The Beginner Guide: What Is Keyword Research In Digital Marketing & Why is Important

According to the Hubstop report, 39% of marketers optimise content based on keywords as their top SEO strategy, and google also says 5% of all Google searches have never been searched before. This shows the Importance of Keyword Research in Digital Marketing. In this blog, we will discuss what is keyword research, and why it's important, and share our step-by-step process for doing keyword research.

What Is Keyword Research In Digital Marketing

Keyword research is the process of identifying the words and phrases your potential customer searches online for information related to your business. In digital marketing, it's crucial because it helps you understand your target audience's needs and tailor your website content to attract the right kind of visitors. By incorporating these keywords strategically, you improve your website's ranking in search results, leading to more organic traffic and achieving your marketing goals. Before going further, we’ll look at the types of keywords used in SEO. There are many types of keywords, but we will see which are more important.

Types Of Keywords In SEO

Keyword By Search Intent

Search intent means why people search for a particular query. It’s what users expect to see when they search for a keyword. Understanding search intent is essential while crafting content that resonates with your target audience.

Informational:

Users are finding information about a topic. Examples: "How to change a flat tyre?" or "Best places to visit in Italy?" You can target them with informative blog posts, articles, or FAQs. These types of keywords are primarily used in TOFU in marketing Funnels.

Navigational:

Users know exactly where they want to go online. They use websites or brand names in search queries. Examples: "Best Rebook Shoes for men" or "Apple official website".

Commercial:

Users are researching products or services with the intention of eventually buying them. Examples: "Reviews of “X” wireless headphones" or "Comparison of web hosting plans". Compelling product descriptions, informative comparisons, and highlighting features that address user concerns can attract these users. These types of keywords are used in MOFU in the Marketing Funnel.

Transactional:

Users are ready to make a purchase. Examples: "Buy iPhone 14 Pro Max" or "Book a flight to Paris". Clear calls to action and a smooth checkout process are essential to convert these visitors into customers. These types of keywords are used in BOFU in the Marketing Funnel.

Moving from understanding user intent behind keywords, let's explore another critical aspect of keyword research which is keyword based on Keyword Length. Here, we'll categorise keywords based on the number of words used in the search query. There are three types of keywords in this category.

Keyword By Keyword Length

Short tail keywords: 

These keywords consist of one to two words, e.g., Railway Booking, Cookies, etc. Short tail keywords are very generic, and they have a high search volume and high difficulty score.

Mid tail keywords: 

Mid-tail keywords are more specific than short-tail, usually 3-4 words used. Mid-tail keywords are more specific than short-tail keywords. These keywords have a decent amount of traffic & relatively low difficulty than the short tail. These are some examples of medium-tail keywords like Best Gaming laptop, oversized winter sweaters etc.,

Long tail keywords: 

Long tail keywords consist of 4 & more words. Long tail keywords are Highly specific & easy to rank, as these keywords have limited search volume & low competition. Traffic generated from this kind of query is highly targeted to specific needs, leading to potentially high conversion rates. e.g., where to buy the best hiking boots for wide feet, Best laptop for digital marketers in 2024 etc.,

    Why Keyword Research Is Important In Digital Marketing

Attract The Right Audience

Before starting any SEO campaign, we need to understand our customers or users. This helps us identify their search intent and purchase journey. By doing keyword research, you can identify keywords related to each stage of the buyer's journey. This way, you can tailor your content to attract users at different points in their decision-making process.

You can understand this by the simple example below.

Let's imagine someone is planning a trip to Italy. Their search queries will change depending on where they are in the buyer's journey.

Awareness Stage: "What is Digital Marketing & scope of it ?" - This searcher is just starting to explore the idea. They have not yet decided to take the digital marketing course. This user might be interested in broad informational content.

Consideration Stage: "Top institution For digital marketing course" - They've narrowed their focus and are seeking specific recommendations.

Decision Stage: "Digital Marketing Course - Price Comparison" - This user is ready to buy and is actively comparing prices between different course providers. By targeting keywords throughout the buyer journey, you can target the right kind of user, which will increase the chances of conversion.

Content Structuring

Keyword research is also important in website structuring and Content planning. Imagine your website as a house. Keyword research is like the blueprint - it guides us on the overall structure and layout to ensure a smooth user experience. For example, if you are doing keyword research for a shoe ecommerce website & you want to target these keywords on your website. Then, you will create a website structure based on this.

Keywords - "Mens Shoes", "Running shoes For men", & “Best Running shoes in 2024.”

Main Category: Mens Shoes (This category includes all kinds of men's shoes from running shoes to trekking shoes & content also according to it)

Sub-Category: Running shoes For men (Content focuses on Running shoes For men)

Blog Content: As “Best Running shoes in 2024” is an informational query here, you can make a blog on "The Best Running Shoes for Mens in 2024" (Targets the keyword "Best Running shoes in 2024" in content)

Find Low-hanging Fruit

Some keywords are already very popular, and lots of websites are competing for them. So, if you are a new website, you cannot rank your website on those highly competitive keywords. Keyword research helps you find low-hanging fruit keywords. Low-hanging fruit keywords are like those perfectly ripe apples at eye level, easier to grab and just as delicious (in terms of SEO benefits). These are keywords with decent search volume but lower competition. They have a good chance of ranking well without competing with industry giants.

How To Do Keyword Research In Digital Marketing

Step 1 - Understand Business

First, understand your client's business. What is it? What kind of products or services does it offer? What is its potential Audience? Where are they? Without a clear understanding of business goals, you might target keywords that drive traffic but don't convert into sales or leads. A deep understanding of your business and industry also allows you to identify emerging trends and use them into your keyword research.

Step 2 - Brainstorm & List Down Seed Keywords

After you get a clear understanding of the business, list down some seed keywords. Seed keywords, also called head terms, they are the stepping stone of your keyword research process in SEO. They are typically short-tail keywords that broadly represent your niche or business. Seed keywords are the starting point for brainstorming and generating a wider range of keywords. Seed keywords help with brainstorming and generating a wider range of keywords. For example, if you run a sporting goods store, your seed keyword could be "athletic shoes."

Step 3 - Use The Keyword Research Tool To Find Keywords

Now, put these seed keywords in a tool and generate the keyword ideas. There are many tools for keyword research.

• Ahrefs
• Semrush
• Moz Keyword Explorer
• Google keyword explorer

Enter your seed keywords (for eg., Running Shoe). They'll then generate related keywords and long-tail variations based on seed keywords. Not all generated keywords we have to target, even those keywords are related to business. Initially, you can not rank your website on popular & competitive keywords unless you have a good backlink profile & authority in that niche. So Initially, look for keywords with a decent search volume but manageable difficulty. For instance, "Running shoes online India" might have a high search volume & high competition, but "running shoes for men with flat feet" could be the best keyword with good search volume and lower difficulty.

Step 4 - Understand The Search Intent Of Each Keyword

After finding a list of related keywords, we have to understand the search intent of each keyword. As we discussed earlier, understanding search intent is important in a successful SEO campaign, and it helps craft perfect SEO-friendly content. Search engines like Google prioritise showing users the most relevant results to their queries. When your content aligns with search intent, it satisfies the user's needs & your chances of ranking increase.

Imagine you have created a detailed blog on "Vegan shoes," but users who are searching for this are looking for the best available vegan shoe option, so here your content is not aligned with user intent. By understanding search intent, you can target keywords that align with your audience's buying journey. Informational keywords like "How to find original Vegan shoes for men" attract users in the research phase, while transactional keywords like "best Vegan shoes for men under 5000" target users closer to purchase.

Step 5 - Choose Right Keywords From The Researched Keywords

How to choose the Right Keywords for SEO is another important task in the Keyword research process. After analysing search intent, you have to choose which keywords are more important for your business & select keywords according to them. You have to filter out your keyword list from two filters to get the best keyword for your business. First is Keyword Volume & the other is keyword difficulty.

Keyword Volume: Keyword volume refers to how many times a user searches for a particular keyword in Google in one month. If you optimise your page for more volume keywords & if it ranks, you can get good traffic. So considering search volume is a crucial step in the keyword research process.

Keyword Difficulty: Each keyword is given a keyword difficulty score out of 100%. This score tells how difficult it is to rank on these keywords. As we discussed above, if your website is new and does not have good authority, choose keywords that are closer to your business, have high volume, and are low in difficulty.

Step 6 - Organise Your Keyword List

After selecting the best keywords, organise all your keywords based on their themes. First, segregate the keyword you are targeting on its main business page. For example, under "Running Shoes", you might have subcategories like "Running shoes for men", "Running shoes for women", and "Running shoes for kids" all come under one group. Then, segregate keywords that you can use for the blog, like “Best Gym shoes in 2024” and “Buying guide For best trekking shoes for men”. Segregation will help to draft an effective content marketing strategy. Prioritise keywords based on search volume, competition level, and how well they align with your overall SEO goals.

Conclusion

Keyword research is the foundation of any successful SEO strategy. Following the steps outlined above, you can target the right keywords that attract your target audience, boost your website traffic, and ultimately achieve your digital marketing goals. Remember, keyword research is a continuous process. As your website grows, you'll need to revisit and refine your keyword strategy accordingly.