Keyword Research Mistakes You Should Avoid
When it comes to making an SEO strategy, keyword research is the first and foremost thing you must do. Keyword research is still a daunting process. There are certain mistakes we often make when doing keyword research. In this post, you will learn all the common mistakes people make. Be aware of these mistakes beforehand to come up with a successful strategy and avoid harmful practices for your ranks.
- Failed Execution or not executing at all
Some people feel that they can easily get away without keyword research or don’t feel it to be important. Of course, keyword research is indeed a tough and time-eating process. But it doesn’t mean that you can simply avoid it. It also doesn’t mean you can stuff the keywords in your content just for the sake of ranking. But skipping keyword research means creating content without even knowing what your potential users want.
It is also very important to take time to dive deeper into your audience’s language. What terms are they looking for? Which words are highly used? What terms have less competition and what are competitive? You need to have a huge list of keywords for ranking at the end. Keep your keyword research sheet or list updated from time to time. Your business needs and focus may change, and so is your audience.
- Choosing Unrealistic Keywords
Some niches have a lot of competition and it is not easy to rank on competitive niches, especially when starting a business or website. Aim for realistic keywords. Instead targeting competitive keywords, go for long-tail ones if you are starting out. These are easier in ranking and they are more likely to bring conversion.
For example, if you are starting a fitness blog and you have a gym, it is not easy to rank for ‘fitness’ keywords. Look for the unique aspects of your blog and rank on those keywords. You may write for exercises for elderly. You may target keywords like ‘exercises for elderly people’. You can also target ‘fitness tips for elderly’ or ‘fitness routines for elderly’ etc. Once you start ranking successfully and you have been around for a long time with long-tail keywords, you can progress to more head terms.
- Irrelevant Keywords
It happens when you don’t consider the intent of searchers. Either you offer something that people want but these visitors use different terms and you won’t get found, or the keywords you use are too long to get traffic. The keyword you choose should match the terms used by your potential customers. Use your audience’s language. Suppose you are selling gala events’ dresses. You may refer to them as ‘gala dresses’ in your marketing. What if most people don’t search for it with the same keyword? They might be searching for an evening dress or gown. As compared to “evening dress” or “gown”, the term “gala dress” won’t bring much traffic.
Sometimes long-tail keywords are so obscure that they just don’t bring traffic. Long-tail keywords can help you start your strategy. But such words also bring less traffic. You need to turn those visitors into returning buyers or buyers. It is true that people who use long-tail keywords to find the exact match are probably the good match. If your keyword doesn’t return any traffic even after being too specific, it won’t serve any purpose. Aim for long-tail keywords which can come up with genuine traffic.
- Not considering intent of the searcher
Considering the searcher’s intent is very vital for keyword research. You should have proper insight to the intent behind keywords. People might want information, any website, or to buy anything. Search engines always focus on giving the exact results to the searchers. If your content is different from the intent of users, it may not be featured on the results, no matter how optimized and attractive your content is.
You need to find out whether the content matches with searchers’ intent that you want to post for a specific keyword. You can look at the search results to do the same. What types of queries people search for? Does your content match the intent? Suppose you write a complete DIY guide to rank for “wedding décor” and you see wedding décor stores in search results, you should plan your strategy accordingly.
- Focus on one keyword for each post
The ranking probability of a blog post shouldn’t be limited to a keyword. It should have other related terms. You can definitely optimize for a related keyword without even making a long-tail one. Suppose you write content about the best SEO tips of all time, you can use keywords like “universal SEO tips” and it can do really well for rankings.
- Not having idea of where your audiences are
Apart from looking for rankings for the type of content with each query that users want, you should also check other properties that are searchable. You need to find out where people are looking for information. For example, if you need to fix anything in your home, you may definitely be searching for a video to do it yourself on YouTube. But you may also research your keyword on places like Reddit, Twitter and other platforms except Google. Don’t limit your research to traditional mediums and tools. There are other places where you can target users who are looking for answers.
Conclusion
When you start your keyword research next time, be sure to consider these mistakes and make sure not to commit them again. Execute keyword research the right way. Though it takes some more time, it is really worth it. Take your time and think of the keywords that can help you in ranking. If you are having problems in keyword research, it’s better to choose the best SEO Company. They have SEO professionals who perform keyword research for their clients on a regular basis.
