How I Do Keyword Research in Less Than 5 Minutes
This is an article from The Business Boost & Build Newsletter.
It’s once a week and includes one tip from me and three resources from others.
This Weeks Tip: How I Do Keyword Research in Less Than 5 Minutes
When I first started in marketing, I used to spend hours analysing (don’t read that wrong!) keywords.
I would struggle with which keywords to use and fit them in my content in weird places (so many puns! I’m actually not even trying).
Now I realise that was a waste of time.
You can do keyword research in less than 5 minutes, and I’ll show you how.
First, you need to understand a few points:
- A page should only target one keyword or keyword grouping (more on this later)
- Google is clever, you don’t need to stuff keywords in and ruin the flow of your content
- Long-tail (or longer search terms) are usually much easier to rank for
- Aim for keywords with actual volume (I’ll show you how)
- I use an awesome tool that helps me
Right, lets get into it.
Keywords Everywhere Tool
Not An Affiliate Link!
This tool is a wicked browser extension that is basically free.
I’m not associated or paid in anyway for mentioning this tool, it is actually awesome.
Now I did say almost free.
The way it works is it overlays search volume (how many times the keyword is used) and also suggests others keywords.
I pay $10 for 100,000 search credits, and this will last you for a year.
They expire after a year.
You’ll just need to remember to turn off the extension when you’re not using it.
Easy, just click the icon in your browser of choice and click off.
Even if you forget, the credits will probably last you.
Happy days!
Start With A Simple Keyword
Lets say you’ve written an article about how you make iced coffee.
Perhaps you have some secret tips that make it even more tasty (damn, I want one now)
I would start with literally just “coffee” or “iced coffee”.
Go over to Google and pop that in.
- Check the “people also ask” dropdowns
- Scroll down and check the Keywords Everywhere overlays
With just this you’ll start to get an idea around what information people want related to your keyword.
The “people also ask” section may give you some extra ideas to cover in your article.
Open excel or google sheets and copy paste everything that might be useful.
Because we’re using this tool, it gives you search volumes straight away and saves you a ton of time.
I’ve cleaned up the information a bit and highlighted some keywords of interest, here’s what I have:
Find More Keywords
(Optional)
Honestly, this is pretty good already.
But sometimes you’ll find your keywords are pretty competitive, which means it’ll be hard to rank for them.
They’ll be competitive if:
- The keyword has a high search volume
- The CPC (cost-per-click) column has a price in it
If there is a price in the CPC column, then it means people are running ads on that keyword.
Probably best to avoid those ones if you’re just trying to improve a blog post.
But you can take this as far as you like.
Chuck some of the keywords back into Google, copy more out and refine.
Which Keywords Should You Choose?
I’m gonna say it…
It depends!
I hate it when people do that to me, sorry!
You honestly just have to take a view.
Let me explain…
I’ve highlighted some keywords in red that are definitely a no go and some in orange that are slightly unrelated to our “iced coffee” article.
Think about the intention behind the person using the keyword.
Bad Keywords
mcdonalds iced coffee
iced coffee near me
best starbucks iced coffee
dunkin iced coffee
iced coffee tasting near me
iced coffee tasting
mr coffee iced coffee makerAll these keywords suggest that either someone is looking for a shop near by that sells iced coffee, or they want a particular brands iced coffee.
They’re not interested in how YOU make iced coffee.
It Depends Keywords
iced coffee maker
iced coffee cup
iced coffee machine
iced coffee glass
vietnamese iced coffee
iced coffee syrup
how to make iced coffee with milk
cold brew vs iced coffee
how to make iced coffee with nescafe instant coffee
iced coffee powder
thai iced coffee
iced vietnamese coffee
iced thai coffeeNow with these it’s a different story.
Is your secret to making an awesome iced coffee that you add milk in a special way?
Or perhaps it’s the syrup you use, maybe the powder?
It could be a magical iced coffee from Thailand with mushrooms in it, and when drink it you visit a far off alien race where their leader tells you the meaning to life…
Probably not, but I think you get the point!
Choose a Primary and Secondary Keyword
Now, I usually target a primary and secondary keyword for each page.
From this list I would choose the following:
- how to make iced coffee
- iced coffee recipe easy (this also hits iced coffee recipe!)
That first one is probably going be very difficult to rank for.
There are so many factors to ranking on Google.
Ranking Factors
- Authority of your website
- How many other sites link to yours
- How long your site has been around
- Bounce rate and engagement
- Site speed, usability and more…
But at least you can be confident that you have terms and phrases in your article that people are actually searching with.
Overtime, as your site builds authority, these will naturally move up the rankings.
Get Google Search Console
I would recommend getting Google Search Console for your website.
It’s completely free.
It’s pretty easy to get up and running, you just need to verify that you own the website.
It will show your search performance overtime, the keywords people have used to find your site (very helpful!).
It will also tell you about any technical issues and much more.
Three Resources From Others
- Justin Welsh’s product The Content OS is awesome system for creating a high-quality content every week.
- I’ve had and still get tons of value from Daniel Vassallo’s small bets community on Discord (currently on sale).
- Struggling with your email subject lines? Check this out.