Source: http://www.searchenginepeople.com/blog/16011-keyword-strategy.html
More often than not, most business owners choose the most popular keyphrases that they think would help their site get some attention and give their locker-room-metrics a good boost. However, just blindly picking these keyphrases may not be as helpful as it seems.
Determining target keywords to prioritize
In other words, having traffic alone has no worth, what’s most important is relevant or valuable traffic. Here are 15 keyword research factors you’ll definitely find useful:
Search Volume Potential
1. PPC Test Performance
For everyone, especially for start-up businesses, finding the most profitable keyphrases by running PPC test is the most recommended step. Google AdWords or Microsoft Bing Ads will help you run tests across potential keyphrases or topics to determine which are your best prospects in targeting organic searches.
2. Scalable Grouping for Keywords
Having chosen a couple of popular and relevant keyphrases, you can also start taking into account whether these keywords are part of a larger ‘scalable’ group of keywords. This will help you determine whether you can soon expand your site’s content around these group of keywords.
3. Trending Topics
If you want to avoid too extremely competitive keywords, capitalize on trending topics to get a ton of instant attention.
4. Physical Location
Personalized search results are based on the following:
- Browsing history
- Social media connections
- Physical location
Meaning, the search results you will see are going to be very specific to your location while searches in other locations will get different results.
5. Branded Terms/Keyphrases
Branded keyphrases are the keywords you ‘own’ as opposed to keywords that are more commercial in nature or non-branded ones.
It is an important practice that you make sure you show up for all your branded terms as this also helps with your reputation management.
The Competition Already Ranking
6. Keyword Difficulty
Using Rank Tracker can give you an idea on your chance of ranking by providing difficulty estimates and ranges based on relative volume.
7. SERP Difficulty
You can also find another keyword difficulty tool from Moz that can give you a quick breakdown of what the competition looks like and how your site might compare.
8. Budget and Timeframe
After determining the results of your keyword and SERP difficulty, you need to decide how badly you want to compete for the keyphrases.
9. Competitive Campaigns
For seasonal or cyclical businesses that have certain times of the year where the competitive landscape is running campaign, spying on the competition can help you get a feel of what topics they are targeting.
10. Competitive Link Profiles
While analysing the moves of your competition for a single campaign is helpful, taking things up a notch by looking at their entire link profile can get you a good understanding of who’s currently linking to them. This is a great way of reverse engineering their success.
Why People Are Searching
11. Expected Visits
Rank Tracker’s Keyword Efficiency Tool can help you determine your potential volume, competition and expected visits.
12. On-Site Searches
By looking at your internal site search data, you can easily determine user behaviour when visiting your site. This helps you understand and learn more about the exact wordings or phrasing a customer might use.
13. Top of the Funnel Visitors
For top-of-the-funnel visitors, it is highly important that they are readily presented with the right information or content since they aren’t even aware that they have a need for your product or services yet.
14. Middle of the Funnel Visitors
These types of visitors are in the ‘evaluation’ stage. They have already narrowed down their choices and are only looking for options and alternative.
When evaluating, you are looking for differentiating factors such as reviews and comparisons.
15. Bottom of the Funnel Visitors
These are the people who are ready to take action. They are now going to choose, purchase or at least are interested in getting a last-minute specific help.
When evaluating, you are looking for “pricing” and more in-depth details that will help you ultimately purchase.
