A Guide To Keywords: Identifying Your Keywords
How does Google know what search results to give? How do they know the perfect blog or site to send us to? There are many factors, but the main one is this: keywords. Keywords help search engines identify the category of a piece of content. And they may just be the key to your success as a business.
It’s not just Google, either. Social sites like Instagram are fine-tuning their platforms to focus on keywords. Our world is becoming increasingly dependent on searches. It only makes sense for keywords to be the epicenter of this development.
But how do you know what keywords are right for your business? This will involve understanding how keywords work and conducting keyword research specifically for your business.
A Quick Note
The way keywords are used has changed over time. Using a keyword in your content today means more than just inserting your keyword into your content fifty times. Google is smarter now. It has adapted to focus on intent over excess. You must prove your keyword throughout your content consistently to establish yourself as a valuable resource.
With that being said, having the right keywords for your business is the first step. Here are our top 3 tips for identifying the best keywords for your business.
#1: The 3 Parts of a Keyword
Here are the 3 core parts to focus on when identifying your keywords.
Relevance:
Going back to our note on intention, search engines are looking for content that is relevant, not just stuffed with keywords or that happens to share the keyword being searched. Your content needs to be amazing and valuable. Just because you have a blog about photography doesn’t mean you have the best advice out there. Be relevant.
Authority:
Another element search engines pay attention to is authority. Do you have authority to speak on your chosen keyword? Who else is covering this topic? Have you proven yourself as knowledgeable or an expert in this topic? Search engines will know this information quickly. Be sure the keyword you choose is one you have the right and authority to cover if you want to show up at the top.
Volume:
You also want to make sure your keyword actually has people searching for it. You may rank at the top for “marketing your personal business as a circus clown” but if no one is really searching for that topic, it won’t matter. Check your keyword’s Monthly Search Volume (MSV) to confirm that your keyword has a good amount of people searching for it.
#2: Choose Your Keywords
This will require time and brainstorming.
Make a list of every topic related to your business. All of the categories your business fits into. Then, make a list of keywords for each of these topics. For example, a topic could be “marketing for small businesses” and the keyword phrase could be “how do I market a small business?”
Bonus tip: You can help your brainstorming by searching a keyword, then scrolling to the bottom of the page and checking the related search terms to find varying phrases of your keyword.
#3: Use Tools
There are many tools out there to help you along this journey. These tools can tell you the MSV of a keyword or further boost your brainstorming with suggested keywords. Here are a few great keyword tools you should consider:
Keep in mind these tools specialize in assisting your keyword process for Google. They will provide insights into other sites like social media, but will not be completely relevant for every platform.
Keyword Success
Having the right keywords is the beginning to a successful business. They help you define your business into a category. Then break that category down into what someone might be searching for who needs your services or products.
The world is increasingly dependent on search engines to tell us the answer to a question, find a recipe, or find a business who can help. Get into the keyword game now and incorporate it into every piece of content you make so you can show up at the top.
