Do you ever feel like you’re putting in a lot of effort with your website but not seeing the results you want? The culprit could be that you’re not targeting the best seed keywords. Seed keywords are the starting point for any successful keyword research process – they’re the seed from which your entire strategy will grow! By optimizing your website around the right keywords, you’ll be well on your way to outperforming your competitors in organic search results!
In this blog post, we’ll show you how to find seed keywords that actually draw traffic – plus give you our best tips on what to do with your keywords once you’ve found them!
Questions to Ask Yourself When Beginning Your Research
- What are the main services my company offers?
- What problems do these services solve for my customers or clients?
- Who is my target audience?
- What are some words or phrases that my target audience might use to search for my company or services?
- What do I want my website to rank for?
Brainstorm a list of seed keywords based on these questions – your seed keywords should be relevant to your business and reflect the needs and wants of your target audience.
For example, let’s say you run a web design company. Some seed keywords you might want to target could be:
- “web design”
- “responsive web design”
- “SEO-friendly web design”
- “eCommerce web design”
Once you have a list of seed keywords, it’s time to start checking their search volume!
What is Search Volume, and Why Does it Matter?
Search volume is, quite simply, the number of times a keyword is searched for in a given time period. The higher the search volume, the more popular the keyword!
Why does search volume matter?
Well, if you want your website to be visible to as many people as possible, you need to target keywords with high search volume. This is where the tricky part comes in. Just because a keyword has a high search volume doesn’t mean it’s the right keyword for you to target!
For example, the seed keyword “web design” has a much higher search volume than “responsive web design.” However, “responsive web design” is a more specific keyword and, therefore, more likely to convert into actual leads or sales.
Use Seed Keywords to Generate Long-Tail Keywords
Seed keywords are the starting point for your long-term SEO strategy. By finding seed keywords with high search volume, you can generate a list of long-tail keywords to target.
Long-tail keywords are more specific (and usually longer) versions of seed keywords. They tend to have lower search volume than seed keywords but are often easier to rank for and more likely to convert into leads or sales.
Let’s use the previous example keyword, “web design.” A long-tail version of this keyword could be “web design services in the Bay Area” or “mobile-friendly web design”.
Long-tail keywords are an important part of any SEO strategy because they help you target specific audiences with specific needs.
Use Tools to Help With Your Research
Keyword research shouldn’t be a guessing game. There are plenty of valuable online tools, both free and paid, that allow you to check the search volume and difficulty of your chosen keywords.
Some of our favorite tools for seed keyword research are:
- Google Keyword Planner: This is a free tool offered by Google that allows you to check seed keyword search volume and difficulty.
- Moz Keyword Explorer: This is a paid tool that offers more detailed seed keyword data than the Google Keyword Planner.
- SEMrush: This is another paid tool that offers detailed seed keyword data, as well as data on your competitor’s keywords.
Study Your Competition
SEO is a game of strategy, and if you want to play to win, you have to check out what your competition is doing. Researching your seed keywords will give you valuable insights into what keywords your competitors are targeting – and how well they’re ranking for them.
There are a few different ways to check out your competition:
- Do a Google search for your seed keyword and see who shows up on the first page of results.
- Check out your competitor’s website and see what keywords they’re targeting.
- Use a tool like SEMrush or Moz Keyword Explorer to research your keywords and see who’s ranking for them.
Once you’ve gathered this information, you can start to strategize about how to outrank your competition!
Keep Revising Your Strategy
A good strategy is one that’s adaptable. As your business grows and changes, so too should your seed keyword list.
As you add new products or services, you’ll need to find new seed keywords to target. And as you get a better handle on your audience’s needs, you may find that some of your current seed keywords are no longer relevant.
Make sure to revisit your seed keyword list on a regular basis and make changes as needed.
Done right, seed keywords are the foundation for a strong SEO strategy that will help you draw traffic to your website and convert leads into customers. So don’t underestimate their importance – start your research today!
Need SEO Help?
At D-Kode, we have an inside view of what it takes to make a website successful – one that drives more visitors to your business, converts leads into customers, and provides the ideal user experience. Want to know more SEO secrets? Let’s talk. Give us a call at (925) 477-5012 to schedule your free marketing consultation.
