{"id":14582,"date":"2023-02-22T13:34:38","date_gmt":"2023-02-22T20:34:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/showit.com\/?p=14582"},"modified":"2024-03-19T09:06:18","modified_gmt":"2024-03-19T16:06:18","slug":"the-simple-guide-to-keyword-and-content-research-for-your-showit-website","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/showit.com\/blogging-seo\/the-simple-guide-to-keyword-and-content-research-for-your-showit-website\/","title":{"rendered":"The Simple Guide to Keyword and Content Research for Your Showit Website"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Content is king.<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the most effective way to move someone along the customer journey from having never heard of your brand to booking or purchasing from you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether you\u2019re trying to optimize your Showit website for search engines<\/a> or just trying to become a better marketer, one of the best skills a business owner can develop is to learn how to conduct keyword and content research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not just an important skill to learn for SEO (search engine optimization). Effective content and keyword research will help you better understand your audience, increase traffic to your website, and engage your target audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is keyword research?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Keyword research is the process of researching popular terms and phrases that people enter into search engines so you can then strategically use them in your content and copy. In doing so, you\u2019ll (hopefully) rank higher in Google searches and more effectively attract your target audience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

SEOs (professionals who help businesses with their SEO) don\u2019t focus on keywords in the same way they once did (\u201centities<\/a>\u201d has become the new buzzword in SEO). For instance, it used to be a popular strategy to \u201cstuff\u201d the keyword as many times as possible into the page or post you were using to target that keyword. Google frowns upon that strategy because it often leads to content that is not helpful for the searcher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google has become increasingly better at understanding related ideas, context, and search intent. If I search the term pizza<\/em>, Google understands that I am probably looking for a local pizza restaurant rather than information about pizza as a topic (such as the history of pizza). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, Google understands variations in queries such as Philadelphia wedding photographer, wedding photographer in Philly<\/em>, and wedding photographers Philadelphia<\/em> are essentially the same search. There\u2019s no need to make sure you repeatedly use \u201cexactly the right keyword\u201d in a given article. Although, paying attention to what people are searching is still important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is keyword research important?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most of the conversation around keyword research centers on SEO, or the process of optimizing content so that it\u2019s more likely to appear in the Google search results for a given search.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, keyword research has additional benefits, too: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Marketing insight. <\/strong>Keywords give valuable insight into things like what questions and topics for which your audience is searching and search trends. Are certain searches seasonal? What questions do consumers ask about your product or service? What words do consumers use to describe your product or service? All of these questions can be answered while doing keyword research.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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    1. Increased site traffic.<\/strong> Conducting keyword research will help you optimize the pages and posts on your website to rank higher in searches. Up to 92%<\/a> of people don\u2019t look past the first page of Google. Landing on the first page of Google\u2014especially near the top\u2014can substantially boost your website visitors. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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      1. More conversions. <\/strong>The marketing insight you gain around the customer journey will help you meet people where they are at. An important part of keyword research is understanding search intent<\/em>, or the purpose of someone\u2019s search (for instance, whether they\u2019re looking to purchase a product or simply wanting to learn more information about a topic). When you meet people where they\u2019re at, you\u2019re more likely to get them to take the next step in the customer journey.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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        1. Become a better marketer.<\/strong> We\u2019ve long preached that people become better marketers when they understand SEO because learning SEO is primarily about learning how to create compelling content. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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          1. Never run out of content ideas again. <\/strong>Even learning just the basics of keyword research will help you create a never-ending list of content ideas. You\u2019ll never lament again: \u201cI just don\u2019t know what to blog about!\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

            Keyword research is one of the most reliable ways to create compelling content month after month and<\/em> thus drive more traffic to your website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            What tools should I use for keyword research?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

            Best paid keyword research tools<\/h3>\n\n\n\n