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Google keyword planner is a key tool for anyone who wants to make their content stand out.
The way Google chooses to rank sites in its organic results changes from year to year. Not long ago we talked about Page Quality Rating and how Google changed its indexing algorithms.
What does not change is the starting point in the analysis of sites that Google does. And here we have first the keywords and then the search trends of online users.
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In short, we have keyword research that you have to do before you publish something online. But, we also have keyword research that Google does when it accesses your published content.
The outcome? Your presence in search engine results.
And that’s why you need to know how to do keyword research efficiently using all the tools you have at your disposal.
I feel compelled to make a small point before moving on: over 80% of all clicks stop after the 3rd result on the first page of Google. Of this 80%, more than 60% goes to the first result, while the rest is divided between the 2nd and 3rd position.
What I mean is that success depends on an extremely thin thread that depends on a lot of things. But, if you know how to do keyword research adapted to the current search trends, it’s like you start to see everything with different eyes.
How to do keyword research and what are the most recommended tools?
A keyword generator is an ideal solution. Used correctly, a special tool or service can generate the right keywords for your business.
It is a quick and easy way to learn to do keyword research in 2022. And if we keep talking about the practices to follow this year, maybe it would be good to take a look at link-building strategies.
These tools (yes, you have a lot of options at hand) offer keyword suggestions to use in the content you publish.
Based on the results you create meta titles, meta descriptions and then structure the content into titles and subtitles. Also through keyword structures, you will create categories, subcategories, internal links, editorial plans, and much more.
But, what are the most recommended tools that help you do correct keyword research? Here is a shortlist to start with:
- Google Keyword Planner: This is Google’s keyword identification wizard that we’ll discuss in more detail below. It is the most relevant tool because it provides results and for the generation of paid ads.
- Google Trends: another service offered by Google that offers the possibility to compare 2 or more keywords on well-defined periods and locations. Unfortunately, it does not guarantee the same accuracy as Google Keyword Planner.
- Chrome extensions: There are many extensions that can give you keyword suggestions based on your Google searches. The downside is that the results are optimized for English searches. For example, you can try Keyword Everywhere.
- Google suggestions and recommendations: When you search on Google, the search engine gives you similar searches. These can be keyword suggestions that you can consider.
- Google Analytics: in Analytics you will see which are the most visited pages and you can get an idea about the keywords that have created traffic to your site. This way you identify new opportunities to vary your online content.
- Search Console: in the Search Console you have reported on the keywords that brought visits, but also their organic positioning. Based on the reports you can develop strategies to increase visibility on certain keywords and you can identify new structures through which you can bring visits to the site.
We talked more about these tools when we discussed the types of keywords you can use.
Of all, Google’s Keyword Planner can help you the most. Let’s see how you do keyword research using it.
How to do keyword research using the Google Keyword Planner?
First of all, I have to tell you that this service is free. All you need is a Google Ads account.
Then keep in mind that Google’s Keyword Planner is designed to help you create paid ads. Most of the options available to you have been created for this purpose.
However, the service is the best keyword generator you can use right now. Here are the main benefits you can take advantage of:
- Find new keywords using words, phrases, sites, and categories.
- Identify the evolution of certain queries for specific periods of time.
- You notice the evolution of your keywords depending on the budget you have at your disposal if you want to create new paid campaigns.
- Filter results by language and location.
- You have structured data that takes into account monthly searches, competition, organic impressions, etc.
But, what interests us at the moment is the keyword research process.
Identify new keywords with Google Keyword Planner
Access your Ads account and from there choose to use the Google Keyword Planner.
From the 2 options displayed, choose Discover new keywords.
The next step is the most important: the introduction of the terms that are the subject of keyword research analysis.
Even if it seems easy, entering the right terms determines the quality of the subsequent results. I recommend that you enter as many keywords and phrases as possible that are related to your field of activity. In addition, don’t forget to include your site in the list.
Vary this list. Choose short-tail keywords along with long-tail queries (but no longer than 3 words) along with the link that leads to your site’s homepage. This way, Google will know what you do and what domain you want to get data from.
When you are ready press Enter. A long list will be displayed. It will contain data about the terms you enter as well as other similar keyword structures.
Don’t be intimidated by the multitude of data you see. I will show you immediately how you can interpret them.
Interpretation of results
The first thing you need to do is choose the period for which you want to analyze the evolution of your keywords.
Then turn your attention only to the columns an Average number of monthly searches and Competition. You can sort the list in descending or ascending order to see where the most searches are and how fierce the competition for keywords of interest is.
Now, if you don’t want to plan paid campaigns, I recommend you choose the keywords for which the competition is medium or low. You will have a good chance to overcome it if you follow a well-organized SEO strategy.
From the entire initial list, it would be good to choose up to 20 keywords. Everything you select must have a large number of monthly searches with medium or low competition. For the rest, it will be quite difficult to beat your competition, at least not in a short time.
Moreover, do not bet on generic words. These are too general and it will be difficult for you to grow organically. More specific structures are useful, those that are, or can become, organic searches of a real user.
It’s time to filter out the partial results.
Narrow options
To narrow the list of keywords you have in front of you you need to apply a filter. Now you see the ideas that have a general connection. Change this option to Directly Related Ideas.
This will reduce your keyword list considerably. Go through the new results, write down the queries that seem relevant to you. When needed, go through the above steps for new structures, because the results will be different.
At this point, you should be able to guess how to do keyword research using the Google Keyword Planner.
If you have reached this point, you should already have a consistent list of possible keywords to include in your online content. Learn how to optimize the text on your site.
Combine these keywords, derive them, and find new structures that support them. Think about how to search for this information on Google normally.
For some words you will even be able to predict an evolution over time: for example, there may be times of the year when the public interest is high for a certain keyword, while in other periods the attention will be focused on another structure.
Conclusion
So, if you want to know how to do effective keyword research in 2021, you need to familiarize yourself with Google’s Keyword Planner.
Play with filters, try all the functionalities of the service. Repeat the analysis for different searches and compare the results. There is no clear recipe to follow. Each field is different just as each SEO strategy must be designed to achieve the desired results.
And, as always, experience matters. The sooner you start analyzing and comparing the better.
Don’t forget to use the other services mentioned in this short guide. Together with Google’s Keyword Planner, they will help you clarify the direction you want to take your online project.
