2. 4 PHASES OF KEYWORD RESEARCH
Phase 1: Brainstorm Keyword Possibilities
Phase 2: Verify Keyword Data & Add Words Google
Tells Us People Use
Phase 3: Keyword Prioritization and Selection
Phase 4: Assign Keywords to Content
4. Phase 1: Brainstorm Keyword Possibilities
1. SEO Home base: Open up Excel
2. Brain Dump: Take 5 minutes and brainstorm ALL the
words you think you should rank
3. Add to that list:
• Google Autosuggest
• Poll a partner
• Poll your customers
• Peek in Google Analytics at “Queries”
7. Keyword Research Tips
Group Like Words Together …
Put In As Many As You Can Think Of
Tips:
•don’t forget plurals
•don’t forget synonyms
•person, product or
service?
Horsinality:
Disconnect:
“horse training” vs “natural
horsemanship”
Love coach
Dating coach
Matchmaker
Matchmaking professional
Dating coaches
Matchmaking for men
park city utah fly fishing
park city fly fishing
park city utah trout fishing
park city trout fishing
service, guide, excursion,
activity, etc.
Meeting planner
Conference organizer
Independent meeting planner
Freelance meeting planner
Event coordinator
18. Keyword Research Tips
1. Put in lots of combinations of
words into your research tool
2. Look through every option:
Pay attention to hidden gems:
(LOW Competition, HIGH Search
Count)
1. Add all the reasonable keyword
choices -> export to Excel
20. Phase 3: Keyword Prioritization and Selection
Dive in to the Excel Data
•Sort the keywords from high monthly search count to low OR
– sort words alphabetically
•Look through words one by one
GOAL: SHORTEN THIS LIST
• Eliminate
• Bold
• Highlight
•Understand the competition you’re up against
21.
22. Large companies have the benefit of an SEO team
Why Competitive Research Matters
23. Danger - Important Tip
The most important thing
is to get started.
A half decent keyword is better than
NO keyword
Clarity trumps cleverness…you HAVE TO put it out there IN WRITING. SEO is like a salesperson;
“Skip the guided setup”
Sort the search results by clicking on “Local Monthly Searches”
Tab over to “keyword ideas”
Sort the search results by clicking on “Local Monthly Searches”
A - Keyword
B - Avg monthly searches
C - Competition
-once all the REASONABLE, PRACTICAL choices are in Excel, then cull, prioritize, and cut
OR – put into Phase 1, 2 and 3
-prioritize. For a small business, you really only need between 5-15 terms for your website. That depends on how many pages you have.
If you blog, you can expand the list with more specifics.
NEXT:
Once you have some good keywords, you want to look at the competition.
The more niche you can get, the better.
You can get stuck in the research phase FOREVER and it will stall your SEO efforts