You’ve probably heard of keywords already, and you think they're some sleazy thing to do with SEO. Keywords are simply words that your audience use to search and find the solutions that you offer to them for their problems. Without keywords your business life will be tougher than you'd like.
Keywords: They're Not Always What You Think
For starters, keywords may be what we call them, but they're actually keyphrases. They're often sentences, and they can be questions. They can be a name, or a product name. They can be book or film titles. They can be job titles, or partial addresses. Keywords can even be phone numbers.
Where You Do Your Keyword Research Matters
I'm often told the only place you need to do Keyword/content research is Facebook. Just ask people what they're struggling with and they'll tell you. However, that information may not be accurate – the people answering are surrounded by their peers. They may only be telling half-truths.
The phrases they use may not match what they type in the search engines. I was talking to a potential client once and they were adamant that their ideal clients would search for “Manifest weight loss”. I run the numbers, and 10 people a month search that phrase. I suspect that 7 of those searches were her looking to see where her site was for that phrase.
If it takes 45 minutes to write a blog post, or record a video, then you want it to be found. It's time wasted if you don't get found. So creating content always starts with researching keyphrases.
Think Like Your Ideal Clients
Imagine for a moment you want to become a nurse. The first thing you think of is “How do I become a Nurse?” and that's the question you ask your friends, family and the search engines. You might ask what types of nurses there are, and how long does it take to become a nurse.
Maybe you have germophobia, so you search for “How to become a nurse when you hate germs” or something like that. Another person might just want to learn how to write a nurse someone through a specific illness, in that case, they’ll search for “How to care for someone with man-flu”. Your keywords, or more accurately, keyphrases are what you type into your device to gain an answer.
Your audience will go through the same process of searching for information about their problems to discover solutions, products, and services that alleviate their discomfort.
Once they find solutions they’ll probably start comparing them with others. Knowing the terms your audience uses, how they came to those terms, and what their fears are will help you tremendously as you conduct keyword research for your audience.
Keyword research will either confirm what you think you know, or it will shock you about what you don’t know. But what is clear is that if you conduct keyword research it will be very effective in helping you get more targeted traffic, understand what your audience is looking for, and help you create an effective content marketing plan.
Evergreen Traffic That Works for You 24/7
A fundamental aspect of search engine optimisation (SEO) is the knowledge to include keywords on your website in certain spots. You will want keywords in titles, in headers, descriptions, and as part of the copy in the body of each section. Doing this will help search engines know where to send their audience who is searching for the keywords that you’ve chosen.
But, you can't just write or record any old junk mentioning those phrases. Hell no. You have to show that you understand your audience, that you see their bigger picture and understand where they are now. Because if you don't blend in your keywords and phrases with understanding and compassion, then your prospects will find someone who does.
You Know What Your Audience Is Looking For
But, traffic isn’t everything if you don’t have a product that the audience wants. Keyword research also helps you learn exactly what your audience needs.
- What keeps them up at night?
- What problems do they have?
- What solutions are they looking to buy?
That way you can develop products and services designed just for your audience. Losing 10lbs may not keep someone up at night, but the thought of losing their life partner because they're fat and frumpy may. They may stay awake dreading an event because people will comment on their weight. They may stay awake late into the night because they have bills to pay and not enough cash for their son's birthday. People are kept up at night for a variety of reasons, and if you don't create content that touches this pain, and gives the promise of transformation, then they will go elsewhere.
You Can Create a More Effective Content Marketing Plan
In all ways, search is all about content marketing. To be really good at content marketing you need to also be really good at keyword research.  Keywords and keyphrases are simply part of your attraction system. I call it Keyword Kaizen, because it's what continually improves your content.
You need the right keywords to use in articles, blog posts, social updates, and to know what type of information products or services that you need to create for your audience. It’s for this reason that people say that “content is king” but content without direction is content without keyword research.
Keyword research + the right content = content that makes an impact.
If you're ready to make more of an impact with your content and you can see the value of keyword research, check out my training program Keyword Kaizen.
