{"id":478,"date":"2018-05-30T16:35:35","date_gmt":"2018-05-30T16:35:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/box5155.temp.domains\/~kaylaho1\/2018\/05\/30\/seo-keyword-research\/"},"modified":"2018-09-25T01:32:00","modified_gmt":"2018-09-25T01:32:00","slug":"seo-keyword-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kaylahollatz.com\/blog\/seo-keyword-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Step-by-Step SEO Keyword Research: Tips from a Website Content Writer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Everyone and their mother seems to be talking about keywords but NO ONE is telling you how to find them. Does that sound about right?<\/p>\n

Maybe keyword research feels daunting and overwhelming, or maybe it makes you feel like you need to get an MBA before you dig in. None of this needs to be true.<\/p>\n

SEO is known for being a mysterious industry. This is mostly because it has to do with competition, and the easiest way to reduce your competition is to stay quiet about the optimization tips and tricks you know. But that\u2019s not how I roll.<\/p>\n

Today I\u2019m showing you a behind-the-scenes look at how to do basic SEO keyword research for your website<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Everything learned I was from DIY efforts so I\u2019m confident that you can learn in a similar way if you don\u2019t mind a little experimenting. If you\u2019ve been reading my blog for a while, you know it\u2019s my method of choice. *wink*<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve also found success through my own DIY efforts. In a relatively short time (about a year or so), I ranked #1 for four of my desired keywords. While this result may not be plausible in all industries (like for attornies and insurance agencies – uffda, sorry!), it\u2019s still incredible to see how a few minor tweaks can help you grow your online presence long term.<\/p>\n

I want to help you become best friends with Google because of your SEO.<\/h1>\n

So let\u2019s dig into a fairly simple four-step approach to keyword research that will help you discover what keywords are worth focusing your attention on.<\/p>\n

(Have you read my post on the basics of SEO<\/a>? If you haven’t, definitely read that first and then come back to this one to put what you’ve learned into action!)\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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Step One: Brainstorming relevant words and phrases<\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s use the example of a wedding photographer that is based in Minneapolis. Since I\u2019m from Minnesota, you\u2019ll see a lot of examples based on my location because, well, it just makes sense. You can still use the same advice no matter where you are located or even if you have a primarily online business as I do.<\/p>\n

Anyway, back to our wedding photographer. Let\u2019s call her Becky. If Becky is looking to improve her website\u2019s SEO, her energy is best spent trying to figure out what her ideal brides are already searching for.<\/p>\n

The first thing she needs to have nailed down is who her ideal client is<\/a><\/em>. This is a good first step for any small business owner. Becky has found that she really loves capturing Millennial couples who are interested in a rustic or farmhouse wedding theme. Traditional chapel weddings aren\u2019t really her thing, so she wants to focus on clients who want outdoor weddings.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll come back to these specific details in a bit but all of this information will be really helpful. For now, we know who her target audience is. From there, she can move on to creating a list of words that are associated with her industry. \u201cWedding photographer\u201d naturally comes to mind first, but she can keep going with her list.<\/p>\n

Becky will probably come up with a list that looks something like this:<\/p>\n