7 Proven Tips to Improve Your SEO Keyword Research

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Hi there 👋🏻

It’s me, Connor, again for another week of helping you become SEO-savvy! 😎

Today, we’re diving into one of the pillars of SEO strategy: Keyword Research. 

If you’re intimidated by it or aren’t sure whether you’re doing it right, you’re not alone. 

But that’s what I’m here for. To demystify SEO for business owners like you!

👉🏻 Did I mention I own TrioSEO? Our SEO agency offers SEO audits and consultations to help growing businesses scale traffic and sales. Sign up today!

Follow These Tips For Keyword Research Success:

If you’re doing keyword research to inform your marketing, you’re already on the right track. 

Now, let me help you get the right results.

1. Go for Bottom of the Funnel (BOFU) First

BOFU is where conversions happen. 

You’ll be targeting people who need just the tiniest nudge to make a decision, which means the highest possible return for your efforts.

How to apply this: 

• Look for transactional keyword modifiers, or words that express intent to act. Some examples are “best,” “near me,” and “price”.

• Weigh search intent over search volume. Don’t get caught up in how many searches a certain keyword gets. Instead, focus on how well it converts users into leads or sales.

2. Research Your Competitors

Remember that your competition isn’t just other businesses. 

They can be blogs and content creators that pull traffic away from you.

Practical ways to study your competition:

• See who’s ranking on Google. Type your target keywords and see who’s at the top of the search results pages. 

• Use tools to spot keywords they’re ranking for. Ahrefs and Semrush are two of the best tools for “spying” on your competitors. Also, examine top-ranking pages, traffic volume, and keyword difficulty.

• Identify keyword gaps. Look for keywords they’re ranking for that you’re not. Those are gaps you need to address with your SEO.

3. Get Into Your ICP’s Head

Yep, you need to do a little mind reading. No, seriously, you do.

Put yourself in your ICP’s shoes and think: “If I were to buy/use this product/service, what queries would I type into Google?”

Focus on keywords that:

• Signal decision-making

• Precede a transaction

• Compare brands/products/services

4. Use Suggestions from Ahrefs and Semrush

These can reveal content opportunities faster and more efficiently.

To maximize these tools:

• Turn keyword suggestions into content. Many keyword suggestions will be exactly what you need to develop content around to target various stages of the marketing funnel.

• Apply filters to provide context to suggested keywords. Examine keyword suggestions based on keyword difficulty, commercial value, and intent. These will help you identify not just search volume, but also opportunity to rank and keyword value.

5. Talk to Your Customers

Get it straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. 

Talking to your customers will give you exactly what they’re looking for, help you speak their language, and develop content that resonates deeply with them. 

In other words, their answers are the keywords you need to target.

How do you do this?

• Use chat logs/transcripts and survey responses. Record answers exactly as they were said. Don’t turn them into marketing speak, or else you’ll lose real high-intent keywords.

• Run responses on keyword tools. Examine customer answers/potential keyword phrases to determine things like keyword variations and volume.

6. Be Realistic

If your website is new and you’re targeting a keyword with a keyword difficulty score of 71-90, you’re shooting for the stars.

It’s important to be realistic about what’s achievable given your website authority, the level of competition, and your SEO strategy.

What you can do:

• Shape up your SEO now. Good SEO takes time. If you’re new, it could be months before organic traffic picks up. The longer you wait, the longer you’ll see results.

• Hire an SEO expert. SEO is meticulous work if you’re serious about ranking and seeing real results. 

That’s exactly what my team of SEO experts at TrioSEO can do for you. We’ve been crushing the SEO game for years, scaling our businesses to 6, 7, and 8 figures using pure SEO magic. 

Schedule a call to learn more about our SEO service or sign up for a free SEO audit today!

And finally…

7. Identify the Search Intent Upfront

This will keep you from wasting time on irrelevant content types and formats, ensuring your content delivers your intended results.

How do you do this?

• Gather clues from the keywords themselves. Are they leaning toward a transaction? Searching for information? Weighing options?

• Analyze SERPs. Examine the top 5 results for top-ranking content formats and page types.

Whew! Did that feel like a lot?

That’s because there’s a lot to cover when talking about SEO–yes, even when it’s just one aspect of it, like keyword research!

If you’re interested in learning SEO in-depth, access The SEO System, my SEO course that unlocks the daily, weekly, and monthly SEO process I used to go from zero to $12M in yearly revenue. 

Was this helpful? Let me know by replying to this email!

Till next week’s SEO advice,

Connor

Whenever you’re ready, here’s 3 ways I can help you:

1. My SEO Course: “The SEO System” teaches the exact daily, weekly, and monthly SEO processes I’ve used to scale multiple companies to 6, 7, & 8 figures in sales. Available for pre-sale now!

2. TrioSEO: Hire me & my team to create SEO content for your business. We’ll create a comprehensive SEO plan, execute, & keep you updated so your business gains more traffic, leads, & sales. Get a Free SEO Audit.

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