KEYWORD RESEARCH 101: 5 STEPS TO FIND PROFITABLE KEYWORDS

This 5-step framework to conduct effective keyword research will help you boost online visibility, attract targeted organic traffic, and achieve SEO success.

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Before we start, note that I have created a free guide on Notion entitled "Keyword Research 101: Step-by-Step Guide To Find Profitable Keywords" which add details and templates to help you perform a keyword analysis and research in the DIY style.

Keyword research is the process of identifying and analyzing specific words and phrases (keywords) that users enter into search engines when looking for information, products, or services. It is a fundamental component of search engine optimization (SEO) and content marketing strategies. Through keyword research, you aim to understand user intent, discover relevant and high-traffic keywords, assess your competition, and use these insights to optimize your website content, improve your search engine rankings, and attract targeted organic traffic.

Effective keyword research will help you to:

Note: I only used free tools or the free version of freemium tools in this guide to enable every solopreneur, entrepreneur, freelancer, or small business to start improving its SEO at no cost. ❤️

First of all, it is crucial that you get into the shoes of your customers. As such, defining your customers intent will help you select the right keywords to target. I’m assuming here you already have done a proper market research and know your target audience.

Customer intent, also called user intent or search intent, refers to the underlying motivation or purpose behind a user's search query. It categorizes search queries into informational, navigational, commercial, or transactional intents, and understanding user intent helps in creating relevant and valuable content.

Define the customer intent category, listed below by chronological order within the sales funnel.

Acknowledging the customer intent category defined above, what are your customers trying to achieve specifically?

Generate a list of keywords, questions, etc. you would type in the search bar to find what your leads are trying to find.

Based on your current knowledge, brainstorm a list of core themes for your business.

🧠 Themes (e.g. for a graphic design freelancer)

Generate a list Based on your current knowledge, previous market research, and existing SEO reports you may have, brainstorm a list of topics for each of the themes you defined above.

Leveraging the themes and topics listed above, unleash your brain and list all the keywords (words, set of words, sentences, questions…) you think are used by your leads to find your products and services.

🧠 Keywords

Google Keyword Planner and SEMrush Keyword Magic Tool are great tools to both brainstorm and generate data-backed keywords.

Find your 3 most relevant competitors and list them and their website.

Use SEMrush or Ubersuggest to perform competitor analysis. You will obtain their organic search positions and data for their top keywords. Results will be displayed such as (e.g. nike.com, with SEMrush):

Analyze the keyword positioning and strategy from your competitors thanks to your competitor research.

To nourish your thinking:

Based on the top keywords from your 3 competitors and your analyses, determine new keywords you can target. These keywords can be directly those from your competitors or keywords generated based on the keywords of your competitors.

Use Ahrefs Keyword Generator or KeywordTool.io to list long-tail keywords, question-based queries, and related terms that present opportunities for content creation and keyword positioning.

To illustrate how to perform a keyword discovery, I used the seed keyword "graphic design" with Ahrefs Free Keyword Generator Tool.

You can discover both "phrase match" and "questions" keyword ideas and their data.

Based on the brainstormed keywords during all the steps of this guide, define the keywords to be targeted by your SEO strategy.

In order to rightly select the keywords, read these guidelines:

List all the keywords you've found in the previous steps.

Associate key metrics such as search volume, competitiveness, customer intent, and relevance for each keyword. Use Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush Keyword Magic Tool, and/or Ahrefs Keyword Generator to gather such data.

From the table of keywords that you have just created, select all the meaningful keywords by the guidelines from the section 1 of this step 5. In addition, leverage the constraints below to discard the non-important keywords.

Constraints:

Because your resources are limited, you will focus your efforts on a few keywords only.

Select your top 10 keywords, mixing head keywords (3 words max), long-tail keywords (4+ words, questions, sentences), that belong to the previous table and for which you would like to position you business.

In addition, for content creation purposes, select 10 secondary keywords falling short of being ranked in the list above but very close to being part of it. You can leverage these to create new content on your blog or public newsletter on your website for example. In case you can extend your SEO activities by extending your SEO capabilities, these will be the next keywords to target.

You have explored the essential steps to conduct effective keyword research for your business. By understanding the importance of keyword research, defining your target audience, and brainstorming relevant topics, you can generate a comprehensive list of seed keywords. Conducting competitor analysis and utilizing keyword research tools further expand your keyword list. By prioritizing and optimizing your content with high-impact keywords and adapting your strategies based on key metrics, you can enhance your online visibility, attract targeted organic traffic, and outshine competitors.

Keyword research is an ongoing process that requires continuous refinement and adaptation. With this knowledge, you're now equipped to propel your business forward and achieve SEO success.

Remember that I have created a FREE guide on Notion entitled "Keyword Research 101: Step-by-Step Guide To Find Profitable Keywords" which add details and templates to help you perform a keyword analysis and research in the DIY style. Stay tuned on my Twitter account.