Keywords are among the most used and least understood parts of marketing.
Most marketers know the reason we use keywords, but finding out which specific ones are ideal for a business may not be their forte.
Intent-based keywords, or keywords that drive the user to take the desired action, are suitable for including in a website that wants to drive traffic and capture conversions. Defining those intent-based keywords will differ from business to business. As each audience is different, the keywords that trigger their interest and the need to act will change, as well.
Fifteen members of Forbes Communications Council look at strategies for identifying the most effective keywords for their business, and how to include them usefully within their content to achieve their goals.
1. Conduct Keyword Research
Conducting keyword research can help brands know how to strategically implement keywords into new or existing content. A Google search of relevant topics or industries can also help determine what phrases people are using to search for your business or services. However, implement keywords naturally. Don’t force them, as Google recognizes this and it can harm your brand instead of helping it. – G’Nai Blakemore, Mattress Firm
2. Run Competitor Keyword Analyses
Knowing what keywords your competition is using can be a great place to start, especially if you do competitor keyword analysis on some of the bigger brands in your industry and/or niche. Your biggest competitors have already spent time doing R&D on keywords for you. Use them to your advantage by placing them in H1 headers, above-the-fold paragraph text and in title tags and meta descriptions. – Stephen Seifert, Seifert Media
3. Use Your Website Search Bar
You should use a variety of tools to get keyword level data. However, one of the most overlooked is the website’s search bar. When a website visitor uses your search bar they are giving you exactly what they want. Use that to create new content and products. Connect your search bar to Google Analytics to get this keyword data. You can use your competitors’ search bar in the same way. – Lavall Chichester, JumpCrew
4. Leverage The Power Of AI
There are sophisticated AI-driven tools on the market today that use intent data to discover new, relevant keywords that might be less expensive and competitive, resulting in improved SEM efficiency. Additionally, these intent-driven keywords align digital channels with the demonstrated intent of target accounts, maximizing content marketing and SEO strategies. – Peter Isaacson, Demandbase
5. Think Like Your Customer
Put yourself in the shoes of your customer. What do you think they’d be searching for to find your product? There are hundreds of possibilities. Once you have some ideas, use free keyword tools like Keywords Everywhere or SEMrush to see how often these words are searched and start using the most searched words on your website. To execute well, you should hire an SEO and content strategist. – Kyle Mears, Seek Business Capital – Read more
