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Video Summary
When you’re planning your SEO strategy, one of the first things you need to do is think about the words you want to rank high for in the search results. After making sure all the basics of your SEO are set up, you need to plan which keywords you want to target on your website and how you will incorporate them into your content.
Your keywords depend on your target market and the products or services you offer. You need to know what your target users are searching for, the number of people searching, and what type of information they actually want. Today’s topic is not about general keyword research. It’s about the mistakes you might make while optimizing your site for specific keyword phrases.
So, in this video, I will guide you through the 5 most common mistakes people make when it comes to researching keywords.
Video Transcript
Hello, my name is Jeffrey Kirk.
When you’re planning your SEO strategy, one of the first things you need to do is think about the words you want to rank high for in the search results. After making sure all the basics of your SEO are set up, you need to plan which keywords you want to target on your website and how you will incorporate them into your content.
Your keywords depend on your target market and the products or services you offer. You need to know what your target users are searching for, the number of people searching, and what type of information they actually want.
You also have to remember that keyword research takes time. And that’s why planning is a crucial step. Since most people don’t want to spend time doing research and planning, that gives you an advantage.
To succeed, you need to focus on your target audience. Start by using a few keywords you want to rank for, like your products and your services. And enter these into a keyword research tool to discover other topics and common questions related to these. If you’re not familiar with keyword research, I’ve got a previous video that covers some of the basics.
Today’s topic is not about general keyword research. It’s about the mistakes you might make while optimizing your site for specific keyword phrases. So, in this video, I will guide you through the 5 most common mistakes people make when it comes to researching keywords.
Mistake #1 – You Skip Keyword Research Altogether
That’s right! The biggest numero uno mistake people make when researching keywords is that they simply don’t do it at all. They just guess. And since proper keyword research can be tough and time-consuming, people think they can just skip it altogether, and it’s not that important anymore. But they’re wrong!
Sure, simply putting the right keywords in your text won’t guarantee a high rank in the search results, like it sometimes might’ve done in the past. But that doesn’t mean keyword optimization doesn’t work. If you skip this or you rush through keyword research, you’ll end up creating content without knowing what your potential users are actually searching for.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is assuming you already know what your audience wants. So, it’s still crucial to spend some time understanding the language your audience uses. What exactly are they searching for? Which keywords are highly competitive, and which ones are not? The result of your keyword research should be a long list of keywords you want to rank for.
And then remember to update your list from time to time because your audience and your business focus may change, and that will affect your keyword strategy too.
Mistake #2 – You Forget About Searcher Intent
I always say this in my videos, and I can’t emphasize it enough, it’s really important to understand what people really want. And so you need to know what they are looking for when they search for certain keywords. You see, there are different reasons why people search. Some might want information, like when they’re researching something (that’s called informational intent).
Others might be looking for a specific website (that’s called navigational intent), or they might be ready to buy something (which could be commercial or could be transactional intent). Search engines try to give people exactly what they’re looking for. So, even if your content is great and it’s well-optimized, if it doesn’t match what searchers want, it probably won’t show up in the search results.
That’s why you should make sure the content you plan to publish matches what people are actually searching for.
Searcher Intent
You could do the same search yourself and look at the search results. Do these results match the intent of your keywords? Are people looking for the same kind of answers that you’re providing? For example, if you wrote a long post about the science of chocolate, but the search results for your desired phrase are all online stores selling chocolates, you might need to change your approach.
Also, always consider whether you should target the plural or singular form of a particular keyword. It’s essential to think about what people are looking for, what they intend to find, when they search for your keyword idea.
Someone looking for a singular version might be seeking information, while someone looking for the plural version could be comparing products or looking to buy something. In other cases, search engines might consider singular and plural as identical search words.
So, the choice between using a singular or plural form depends on your specific keyword and what people are looking for, so keep that in mind while you’re optimizing your content. If you want to learn more about searcher intent, check out my video on this topic. I will include the link here. It will help you get a better understanding of what people want when they search for specific terms.
Mistake #3 – You Are Not Using Related Keywords
When you write a good blog post, it can rank well not just for one specific keyword but also for related terms. There are two types of useful related terms – semantic keywords and long-tail keywords.
Semantic keywords are words and phrases that are closely related to the main keyword or topic. They go beyond using the exact same words. Instead, they include similar words and phrases that help search engines understand what the content is about.
For example, “search volume” and “keyword research” are semantically related because when you do keyword research you are often looking at the search volume, the number of people doing that search. So these words are related, but they don’t mean the exact same thing.
Long-tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords, on the other hand, have lower volume but convert better because they are specific, and they provide intentional results. So instead of searching for “ice cream”, someone could search for “how to make a vanilla ice cream at home”. You see how those results, the results for those two searches would be very different from one another. And since long-tail keywords are more specific, someone that’s looking for your site this way is more likely to have found exactly what they want.
So when thinking about your business, remember that one-word keywords or even two-keywords often have very ambiguous intent. It’s hard to know what the searchers really want and so it’s likely you’re not attracting the correct audience.
People who do a search using long-tail keywords already know what they’re specifically looking for. So, when they arrive at your site, they are more likely to spend more time there, and there’s a higher probability of converting them as well.
One-word keywords are very broad and may have billions of results in Google search, but long-tail keywords have less competition which makes it much easier to rank higher. By using these related keywords, whether you’re using semantic or long-tail, it helps search engines figure out the meaning and context of your content, making it more helpful for people who are searching. If you can optimize your content for these types of keywords, it’s a very smart thing to do.
Mistake #4 – You Cannibalize Keywords
When you write articles and want them to appear higher in Google search results, you need to be careful not to use too many similar words. If you do, it’s called “keyword cannibalization. Especially when your site is growing, and you’re adding more content, there is a big chance that you use similar keyword phrases or even focus keywords.
While you think this will help your site appear in the search results more, it can actually do the opposite. Basically, if you have multiple articles or blog posts on your site that can show up for the same search query, they end up competing against each other.
Google usually only shows one or two results from the same website for a specific search, so if you’re writing multiple articles under the same topic, it will be harder and harder for Google to figure out which of these articles is the most important. But how do you know if your website is experiencing keyword cannibalization? And how do you fix it? Check out the keyword cannibalization video link I added that will help you.
Mistake #5 – You Use Keywords That Don’t Stand a Chance
What I mean by this is that you are either trying to rank for keywords that already have way too much competition, or you’re trying to rank for keywords that no one is actually looking for. If your website is new, or you are new to your industry, it might be tough to rank high with common keyword phrases. So, if you’re just starting out, it’s best not to target the highly competitive keywords, at least not yet.
If you’re writing your first blog post and you want to rank for “chocolate”, it will be very difficult because that’s a very competitive keyword. A better strategy is to go after less competitive keywords, such as “chocolate fun facts” or “chocolate news”, making it easier for your blog to show up in the search results and attract the right audience.
On the other hand, if you don’t consider what people are searching for, you might end up optimizing your content for words and phrases that your potential audience never ever uses. This is why research is important. It’s crucial to use the same words your customers use when you want them to find your products or services.
Just remember, ranking for competitive keywords should be a part of a long-term and well-thought-out keyword research strategy. But you don’t start with the most competitive words.
Now, here’s a bonus tip for you: Remember to evaluate!
When you want to rank for specific words, it’s important to see if you’re doing well. You should regularly check to see if people are actually finding your content. One way to do this is by searching for your target keyword on Google and do that from time to time. But keep in mind that the results you see might be influenced by your own search history because Google customizes the results for you.
Instead, or in addition to, you can go into your Google search console and check the keywords you’re ranking for. If you forget to do these evaluations, you won’t know whether you can go after more competitive keywords or if it’s better to focus on longer, more specific ones.
So, it’s essential to keep track of how well your content is performing in the search results so you can make informed decisions about your ongoing keyword strategy. And that’s it! Optimizing your content for the right keywords is a critical step in creating content that truly matters to your audience.
When you choose the most relevant and appropriate keywords, your content becomes a valuable resource that speaks directly to what people are looking for. And by eliminating these 5 mistakes and continually improving your site, you’ll get better performance which leads to better user experiences and more traffic, delivering more potential customers to your site.
To learn more about gaining top positions in the search results, please subscribe to my channel. And consider joining me on an upcoming webinar. Look for the link here, and join me soon.
Your business deserves to be seen online, and I will help you get there.
Thanks for watching and have a great day!
