How to effectively conduct a comprehensive keyword search?

Keywords are phrasing those users use to search for the information they need on the Internet. They are the foundation of the semantic core, and it is the basis of any site. That is why the selection of keywords is an important stage when search SEO promotion sites. Their use will improve the ranking of your resource pages. Just remember not to overuse them, otherwise search engines may impose filters on certain pages or even the entire site.

Why keywords are important

Keywords help search robots understand how relevant a site page is to a user’s query. Search engine algorithms, analyzing the text, determine whether a person will be able to get a complete and detailed answer to his request on the site. If you want your audience to find your resource, then you simply need to develop a strategy that will help make this happen. This is exactly the essence of keyword research.

Optimizing content for keywords is the main tool for promoting various products and services. Therefore, the first step in optimization is to collect a semantic core, and create new resource pages for it and optimize existing ones. If you choose the right keywords, you can create content that will attract organic traffic from search results for a long time.

Keyword Search Tools

Below we’ll share three keyword research tools. All of them have both a free version and a paid one. Of course, you can use the free option, but in this case, be prepared for limited functionality (for example, lack of request frequency or limit on the number of keys given). Therefore, for your convenience, we still recommend using the paid versions of these services.

The general principle of operation of the tools is similar: the user enters a word or phrase, and the program displays a list of various combinations with it. For each of them, you can see the frequency, which will help identify the necessary options for the semantic core. So, let’s move on to a more detailed consideration of each service.

Google Keyword Planner

Scheduler is a free and easy-to-use tool that allows you to get a large number of additional keywords, determine competition and forecast traffic. You simply enter a phrase and you can immediately see the average monthly search volume for the keyword, the minimum and maximum estimated bids for impressions (if you decide to use Google Ads) and understand whether there is high competition for this word.

Using Google Keyword Planner is easy – just create an account in Google Ads and enter your card details. But this is precisely what turns some users off, since you don’t need to pay anything to use the service itself. More detailed instructions for using this tool are described in our other article.

Who will benefit from the tool:

1. Contextual advertising specialists

With its help, you can find out which keywords are recommended for creating a new advertising campaign. It is also possible to select new key phrases based on existing ones to expand existing campaigns. Marketers can also plan their budget and rates here.

2. SEO specialists

As we have already mentioned, thanks to the planner, when compiling a semantic core, specialists can find keywords, find out their frequency and competitiveness.

When selecting keywords in the Planner, you have the opportunity to select the appropriate settings. In the service you can specify:

• The right language. You can get forecasts for existing keys and collect new ones in any of the 45 languages ​​presented.
• You can set up geotargeting in almost every tab.
• Date range. Here you specify the period of time for which you need to obtain data on the number of requests.
• Negative words. If they are combined with a phrase, then it simply will not be displayed.
• Search options. When searching for new keywords, you can filter them by recommended bid, competition, average number of queries per month, or even include only those that contain certain terms.

Serpstat

This tool was developed by Ukrainian programmers and marketers. It is relatively free. After registration, you will have access to the main functions of the service, but with a limit of 30 requests per day. If you need advanced features, there are 4 tariff plans (from $59 per month, but there are discounts when subscribing for a year).

Serpstat is a multifunctional tool with the largest database of keywords for the Ukrainian segment. With its help, you can significantly expand the semantic core of the resource, select high-quality phrases and analyze the semantics of competitors. That is why it is a great assistant for every SEO specialist. For easier use we have prepared for you step by step instructions on working with the service.

Serpstat features:

1. After you have uploaded the project, you will be able to check the resource for errors, correct meta tags applied, broken links and other indicators.
2. After checking the site, the platform will indicate critical and not so critical SEO errors.
3. The tool has a set of metrics necessary for the daily work of SEO and PPC specialists: position monitoring; analysis of key phrases, links and competitors; SEO site audit.
4. Thanks to the service, you can significantly speed up the work time of specialists, since it is designed to collect information on a specific domain, its page or keyword that is needed for website promotion and contextual advertising settings, as well as to monitor the effectiveness of competitors’ strategies and benefit from their successes and mistakes.

Ahrefs

This service designed more for the western segment of the market. The cost of use depends on which tariff plan you choose (there are 4 in total, and the minimum costs from $89 per month). There is also a free trial version with which you can solve problems such as: keyword research, link building, on-page SEO and others. They will have their limitations, but, for example, for those who are just starting their journey in SEO, this will be enough.

Ahrefs is a fairly popular keyword research tool and one of the easiest to visually understand. Among its main analytical parameters is the complexity of the key, on the basis of which it can be assumed how best to use it. Thanks to this platform, your research can be flexible – you can understand where exactly the desired keyword phrase ranks. You can search on different engines: Google, YouTube, Bing, Baidu and Amazon. Working with the service is not at all difficult; a detailed description is in another article.

Top Ahrefs Features:

• You can set up alerts for new keywords, backlinks, mentions, and more.
• A clear interface that makes it possible to determine the general condition of your resource and its ranking in search engines.
• Reports with charts.
• Detailed analysis of search traffic.
• JavaScript rendering and site audit to identify SEO issues.
• Comparison of domains.
• A content explorer that helps you find good suggestions for topics.

How to use keywords correctly

When using keywords, do not forget that content is created for people, and only then for search engines. If you choose the right key phrases and use them correctly, they will look organic in the text and will not interfere with its perception.

Recommendations for using keys:

1. Add keywords to headings. Using them, the user understands the essence of the content, and their presence will help determine compliance with the request.
2. Use keywords in meta tags. Keywords in title, description and alt will help search engines better understand the content of the material.
3. Watch the density. Don’t overuse keywords to avoid spam.
4. Distribute phrases throughout the text. Use the main ones at the top of the page, and then it is better to place them in descending order of importance.
5. Control the naturalness of application. If certain wording stands out from the general context, try to replace it or remove it altogether.

To summarize

For successful website promotion and getting traffic, it is very important to choose the right keywords. In the article we looked at how this can be done using special online services. The main thing is not to forget that you cannot spam, and you need to distribute them organically throughout the text, then you will certainly achieve the desired result.

Olha Tyshchenko

Editor

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