How to do Keyword Research (FOR FREE) 2023
Keyword research is an essential part of any digital marketing strategy, especially when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO) and advertising (AD). Finding the right keywords to target can be a daunting task, especially for smaller brands that are trying to compete with bigger brands that have more resources. In this blog post, we will show you how to find the best keywords for your brand from an SEO and AD perspective, using a free tool that is available to everyone: the Google Keyword Planner.
Access Google Keyword Planner
The first step in finding the best keywords for your brand is to access the Google Keyword Planner. This tool is free to use and can be accessed through a Google Ads account. Even if you are not running ads or have not made any payments towards ads, you can still use the keyword planner to research keywords. Once you have access to the planner, you can start searching for keywords that are relevant to your brand.
For example…
Say you are a small clothing brand that specializes in pink ties. You can start by searching for the term “pink ties” in the keyword planner. The planner will return a list of related keywords and their average monthly searches, competition level, and cost-per-click (CPC). The average monthly searches will give you an idea of how many people are searching for that keyword on a monthly basis. The competition level will give you an idea of how many other brands are bidding on that keyword. And the CPC will give you an idea of how much it will cost to bid on that keyword if you were running ads.
My tips:
One tactic to use when finding the best keywords for your brand is to sort the keywords by the highest cost-per-click (CPC). This will give you an idea of which keywords are the most expensive, and therefore the most in-demand. These keywords are typically branded searches for high-end brands such as Burberry, Gucci, and Hermes. These brands have the budget to pay for the expensive CPC’s. Those keywords are so expensive because Google can identify the intent of the users who make these searches and charge more because of the higher sales potential. It is probably not smart to try to rank for those keywords as you will not likely win. Ranking for those expensive keywords is a good way to blow through your budget quickly.
Another tactic is to sort the keywords by the lowest cost-per-click (CPC). This will give you an idea of which keywords are the cheapest and therefore the most affordable. These keywords are typically non-branded searches, such as “pink tie” or “best pink tie with polka dots”. You can also sort by average monthly searches and flip it around, going from smallest to biggest, and start looking at some of these smaller keywords. This will help you to identify keywords with lower search volumes that are relevant to your brand. These cheaper keywords are often longer and more niche. I recommend trying to rank or go after those keywords. Those will be cheaper and often indicate higher intent from your user. You will see more bang for your buck.
You’ve done your keyword research…now what?
Once you have identified a list of relevant keywords, you can start creating content around them. Build your organic and ad content around these keywords. You can use the exact phrase as well as different variations of it in order to show up on Google. Creating high-quality, relevant content is an effective way to slowly build out a website that Google will recognize as relevant for specific keywords. Creating ads that feature the exact phrase your consumer is searching greatly increases the changes they will click on your listing. By targeting these smaller keywords with lower search volumes, you can gradually build up your website’s visibility and search engine rankings, even if you can’t afford to bid on the more expensive keywords.
Now remember…
It’s important to remember that keyword research is an ongoing process. You should regularly review and update your list of keywords to ensure that you are targeting the most relevant and profitable keywords for your brand. Markets change, the language people use changes etc. It is important to stay up to date. And sometimes, your predictions might be wrong…let the data guide your next steps. Track your website’s performance to see which keywords are driving the most traffic and conversions. Build out more content around the keywords that are driving the most sales and engagement. This will help you to optimize your website and your digital marketing strategy, to achieve the best results.
In conclusion, finding the best keywords for your brand from an SEO and AD perspective is essential for driving traffic and conversions to your website. By using the free Google Keyword Planner, you can identify relevant and profitable keywords for your brand, even if you have a smaller ad budget and fewer resources than larger brands. By sorting keywords by the lowest CPC and targeting smaller keywords with lower search volumes, you can gradually build up your website’s visibility and search engine rankings. Additionally, by creating high-quality, relevant content around these keywords, you can slowly build out a website that Google recognizes as relevant for specific keywords.
Reach out to my team to get a free keyword list for your brand!