If you want copy that converts, you need to create SEO copywriting. To do that, you will need to understand keyword research, which means you select the right words that your customers typically type into a search engine, and then your site shows up at the top of the page.
Many writers aren’t interested in detailed research that produces a keyword planner. They are more interested in writing copy that holds their audience’s attention. Many agencies wisely hire SEO experts who do the research and then tell the writers to sprinkle these words throughout the text.
While this works well, writers should also know how to do it themselves to maximize their content if they don’t have access to an SEO expert.
Here are steps to take to create a basic keyword plan.
Planning for Keyword Success
I advise whenever you start any plan, ask yourself what are you trying to do. If you don’t know what your goal is, how can your customers know. This can be a difficult question because where do you start.
It’s such a broad question. Don’t be overwhelmed by it. You can start big and narrow it down. Ask yourself, what are your personal goals? What are your financial goals? What is your mission? Once you know who you are, you can move onto your customers. Who are your target customers? What problems are they trying to solve?
Once you know who you are and define your customers, figuring out what your keywords should become easier.
The next steps should be to brainstorm topics your customers would find interesting. It’s not that much different than coming up with hashtags for Instagram posts. If you keep going, you can come up with dozens of ideas, but most probably won’t be useable, but at least you will have a starting point.
Don’t be afraid to go to your competitors’ sites to see what keywords they are using. That’s a great way to find keywords that might work for you too. At least you will see what they are thinking and how they approach their brands. You also want to see what keywords they rank for online.
Then try grouping your keywords into categories so that you see patterns. From that list, you might find new keyword phrases, which are defined as seed keywords.
Another great way to get keywords is to listen to your customers and the phrases they use in person but also on social media. Sometimes hashtags can be another source for keywords that people use regularly.
Now that you have your list. It’s time to break out the keyword tools. I use free keyword tools, such as Google Keyword Planner, Google Search Console, Google Trends, Keywordwordtool.io, and Answer the Public.
SEO experts use tools such as SEMRush Keyword Magic Tool, KWFinder Moz Keyword Explorer and Ahrefs Keyword Explorer, but these services come with price tags.
If you want to become an SEO expert, you will have to invest in the paid services since the free tools are limited but are still helpful.
For instance, with Google Keyword Planner, you type in seed keywords, and it gives you a list of keywords by relevance and average monthly searches. These are the two columns you want to focus upon for keywords. Don’t worry about the competition column unless you’re placing ads, which you’re not right now. You’re looking for keywords.
What you want to do is type in your seed keywords into the search box. You will see several keywords that you can potentially use. At this stage, you want to put together what’s called long-tail keywords, which are a phrase of about four or five words.
When people type in what they are looking for in Google, they usually type in phrases or questions that are more than three words, so you want to get as close a match as you can. These words are more specific, which means you are more likely to rank higher in a google search, especially if you don’t have as high authority as a major outlet or company that’s a household name.
You must be careful about the terms you select. If you pick a competitive keyword that everyone is trying to rank for, you will never succeed. You won’t show up on the first page of Google, so that you can do everything right, but it won’t matter. You will be outranked by others who have the same idea.
You want to find the perfect keywords that are more low to medium in competitiveness, while some people are searching these phrases, not as many sites are trying to rank for the phrases.
It’s important to continue to do keyword research to ensure you aren’t using old keywords that don’t work anymore.
Keywords and Content Creations
Your keywords aren’t just helpful in ranking but also in deciding what content to create. When I was a journalist at a time before the Internet, I would decide what I wanted to write about, and then I’d pitch it to my editor. If he or she liked the idea, I wrote about it. It never dawned on me that I might be the only one who truly thought the article was of any worth. When I don’t know what to write about, I use keyword research to figure out what people want to read.
What’s the point of writing content that no one is interested in reading. That’s why it’s so important always to be doing keyword research for content.
What you want to do is offer the most relevant content that your audience is searching for online. If you rank high in Google, and then your customers come to your page only to find an article that didn’t answer their questions, all your keyword research will be in vain. So it’s important to approach keyword research with the idea that you’re creating content for an audience and not merely bringing them to your page.
Final Thoughts
Keyword research is time-consuming and may not be that much fun for writers. But if you’re writing great content that nobody wants, you will fail. Likewise, if you write content that everyone wants, but no one can find, you will fail again.
Content writing is part art and science. You must write engaging copy that’s optimized for search engines. By learning how to add keywords through your copy in a natural way and following SEO protocols, you will bring people to your site where they will benefit from the information on your site.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
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