Keyword research is an important step in digital marketing. Unfortunately, though, it’s also something that many business owners and digital marketers overlook. Even if a business is profitable, it can probably increase its profits and improve its operations by conducting keyword research. Here are a few reasons all modern businesses need keyword research.
Identify untapped niches.
Using keyword research, businesses owners can identify untapped niches. As explained by Huffington Post, a niche is small, profitable segment of a business’s market that has less competition than its other, larger market segments. Niches usually drive lower sales volume, but the lack of competition means they offer a higher return on investment (ROI). To uncover these potentially profitable niches with low competition though, business owners must conduct keyword research on common terms related to their products or services. After identifying relevant, untapped keywords, business owners can expand into their operations into these market segments.
Cross-selling.
Keyword research can also help businesses with cross-selling. An e-commerce business owner, for instance, can use retail customer relationship management (CRM) software to track visitors’ searches. Using this information, the business owner can show relevant products to shoppers based on their search history. Furthermore, keyword research tools can reveal related keywords, making it easier to choose relevant products for cross-selling.
SEO.
Perhaps the greatest benefit of keyword research for modern businesses is search engine optimization (SEO). Statistics show that the first organic listing on Google receives 36.4 percent of all clicks for the searched keyword. To conductive an effective SEO campaign, however, business owners must determine which keywords they want to rank for. Most business owners probably have a general idea of primary keywords, but it’s the secondary, long-tail keywords that offer the most SEO value. Keyword research tools can help businesses identify relevant long-tail keywords for their SEO campaign. The AdWords Keyword Planner, for example, reveals related search terms associated with keywords, providing value insight into prospective keywords for SEO purposes.
Optimize paid advertising campaigns.
Keyword research tools can be used for more than just SEO. Business owners that advertise their products or service on paid advertising channels like Google AdWords or Bing Ads can use them to optimize their marketing campaigns. Pay-per-click (PPC) platforms such as these require advertisers to specify the keywords for which they want their ads to display. When a user searches for one of these keywords, it triggers the advertiser’s ad. Rather than blindly choosing keywords for PPC or other paid advertising campaigns, business owners should use a research tool to find high-traffic, relevant keywords. Investing just a small amount of time into keyword research can lower the cost of conversion for paid advertising campaigns.
Analyze difficulty.
Some business owners attempt digital marketing campaigns without conducting keyword research beforehand, only to later discover that that their advertising channels are flooded with excessive competition. There are ways to gauge the competition of a specific keyword, however, including the use of keyword research tools. If a keyword has significant competition, it’s probably a good idea to choose a different keyword for a digital marketing campaign. Some competition is okay and, in some cases, a sign of profitability. But too much competition can make it difficult for business owners to turn a profit.
Help Is available.
Finally, there are plenty of keyword research tools available for business owners and marketers to use. Whether it’s CRM software, the AdWords Keyword Planner or other tools, they offer invaluable insight into keyword data. Moreover, there are plenty of blog posts and articles that provide insightful information on SEO Keywords to help you navigate the vast world of search engines and optimize your keywords for the best results. Even without any special tool, business owners can conduct keyword research using the autocomplete function of search engines. Entering a word into Google without clicking the search button, for instance, will reveal common searches containing that keyword as the first word.
Keyword research is just one step in launching a successful digital marketing campaign. Whether it’s SEO, PPC, video or email, business owners must optimize their campaigns by targeting the right prospects with relevant offers. Nonetheless, proper keyword research will set business owners on the path for marketing success.