or page of the site. Keyword

research requires attention and effort about what type of traffic we want to navigate to our

site.

What is a keyword?

Keyword is the search term that describes the content on a page best. It’s the search

term that you most want your page to rank for, so when people search for that term, they

should find you. They’re also known as search queries or “SEO keywords”. A focus keyword

can be a word, like “bracelet”, but also a phrase, like “pearl bracelet for wedding day”.

Head, mid tail, and long tail keywords.

To make it simple, head keywords are generic keywords. For example “life

insurance” might generate the most search traffic. In other words, head keywords may be the

first thing we think of when we are deciding what to find on search engines. Mid tail

keywords are great because they’re more specific and competitive keywords, consisting of

two to three words, for example “best life insurance”. Long tail keywords are those three

and four keyword phrases which are very specific, and tend to be more descriptive, for

example “which life insurance is best for family”.

Why are keywords important?

Keywords are important because the keyword you target on each page will determine

whether that page has the potential to attract traffic. Pages with well chosen keywords have

more potential to attract traffic to your site. Keyword research is the only way to figure out

what people are typing into search engines.

How to do keyword research?

There are a few basic steps we can follow to get the better result of keyword research:

1. Start with “What Is My Business”

For example, if you sell portable juice blender, that’s your first head keyword, so go

from there.

2. Pay attention to your website

Think about the top headline to grab viewer’s attention. Short and to-the point

headline is great. And then, the sub-heading explains and encourage what’s the point

of the headline. For example, this headline and sub-heading is from Netflix website.

Unlimited Films, TV programmes and more. Headline

Watch anywhere. Cancel at any time. Sub-Heading

3. Check out your competitors

What are their title tags, headings, and sub-headings? These information can be useful

for your inspiration to make yours better.

4. Location

Keywords that inform your business location are a great idea to reach users who live

close to your business. For example, if you’re selling portable juice blender in Jakarta,

Indonesia, make sure that users will find you when they search “portable juice blender

seller in Jakarta”
 5. Your informational keywords

In this step, we can think about 5-10 topics that are probably important to our business

to rank for in a list of topics that will be used to help you come up with some specific

keywords later in the process. Think about what if you were an internet searcher

looking for further and detailed information of the product you were selling.

6. Use keyword research tool

Keyword research and SEO tools can help you come up with more keyword ideas

based on match keywords you’ve generated.

Keyword Research Tools You Can Use.

1. Moz

Moz extracts accurate search volume data by using live clickstream data. Moz does

include a nice relevancy measure.

2. Keywords Everywhere

This tool demonstrates the search volume of a particular keyword or phrase, as well as

the cost per click for that keyword.

3. Answer the Public

This tool will come up with a list of queries, prepositions and phrases that people have

typed into a search engine surrounding your keyword.

4. Google Keyword Planner

This tool helps you understand how a keyword might perform, find new words, and

choose competirive budgets and bids to use in your online campaigns.

5. Google Correlate

This tool brings up a list of search terms that correlate with your keyword, so you get

an idea of what else people are searching for in connection with your product.
 6. Google Trends

This tool helps you compare the popularity of search terms and trends so that you can

understand your audience’s opinion about the type of product or service you provide.

How Keyword Research connects to the User Journey

Modern consumers especially those purchasing high-consideration or B2B products,

look across a variety of media and conduct a lot of searches. They are seeking reinforcement

and comfort not just from the information about the product, but also from the opinions of

other customers. The keyword research has to evolve along with the consumer behavior. It’s

now more complex, user search patterns have grown more convoluted, they look for reviews,

similar topics, comparisons, and they look for ways to get the most out of their products after

they’ve bought it.

A customer journey map is a detailed illustration of how your customers interact with

your products and services. It’s a valuable asset for any organization looking to boost sales

and deliver awesome customer experiences.

The purpose of B2B customer journey mapping is to understand the motivations and

reactions of B2B buyers across the different touchpoints of your organization. You can use

this information to help them achieve their objectives with your offering (as well as identify

where you’re failing to meet their expectations).

Building customer personas, identifying customer touchpoints, and understanding

what happens between the stages can facilitate the development of positive relationships that

ultimately lead to more sales for your company.

The Role of Content at Different Stages of the User Journey

Content is the key of your promotion. You reach your audience with content even

when they're not come to you for a consultation or recommendation. Well-wrapped content

can act as a guide that leads the consumers into the buyer's journey without them even

realizing it.

How to Apply Content to a Product-Based E-Commerce

In this digital era where e-commerce is easy, effective, and efficient for business, the

trusted blog post works well at any stage of the buyer’s journey. You can update your blog

consistently to make sure your audience remember your business and it will entice your

audience to check in regularly. Other mediums such as videos, social media posts and events,

and interactive contents are similarly flexible and useful. It can be applied to practically any

stage.
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