There are thousands, if not millions, of contents on the internet. And with each passing minute, more are released. And all these contents are jostling for the attention of a target audience. Crazy, right?
It is not enough to create a blog, article, or video for your business and expect to reach your audience. You’d be lost in the crowd. Hence, the need to optimize your content for search engines. To do this, you need to know the language your audience speaks.
Here’s where keyword research comes in. Keyword research is finding the right terms your customers will use when searching for your products with search engines. It requires a deep understanding of your target audience and the ability to pre-empt their thought process. You’d then use such data to sharpen your SEO and marketing efforts.
A study shows that 90 percent of pages do not get traffic from Google. Your goal is to create content that generates traffic and converts prospects to customers. Keyword research helps improve your content marketing strategy, traffic growth, and customer acquisition.
4 Types of Keywords You Need to Be Aware of
Seeing the relevance of customers’ search language, it’s important to know how this impacts your keyword research. Keywords are classified into four types based on the user’s intent. This helps you predict if the user wants to purchase or seeks information on a product.
Informational Keywords
These are keywords searchers use to seek guidance and clarity. These keywords often come as questions. These keywords may not lead to an immediate sale but present a perfect opportunity to create educational content around those keywords. Examples of these keyword modifiers include “how-to,” “what is,” and “best way to,” among others.
Commercial Keywords
This is often used when a user has a product in mind or is trying to conclude between similar products. These keywords usually have a more research and investigative approach. You can use comparison articles, listicles, and reviews to attract such an audience. Examples include “Samsung S22 vs. iPhone 13” and ”Tesla Model S.”
Navigational Keywords
When searchers seek specific brand websites or locations, these keywords are used. Often, these people already know what they seek. They just need help getting there. Examples include “Fenty store,” “Twitter,” etc.
Transactional Keywords
These keywords show an immediate desire to take action. It could be to buy, subscribe, or join. Examples of such keywords include “buy,” “discount,” and “free shipping.”
Keywords Match Type Importance
Keyword match type illustrates the similarity between keywords and user search queries. It’s a Google feature that determines the reach and relevance of your adverts. Here’s how they impact your ads.
Broad Match
This is the default type Google associates with all ads. It allows you the best opportunity to drive the most traffic to your website. It is designed to show your ads not just for keyword search but for generic terms that relate to your keyword. An example is “men’s shoes,” matching searches where it will pop up include “buy boys shoes,” “shoe size for six-foot men,” and “winter dress for men.”
Phrase Match
This option streamlines where the ads are shown. It appears in more specific searches with the keyword in the search query. This reduces the reach and increases the chance of sales, bringing more targeted prospects. Examples include “sportswear,” matching searches include “wears for sports,” “red sportswear,” and more.
Exact Match
Of the three, this gives you the most control over who sees your ads. This helps you niche down to the most specific target group. It has the least reach but the best chance of conversion as it shows on searches with the same meaning or intent. An example is “bags for women,” results would include “bags for women.” and “women bags.”
How To Find the Right Business Keyword
When researching keywords, often, the most relevant keywords for your business are already optimized by big brands. Your best bet will be to leverage long-tail keywords (longer and more specific), that you can optimize and rank high for.
Keyword planning tools can help you match your keyword ideas and long tail to match types. Check the monthly volume search for the shortlisted keywords and see how your competitors rank for these keywords.
These can seem overwhelming, so you should use an e-commerce content explorer. A content explorer is used to build search rank through strategic content. A typical example is the Ahrefs Tool Guide: Using Content Explorer for E-Commerce, a detailed guide that shows how you can leverage trends, research competitors, low-competition keywords, and more from a single platform.
Analyzing search intent helps you switch places with your audience. It gives you a clear picture of where they are in the conversion funnel. This helps inform the best content marketing strategy you can take to lead them further down. Analyzing search intent helps you rank higher by creating content the search engine sees as valuable.
An essential component of finding the right keyword is competitor analysis. Competitor analysis helps you understand if you’re on the right track with your keyword ideas. It helps you see what works and gaps that competitors have failed to utilize.
It’s All in the Approach
You need a strategy to stand out from the crowd based on your goals. Do you want to play the long-term game for popular keywords? Or quicken your journey by using long-tail keywords that have less competition? This will help determine the best approach.
