As the hunt for keywords can be a tricky and time-consuming affair, it only makes sense that more and more people have begun seeking ways that they can target relevant keywords with less effort. As the internet becomes more compact, however, it goes without saying that this can be a bit difficult. In the past, keywords were quite easy to target and scale the ranks of in search engines, thanks in large part to less competition. Despite the difficulties we face today in this regard, it is still very possible to rise the ranks of select SERPs in a matter of weeks: you simply need to know where to look. In the following article, we will discuss some quick tips that you can use to research keywords effectively and have more time to work on content creation and marketing.

Keyword Tool Considerations

There are dozens of keyword tools out there that can help you begin pinging search engines with your content and begin taking over select SERPs. Even Google has its own keyword tool that can come in handy when browsing for new targets. Unfortunately, many people become so wrapped up in keyword tools that they forget about the broader implications of Google’s algorithms. The reality is that for every keyword you select, there are dozens more out there that will bring you an equal amount of traffic. It should also be noted that most of your traffic for an optimized keyword will actually come from other variations of a similar search query. Keyword tools also have limitations, usually showing just a fraction of available keywords. With this in mind, always be on the lookout for new keywords and do not rely solely upon keyword tools to get the job done.

Know Your Keyword Criteria

It is a good idea to go into any round of keyword research with set parameters in mind. For example, a good target may be keywords that have four to six words, produce anywhere from 100,000 – 1,000,000 results and have a certain level of daily traffic/search queries. This will help keep you on track and prevent those ever so common “wild goose chases” where we can quickly go off on a tangent, exploring keywords we never intended to research. By having a defined set of criteria from the start, you can focus on keywords that are ideal for your niche and reach.

Understanding Your Audience

You already know that your audience is searching for what you offer – they are your audience, after all. A better question to ask is not what are they searching for, but how are they searching. Most people want to know a few simple things when searching for any topic or item: they want to know how much it costs, what options are available to them, what others are saying and where to find it. It is for this reason that many people focus their keyword searches on phrases that include words such as “review”, “price”, “where” and “how to”. If you can focus on a keyword niche and then boil down your options to those that help answer an audience’s questions, then you will be far more effective at locating successful keywords and phrases.