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You know there are times when you search something on Google and it happens to give the perfect answer to your question? Well, if you have ever wondered how, the answer is actually very simple– keywords!
Keywords are often considered as the backbone of SEO. It acts as the bridge between what people are searching for and the content you provide. However, many website owners struggle with identifying and using the right keywords, leading to missed opportunities and low traffic.
But, sweat no more, because in this blog, we'll break down everything you need to know about keywords—from understanding their types to choosing the most relevant ones for your content.
Not only that, we will also compare traditional keyword practices with new AI-powered tools that are changing the way we approach SEO.
But, before we go all technical, let’s take a moment to understand– why keywords matter and how does it help us exactly!
Keywords are like clues that help search engines figure out what your website is about. When people search using those words, search engines use these clues to decide whether to show your site.
Picking the right keywords is the first step in getting that prime spot on the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) and attracting the right visitors.
So, to sum up, here’s 3 benefits right keywords are going to offer you:
Visibility: Keywords help search engines rank your site higher.
Relevance: The right keywords attract visitors who are genuinely interested in your content.
Traffic: Well-chosen keywords drive more organic traffic to your site.
Understanding the different types of keywords is crucial for effective SEO. Here are the main categories:
These types of keywords are often broad, one- or two-word phrases like “baking” or “chocolate cake.”
Pros: High search volumes.
Cons: Highly competitive.
These are more specific phrases, often three words or longer, such as “best chocolate cake recipe for beginners.”
Pros: Lower search volumes but less competitive and more targeted. Increases your chances of appearing in Google’s featured snippets.
Cons: Require more precise content.
LSI are basically related terms that provide context to your main keyword. For a keyword like “chocolate cake,” LSI keywords might include “baking tips,” “dessert recipes,” and “cake ingredients.”
Pros: Help search engines understand the context and improve your content's relevance.
Cons: May require more in-depth content creation.
If you’ve been doing keyword research for a really long time, you’d know how labor-intensive this job really is.
But, in case you don’t, here’s the breakdown of how it was traditionally done:
Marketers and content creators would brainstorm a list of potential keywords based on their understanding of their audience and industry (I mean, lots of guesswork).
They would manually type these keywords into search engines to see what kind of results appeared. This helped them understand the relevance and competitiveness of each keyword.
They would then take the keywords to a free tool from Google. This will offer them accurate data on the keyword’s search volume, competition and suggest similar keywords.
This free tool from Google is still a staple for many. It provides data on search volume, competition, and suggests similar keywords.
By manually examining the keywords used by competitors, marketers could identify gaps and opportunities. This involved looking at meta tags, titles, and content of competing websites.
All this information would be collated in spreadsheets, with marketers tracking keywords, their search volumes, and competitive scores. This was a time-consuming and error-prone process.
While these methods provided a foundation for keyword research, they were often time-consuming and required a significant amount of guesswork.
The introduction of AI tools has completely changed keyword research, making it faster, more accurate, and more efficient. Here’s how AI tools are changing the game:
Automation: AI tools can automate the tedious parts of keyword research. They quickly analyze vast amounts of data, providing insights that would take a human hours or even days to compile.
Accuracy: These tools use sophisticated algorithms to understand search trends and user intent, offering more accurate and relevant keyword suggestions.
Competitive Analysis: AI tools can analyze your competitors’ keyword strategies in real-time, providing actionable insights into what’s working for them and identifying opportunities for you.
Advanced Metrics: Beyond just search volume and competition, AI tools offer a range of advanced metrics such as keyword difficulty, click-through rate (CTR) predictions, and potential traffic estimates.
Content Optimization: Many AI tools go beyond keyword suggestions, offering insights into how to optimize your content for those keywords, improving your chances of ranking higher on search engines.
Choosing keywords is like picking the best ingredients for a recipe. AI has changed keyword research, making it faster and more precise.
Steps to Choose the Right Keywords:
Understand Your Audience: Consider what terms your target audience might search for. AI tools can help you understand user intent and search behavior.
Mix of Keywords: Use a mix of short-tail (popular) and long-tail (specific) keywords. Long-tail keywords are particularly valuable because they’re less competitive and offer more context.
Analyze Competitors: Use AI tools to analyze the keywords your competitors are ranking for.
Balance: Maintain a healthy balance of short-tail, long-tail, and LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords.
With AI at your disposal, you won’t have to guess which keywords are best. There are tons of amazing AI tools that can make your keyword research 10x faster!
My team and I have used over 50 AI keyword research tools and these are the 5 AI tools we keep going back to -
AHREFs - Get detailed insights into keyword difficulty, search volume, and competitor analysis. It's perfect for finding high-impact keywords to boost your SEO strategy.
SemRush - An all-in-one suite for keyword research, including competitive analysis and keyword suggestions. I personally love its comprehensive data and intuitive interface.
Outranking - Its advanced AI offers high-quality keyword ideas and optimize content for search engines. It's ideal for those looking to enhance their keyword strategy with AI-driven insights.
SEO.AI - Best for precise keyword suggestions and content optimization tips. It's great for finding relevant keywords that align with your content goals.
MorningScore - Best known for its powerful keyword research capabilities, offering actionable insights and easy-to-understand metrics. It's perfect for beginners and pros alike looking to improve their SEO game.
These tools give you the scoop on search volume and competition, making your job a lot easier and faster.
Now that you have a list of keywords that you want to target, let’s break all these keywords into 3 parts -
Primary Keyword - You need to select a keyword with the highest search volume which will be the main keyword that you content will be surrounded by.
Secondary Keywords - These are the rest of your researched set of keywords that supports your primary keywords, often offering additional context.
Now that you have the set of keywords you need to work around, your next step will be integrating these keywords into your content for maximum impact.
Title: Include your primary keyword at the beginning if possible.
Headings: Use primary and secondary keywords in H1, H2, and H3 tags.
Introduction: Mention the primary keyword within the first 100 words.
Body Text: Distribute primary and secondary keywords naturally throughout the content.
URL: Incorporate the primary keyword.
Meta Descriptions: Include the primary keyword and make it compelling to encourage clicks.
Alt Text for Images: Use keywords to describe images accurately.
Anchor Text: When linking internally or externally, use relevant keywords as anchor text.
However, you need to understand that the keywords alone can’t bring you the maximum impact. Even though keywords play a pivotal role, if your content isn’t useful for your visitors, it won’t bring you the results you’re aiming for.
Keywords are the foundation of any successful SEO strategy. By understanding the different types of keywords and how to choose and implement them, you can significantly improve your website's visibility and attract the right audience.
Traditional keyword research methods are still valuable, but leveraging AI tools can take your strategy to the next level, making the process faster and more efficient.
I would highly suggest you check out our curated list of all the AI SEO tools that can take your keyword research to the next level.
Stay tuned for the next part of this series, where we’ll explore the intricacies of on-page SEO and how to optimize your content for maximum impact. Click here to continue your SEO journey!
Be sure to check out the best AI SEO tools that can make you 10X faster with best results!
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ThatsMyAI
3 August 2024
