Keyword Research is Vital to SEO Campaigns

Anyone who knows anything about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) knows that keyword research is not only the first thing you do but it is the foundations for everything else you do. You should choose the best keywords to target before you optimize your content, name your page files and start your inbound link building campaign. You probably already know that if your site ranks for certain keywords it will bring you a lot of traffic. But is that all we need to know about keyword research? What other factors are important when choosing your targeted keywords?

Keyword research is probably the most important step for search engine optimization, and still it’s the step that most people get wrong. Some people don’t consider SEO important, so they don’t do keyword research at all.  They just spend a lot of money getting this flashy website built and then think that people will just somehow appear. This isn’t the Field of Dreams where you just “build it and they will come”.

Then there are the people that understand that SEO is vital to their online success, but are too lazy (or ignorant) to do it the right way. In many cases they select keywords which they haven’t researched properly, or that they “stole”  from another website they like. Do this and you usually end up trying to rank for a phrase that has an insurmountable amount of competition.

Good research will find keywords that meet three criteria: 1. People that will type that phrase in the search engine would be the people most likely to purchase your products or services. 2. The less competition the better. 3. The more people typing that phrase in the search engines it the better. Once you find the phrase that meets all three criteria then you have found The Phrase That Pays. (Almost)

Not all keywords are equal. Some are certainly worth ranking for while others will bring you lots of traffic which that will be hard to convert. A good way to ensure you are choosing  the right keywords for your traffic is to consider what users are actually searching for.

Research keywords

A research keyword is a keyword that suggests the searcher is in the research phase of the buying process. They are not looking to buy a product yet. I’ve heard this statement more than a few times over the last few months: “My visitors find me when they use search engines. They type in the exact key phrases I’m listed under. But, when they get to my site why aren’t they calling/buying/filling out the online form?” The simple answer is that they aren’t ready to buy yet.

Just because surfers type a specific key phrase into a search engine does not mean they are ready to buy. In fact, it could mean just the opposite. The first stage in the online buying / decision making process is trying to determine if and what their need is. These keyword phrases are usually very general, have a lot of competition on the search engines and are very difficult to rank for. Some examples would be “color Tv” or Coach purse”. If your site ranks for these keywords then you can get a lot of traffic but no one seems to be buying anything. (By the way AVOID these types of keyword phrases for Pay Per Click Campaigns – it will be an expensive mistake) Getting traffic naturally is not always bad because they may find your site as a trusted resource and decide to come back when they are ready to buy, assuming you have what they need. I would only recommend you focus your SEO campaign on these keywords if you have deep pockets based on the competitiveness.

Buying keywords

After they’ve gathered a good bit of information, they’ll begin to weed through the product, brands, and companies to determine which one they  will actually buy. Buying keywords are keywords that suggest the searcher is looking to buy a product.  Buying keyword phrases are going to have a much lower search volume and they are often much more specific. Good examples of buying keyword phrases would be like: “42 LCD High Definition TV” or “Authentic Coach Pink Signature Shoulderbag”. The searcher has used a very specific product, which suggest they are they have decided what they want and are now ready to buy it.

The Bottom Line

Targeting buying keyword phrases are not only easier to rank for because they have less competition but you will also convert more of the traffic in to a buying customer. To make up the volume you will need to build more content pages focusing on the lower volume search terms. But, since it is easier to build new web pages than trying to compete with general research phrases you will get a better ROI on your SEO dollars.

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