It’s no secret that search engine optimization (SEO) has been and continues to be an essential aspect of growing your business online. While many SEO factors are involved in getting your website ranked higher on search engines, perhaps none are more important than the keywords you use.

Keyword research is one of the most important aspects of building an effective SEO strategy — and it is easier than it might sound. By employing certain keyword research tactics, you can dramatically improve your ranking on popular search engines like Google and Bing and make yourself far more visible to potential customers online.

Without further ado, this SEO agency in Joliet, Illinois is going to provide some effective keyword research tips below.

What is Keyword Research?

Keyword research is the process of identifying which keywords to target to rank higher on search engines. Keywords are the words and phrases your potential audience is searching for online to look for products and/or services that are like yours.

Keyword research is an integral part of SEO because, without it, you will not be able to create targeted content for what people are searching for. If you want your content to rank highly in Google’s search results pages (SERPs), any SEO agency in Joliet, Illinois will recommend doing keyword research first.

How to Perform Keyword Research?

Use Keyword Research Tools

There are several great keyword research tools that can help you figure out which keywords to focus on. These include Ahrefs Keyword Explorer, Google Keyword Planner, Moz Keyword Explorer, and many more.

Your SEO agency in Joliet, Illinois will recommend using these tools to better optimize your content with keywords. Using them will give you detailed information on which search terms are relevant to your business and how popular those search terms are within your target audience.

When you have that information, it will be much easier to craft content that targets specific search terms in an optimized way. These tools will also show you what keywords competitors in your industry are using, which can help inform your own keyword strategy.

Find Long-Tail Variants for Your Keywords

When conducting keyword research, your SEO agency in Joliet, Illinois may recommend finding long-tail variants of your keywords. These keywords are phrases that have a lower search volume but higher conversion rates. They are often two to three words in length and use specific, related terms. For example, a long-tail keyword for “sneakers” might be “sneaker shops near me.”

One way to find long-tail variants of your keywords is by using Google’s auto-complete function at the bottom of the search engine results page to see what other search terms people are typing in that may be related to what you want. You can also use the keyword research tools mentioned above to find more long-tail variants of your keywords.

Analyze the Keyword Competitiveness

Competitive analysis is when you research the ranking of a keyword on Google and see how many other pages are competing for it. This will give you a sense of how competitive your niche is, which can help you decide if it is worth pursuing.

Looking for a Professional SEO Agency in Joliet, Illinois?

It takes work to keep up with the ever-changing world of SEO. With so many new updates, algorithmic changes, and ranking factors constantly in flux, it can be challenging for an in-house team to stay on top of things. That’s why many business owners choose to partner with a professional SEO agency in Joliet, Illinois like Digital Destination LLC — to make your job easier.

Contact us today at (312) 933-6806 to schedule a free consultation.