Visibility, traffic, keywords, rankings—these are common buzzwords in the world of SEO that can be confusing to business owners new to digital marketing. At Critical Marketing, we collaborate closely with our clients to understand their industry and educate them about ours, working together to craft successful marketing strategies. A significant component of this is search engine optimization (SEO), and a crucial part of SEO is keyword research. Let’s break down what keywords are, why keyword research is important, and how a local SEO marketing company can use it to improve their clients’ positions in search results.
What Are SEO Keywords?
SEO keywords are specific words or phrases that describe the content of a webpage and help search engines understand what the page is about. These keywords are vital for search engine optimization because they are the terms users enter into search engines when looking for information, products, or services. By strategically incorporating SEO keywords into your content, you can improve your website’s visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs) and attract more relevant traffic from individuals searching for those keywords.
However, not all keywords are created equal. There are several different kinds of keywords, and each type can be incorporated into an SEO marketing company’s strategy in different ways. Here’s a breakdown:
Types of SEO Keywords
- Short-Tail Keywords: Broad, one- or two-word phrases.
- Example: “SEO” or “digital marketing”
- Long-Tail Keywords: More specific phrases, often three or more words long.
- Example: “best SEO strategy to improve traffic” or “digital marketing strategies for small businesses”
- Branded Keywords: Keywords that include your brand name or variations of it; often some of the first keywords a new company will rank for.
- Example: “Critical Marketing services” or “Critical Marketing reviews”
- Non-Branded Keywords: General terms not specific to any brand.
- Example: “marketing agencies” or “local SEO company”
- Geo-Targeted Keywords: Include location-specific terms and are often used in local SEO strategies.
- Example: “best marketing companies in Valdosta” or “SEO services in Valdosta, GA”
- Product Keywords: Relate directly to specific products or services.
- Example: “social media management services” or “SEO audits”
What is Keyword Research?
Keyword research is the process of identifying and analyzing the terms and phrases that your target audience searches for on search engines like Google. This enables you to create content that is more likely to rank highly in organic search results.
It’s a vital component of any search engine optimization strategy and is particularly useful when planning new content. For instance, a travel blog might conduct keyword research and discover that:
- Thousands of people per month search for “best places to visit in Europe”
- Ranking for “luxury resorts in Bali” is more challenging than ranking for “budget hotels in Bali”
- Most users searching for “backpacking tips” are looking for advice on gear and destinations, not general travel advice
This kind of insight can help you allocate resources more efficiently and ultimately attract more organic traffic.
Pro Tip
Identifying user intent is crucial—a skill that SEO marketing companies hone over time. Spending valuable marketing dollars targeting a keyword that does not match user intent could be detrimental to a small business looking to maximize their marketing budget. However, choosing a high-intent keyword and creating content around it could mean thousands of new, relevant leads visiting your website each month.
How SEO Marketing Companies Utilize Keyword Research
The process of creating a target keyword list can be extensive, but the value speaks for itself. In the time we take to create a list, we’re also getting to know your industry, learning about your services, understanding your target audience, and conducting competitive analyses. Here’s how we utilize keyword research:
Understanding Your Target Audience
By learning more about your ideal client, we’re able to identify their needs and interests. We can categorize keywords to target searchers at different stages of their buying journey, ensuring that our strategies align with your customers’ intentions.
Content Creation
Knowing which keywords are popular allows us to create content that addresses specific topics, ensuring it resonates with your audience. We can also update and optimize existing content to improve its search engine ranking.
Analyzing Competitors
We analyze the keywords that your competitors are ranking for to identify gaps and opportunities for improving your own content strategy. Understanding the competitive landscape helps in setting realistic goals and benchmarks for keyword performance.
Onsite Optimizations
Keywords are integrated into meta tags, descriptions, headings, and the body content to improve on-page SEO. This ensures that each page is optimized for the target keywords, including proper keyword placement and density—a practice known as technical SEO.
Link Building
We use keywords in the anchor text of backlinks to improve the relevance and authority of your pages. Identifying keyword opportunities helps us create valuable content that other websites will want to link to, boosting your site’s credibility.
Performance Tracking
Regularly tracking keyword performance helps us understand how well your content is ranking and where adjustments are needed. Based on performance data, we can adjust our strategies to better meet your target audience’s needs and improve rankings.
Reporting and Insights
At Critical Marketing, we provide clients with detailed reports on keyword performance and the overall impact on website traffic and rankings. These reports offer insights into what’s working and what isn’t, allowing for continuous improvement.
Your Local SEO Marketing Company in Valdosta, GA
Technical terms and industry jargon can sometimes obscure the main goal: we’re here to help your business thrive. One effective way to achieve this is by dominating search engine results. By incorporating thorough keyword research into our strategies, we can enhance your website’s rankings and drive more targeted traffic to your site.
Ready to take your SEO to the next level? Contact Critical Marketing today and let us help your business reach new heights in search engine visibility.