What keyword research is and what it is used for

Keyword research is one of the oldest measures of digital marketing, but it is still extremely important.

The keyword research will be used to find out how different target groups use search engines to find information, products and services. The study is search term advertising and search engine optimisation the most important background information for planning, on which the successful implementation of both is based.

It is a good idea to study keywords at regular intervals, as people's search engine behaviour evolves over time, as industries and the world change.

How to do keyword research

The keyword survey is conducted in two parts. In the first phase, a keyword mapping will be carried out and in the second phase the search volumes and relevance of keywords will be assessed.

Keyword research

A keyword survey provides information on the target groups of the company. It identifies their needs, motivations and the situations in which they hope to find the company. In addition, the company's products and services are mapped.

Synonyms, different approaches to the topic, word combinations and search methods to express need are then identified. Software can be used for this mapping, but the role of the search engine specialist remains invaluable.

Volumes and relevance

On the basis of the list drawn up in the mapping exercise, the number of searches in the company's geographical market is examined using the tools best suited to the job. Words are grouped by theme or topic, and by the stages of the purchase intention or path.

What keyword research is used for

Keyword research plays an important role in the design of search engine optimisation and keyword advertising. It is used to identify the keywords that will be used to drive discovery.

What is a good keyword

A keyword is not just a single word, such as "log cabin", but can be a combination of several words - e.g. "log cabin for rent". These combinations are also called search phrases.

A search engine search can tell you a lot about your intentions and needs, or nothing at all. "log cabin", as in the example, still tells you nothing about why the searcher is typing that keyword into the search box, but "log cabin for rent above" already gives a very clear signal about what the searcher wants.

A good keyword tells you what you want to buy, but this alone is not enough. It must be a keyword that is also searched enough to be worth advertising with, or that is worth investing in search engine optimisation. Ranking at the top of a search doesn't do you much good if you don't get any visitors to your site.

Search terms at different stages of the purchase path

Well-defined keywords are close to the purchase decision. By limiting your search to these, you are only responding to the exact, existing demand. In our example, this means people who want to rent a log cabin in Ylläs. The hit is likely to be good, but there are limited searches and customers for this search phrase. When findability is good enough, the return on search will not increase.

If you want to increase the number of customers from a search, you need to attract visitors earlier in the purchase path. For example, "accommodation above", or even further afield "log cabins for rent in Lapland". Although the hit rate may be much lower, the number of customers acquired can increase many times over.

Search behaviour and how people respond to your company's search link can potentially be influenced by actively advertising in other media.

Using keyword research for search engine optimisation

Search engine optimisation can be divided into ongoing search engine discoverability development, or a search engine optimisation project.

Continuous search engine optimisation

Ongoing search engine optimisation is either a planned, systematic process involving content production, or the occasional production of website texts, blogs and articles.

The planned development of search accessibility builds on the keyword research already carried out. More occasional content production, on the other hand, requires its own little keyword research in the context of content production to ensure that the right terms are used in the content.

Keyword research in a search engine optimisation project

A search engine optimisation project starts with keyword research, the results of which are used to examine the site's current search engine availability and competitive position.

Keyword research and the current state of discoverability are used to design the site's sitemap and content, which are used to implement search engine optimisation. At its heaviest, a search engine optimisation project can resemble a website redesign, but at its lightest, it can be accomplished with a simple change of terminology.

Keyword research should especially be taken into account when a website is being redesigned, as content is a key factor in how a website is found by search engines. It is much easier to design content during the construction phase of a site than to publish a site and then re-do the content and, in the worst case, the site structure afterwards.

Technical search engine optimisation vs. content optimisation

Technical search engine optimisation of the site is also important, but without sufficient content and the right terminology, it is meaningless. You could say that technical SEO is the technology of the race car, but the content is the driver who decides where the car goes.