With over 500 million blogs vying for reader’s attention, how can you expect to stand out from the crowd? The answer is simple: you need to invest in keyword research for your blog. Having a keyword research checklist to help you along will make the process much easier than you may think.
Why You Need Keyword Research
Keyword research allows you to find out what words your target audience is using when they search for solutions to their problems. It’s so important that research shows that approximately 64% of marketing teams are investing in search engine optimization practices such as keyword research to ensure they are getting their message across and resonating with their audience.
Keyword research can also help you significantly improve your overall ranking on search engines such as Google and Bing. That’s because search engines carefully crawl each piece of content that you publish. If you aren’t using keywords relevant to your readers now, they won’t rank your content because it can be seen as not directly addressing consumers’ wants or needs.
Finding the right blog keywords isn’t as simple as picking a topic and writing about it. The keywords that your audience uses change over time, which is why it’s vital that you take the time to conduct keyword research. This shows you which keywords and keyword phrases are currently in use (or trending) and which ones are a tad outdated. With the right SEO tools and a keyword research checklist in hand, finding the right keywords for your blog will be much easier than you may think.
Your Handy Blog Keyword Research Checklist
Keyword research can be overwhelming, especially if you are new to the blogging world. That’s why a handy blog keyword research checklist can help you to find the right keywords for your blog without having to worry about whether you are doing it correctly.
Step 1: Determine Your Topic
Determine what you want to blog about. If you already have a blog, then this step will be a lot easier for you. Simply look at your blog posts and determine which topics you have written about and which topics you would like to blog about in the future.
If you don’t currently have a blog, then you should take the time to write up a few blog ideas. Make sure that each blog idea is unique and something that you can expand upon in the future.
Step 2: Brainstorm Keywords
When it comes to keyword research, brainstorming is vital. It allows you to generate a range of keyword ideas that can help you to find the right keywords for your blog. You should write down at least 10 keyword ideas to use as root keywords that you can expand upon later.
Step 3: Choose a Keyword Research Tool
Now that you have a list of keywords to work with, the next step is to determine which keyword research tool you want to use. There are many keyword research tools that you can use to find the right keywords for your blog, so you should take the time to consider which one you want to use carefully.
Here are a few of the most popular keyword research tools:
- Semrush
- Ahrefs
- Google Search Console
- Ubersuggest
- Keywordtool.io
Step 4: Perform a Keyword Search
Once you’ve decided on a keyword research tool, it’s time to start plugging in your root keywords into the tool. This will not only allow you to find which keywords are currently in use (and which ones are not). It can also generate alternative (yet relevant) keywords and keyword phrases that can help you better optimize your content for search engines.
Step 5: Check the Competition
You should also take the time to check the competition for each keyword that you find. This will allow you to assess whether there is a need for a more relevant or more targeted keyword. For example, if you are finding that you are using a keyword used by many other bloggers, you should consider using a more specific or targeted keyword that will draw in your target audience.
Step 6: Expand Your List
Once you have a list of keywords to work with, you should expand upon each keyword. This involves adding synonyms and related keywords, which allows you to better understand the keywords that your audience is using. It will also allow you to generate a list of long-tail keywords that are more likely to be searched for in the future.
Start Creating Quality, In-Demand Content Today
Having a keyword research checklist at the ready will help take some of the pressure off your team and guide them in finding the best keywords for your brand’s blog.
Still struggling? Then let the team at CadenceSEO help! We can help you with all your SEO needs to ensure you see the success you desire!
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