There’s no denying that keyword research is an incredibly important part of search engine optimisation. It dictates not just the traffic you get but whether or not your traffic takes action. The problem is that thorough keyword research can take a significant chunk of time – time that you might not always have.
With this in mind, here are 5 keyword research tips that are not only effective but save you a great deal of time.
Tip #1 – On-site search queries
Did you know that 30% of all your site visitors will use your on-site search query to find results? So guess what?
When they type those words into your search bar, they are in effect doing the keyword research for you. It’s an underused gold mine of information and one that you can frequently tap into. Having a curated list of ideas, allows you to build a content strategy based around those key phrases.
Keyword research tip #2 – Make better use of Google
How many times have you started to search for something on Google only for the search engine to give you suggestions before you’ve finished typing?
While it may seem a little ‘big brother-esque’ the fact is that Google is intuitive and is designed to learn user behaviour.
So as you start to type and before you hit the send or return key, it will give you a solid picture of what searches other people have performed during and after your search query.
Here’s an example…
Let’s say you type in the search term ‘affordable dentist in London’. Before you even finish, Google has already pre-empted you and come up with a list of the following: 
- Affordable private dentist London
- Best affordable dentist London
- Affordable orthodontist London
- Affordable cosmetic dentist London
- Affordable dentist East London
These are key terms that have already been used by website owners to generate search traffic in the past. Why? Because people are looking to find answers to these specific terms.
Now, you can either enter these into a keyword research tool and use them as seed terms to generate more specific keywords, or you can use them directly as primary search terms. Either way, it allows you to plan your search engine optimisation strategy around these.
Here’s a bonus tip…
If you click on one result, it will also generate a whole load of other related search terms. This is all keyword research that you haven’t had to do.
Tip #3 – Make use of Google’s ‘People Also Ask’ feature
As far as keyword research tips go, this one is much underused. The PAA feature was introduced by Google back in 2015 as a way of assisting search traffic with related queries.
In effect, when you click on a related question, it brings up a snippet of information that answers that particular question.
What you can then do is to build out better content that gives the reader a more detailed answer in the form of a long blog post.
As an example, let’s say you initially typed in the question ‘what are dental implants?’ into Google’s search bar. When you do, you’ll notice that underneath the first search result you should see a People Also Ask feature with questions like:
- What are the downsides of dental implants?
- How much do dental implants cost for one tooth?
- How long do dental implants last?
- How painful is a dental implant?
These are all key questions that generate a ton of search traffic. Now all you have to do is to create quality content based on these particular queries. Well, that’s the theory anyway.
Tip #4 – Use a bulk keyword generator for localised searches?
Did you know that geo-targeted searches are growing by 146% year on year? With around 88% of those being conducted on a mobile device, that’s a ton of action and an important area of keyword research that you should be tapping into.
The good news is that when it comes to keyword research tips, there are several free tools available that are designed specifically for the localised market. One tool is Bulk Keyword Generator although there are others.
They primarily work the same in that you select your industry or business type – Accounting, Air Conditioning Installation, Dentistry, that type of thing.
Then, select a location or locations where your business is based or you would like to target.
Next, the tool should generate a ton of keywords that are both industry and geo-target specific. For instance, ‘Sydney implant dentist’, 24-hour plumber in Melbourne.
Then, it’s simply a case of going through them and finding the best phrases that will return the quality search traffic you need.
Tip #5 – Verify keyword research potential
This final keyword research tip ties everything together. After all, if you’ve followed this post you should now have a substantial list of keywords that could potentially provide you with the best search engine optimisation for your business.
However, how do you know if a particular key phrase has potential? You don’t want to be building a succession of content around a particular keyword if the traffic is minimal or the competition is way too high.
Instead, you need to sort out the wheat from the chaff so to speak…
The good news when it comes to best search engine optimisation practices is that there are tools such as SEMRush that you can use. While it’s not free, it does offer a free 7-day trial.
Simply take the first keyword or key phrase on your list and enter it into the search bar. It will return a ton of information like how the keyword is currently trending…
As a top keyword research tip, you don’t want to target a keyword that is currently trending down for search traffic. Of course, this may be seasonal but it’s something to bear in mind.
In addition, look and see how popular the key phrase is for organic search results and check out the paid tab that gives you the PPC cost price and competition level.
Do this for every keyword and you should have a streamlined list of highly profitable and effective keywords that haven’t taken you a huge amount of time to find.
Hopefully, you have found these keyword research tips helpful but if you don’t have the time or dare we say it…the inclination to carry out your own research, then why not call on the experts.
Here at Mediboost, we’re Australia’s #1 patient growth marketing agency for the dental and medical industry and we’re dedicated to growing your business using proven search engine optimisation (SEO methods) including effective keyword research tips and strategies.
Call us now on 1300 163 058 to book a free 45-minute strategy call and see how we can help you move your business forwards.
