What are Keywords and How to Choose Them? 1.1. SEO Course by Ahrefs

Summary

In this introductory keyword research module, Sam Oh explains the significance of keywords in SEO, emphasizing their role in driving traffic to your pages. The lesson introduces a 4-point checklist for selecting effective keywords, starting with assessing search demand and traffic potential. It also covers the importance of aligning with business potential and searcher intent, and concludes with the necessity of being able to rank for chosen keywords. The video sets the stage for deeper exploration of these topics in subsequent lessons.

Takeaways

• 🔍 Keywords are words and phrases that people use in search engines to find information, and they are crucial for SEO.
• 🏆 The primary goal of SEO is to rank web pages for keywords that the target audience is searching for.
• 📈 Search demand, measured by 'search volume', indicates how many times a keyword is searched for monthly.
• 🌐 Traffic potential is a more reliable metric than search volume, representing the total search traffic achievable by ranking at the top of Google.
• 📊 Top-ranking pages often rank for many other relevant keywords, increasing the overall traffic potential of a topic.
• 💼 Business potential assesses the value a keyword has to a business, which depends on the niche and business model.
• 🛒 Assigning a score from 1-3 to keywords can help prioritize them based on their importance to the business.
• 🔎 Searcher intent is the reason behind a user's search query, which can be determined by analyzing top-ranking pages for a keyword.
• 🚀 Ranking difficulty is a critical factor in choosing keywords; it's necessary to assess whether it's feasible to rank for a given keyword in the future.
• ⚖️ Choosing keywords involves balancing search volume, traffic potential, business potential, searcher intent, and ranking difficulty.

Q & A

What are keywords in the context of SEO?

Keywords in SEO are words and phrases that people type into search engines to find what they're looking for. They are crucial for search engine optimization as they form the foundation for ranking pages that target audience or customers are searching for.

Why are keywords important for SEO?

Keywords are important for SEO because they set the entire foundation for search engine optimization. The goal of SEO is to rank pages for keywords that the target audience is searching for, and without ranking for searched keywords, SEO efforts are ineffective.

What is the significance of search volume in keyword research?

Search volume represents the number of monthly searches for a keyword and is a measurable metric that indicates the demand for that keyword. However, it can be misleading on its own, as not all searches result in a click to a page.

How is traffic potential different from search volume?

Traffic potential represents the total search traffic you could get if you were to rank at the top of Google for your keyword. It is more reliable than search volume because it considers not just the searches but also the potential for those searches to click through to your page.

What does business potential of a keyword signify?

Business potential signifies the value a keyword has to your business, which is determined by your niche and business model. It helps prioritize keywords based on their relevance and potential to drive business outcomes like sales or leads.

How can you assign a score to a keyword based on its business potential?

You can assign scores between 1-3 to keywords based on their relevance and potential to drive business outcomes. A score of 3 indicates high business value, 2 is moderate, and 1 is low, with 0 being irrelevant to the business.

Why is understanding searcher intent important in keyword research?

Understanding searcher intent is important because it represents the reason behind a searcher's query. It helps determine whether your content can satisfy the intent, which is crucial for ranking high in search results.

What does it mean to match searcher intent?

Matching searcher intent means creating content that aligns with the reason why users are searching for a particular keyword. If your content satisfies this intent, it's more likely to rank higher in search engine results.

How do you determine if you can rank for a keyword?

Determining if you can rank for a keyword involves analyzing the competition, the relevance of your content, and the authority of your website. It requires understanding the level of difficulty to rank for a given keyword, which is covered in detail in a later lesson.

What is the process of choosing effective keywords?

Choosing effective keywords involves finding a balance between search demand, traffic potential, business potential, matching searcher intent, and assessing ranking difficulty. It's about selecting keywords that drive enough traffic, have business value, and are achievable to rank for.

Why is it necessary to consider both search volume and traffic potential when choosing keywords?

It's necessary to consider both search volume and traffic potential because search volume alone might not accurately represent the potential traffic to your site. Traffic potential takes into account the total search traffic, including clicks to your page, providing a more comprehensive view of the keyword's value.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 Introduction to Keyword Research in SEO

This paragraph introduces the concept of keyword research in the context of SEO. Keywords are defined as words and phrases that users type into search engines to find what they are looking for. The importance of keywords in SEO is emphasized as they form the foundation for search engine optimization. The goal of SEO is to rank pages for keywords that the target audience is searching for. The paragraph provides an example of how the keyword 'SEO checklist' drives significant traffic. The process of keyword research is briefly touched upon, and a 4-point checklist is introduced to help choose effective keywords. The first point of the checklist discussed is the search demand, which is measured by 'search volume'. Tools like Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer are mentioned for finding search volume, and the potential misleading nature of search volume alone is highlighted.

05:02

📈 Evaluating Keyword Metrics for SEO Success

This paragraph delves deeper into the second point of the checklist: assessing the traffic potential of a keyword. Traffic potential is defined as the total search traffic one could achieve by ranking at the top of Google for a keyword. The paragraph explains how traffic potential can be more reliable than search volume alone, as it considers the total traffic a page receives from ranking for multiple keywords. The use of Ahrefs' Site Explorer to analyze traffic potential is demonstrated. The concept of business potential is introduced as the third point of the checklist, which represents the value a keyword has to a business based on its niche and business model. A scoring system from 1 to 3 is suggested to evaluate the business potential of keywords. The paragraph concludes with a brief mention of the importance of matching searcher intent and the ability to rank for a keyword, setting the stage for further lessons on these topics.

Keywords

💡Keywords

Keywords are words and phrases that users type into search engines to find information. They are fundamental to SEO as they form the basis for search engine optimization. In the video, it's emphasized that choosing the right keywords is crucial for ranking pages and driving traffic. For instance, the video mentions 'men's running shoes' as a keyword that a user might search for.

💡SEO

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, which is the process of improving a website's visibility in organic (non-paid) search engine results. The video underscores the importance of SEO in driving targeted traffic to a website. It gives an example of ranking #1 for 'SEO checklist' which brings in significant monthly visitors.

💡Search Volume

Search volume refers to the number of times a keyword is searched for in a given period, typically a month. It is a metric used to gauge the popularity of a keyword. The video explains that while search volume is important, it can be misleading if not considered alongside other metrics like traffic potential.

💡Traffic Potential

Traffic potential represents the total search traffic a website could receive if it ranks at the top of Google for a particular keyword. The video contrasts this with search volume, highlighting that a page may rank for multiple keywords, thus increasing its traffic potential beyond its search volume.

💡Business Potential

Business potential refers to the value a keyword holds for a business based on its relevance to the business model and niche. The video suggests assigning scores to keywords to assess their business potential, with higher scores indicating greater importance to the business. This helps prioritize keywords that are more likely to lead to conversions or sales.

💡Searcher Intent

Searcher intent is the reason behind a user's search query. It is critical for understanding what the user is looking for and whether a website can satisfy that intent. The video uses the example of 'toaster oven' where the top-ranking pages indicate a shopping intent, suggesting that a website aiming to rank for this keyword should cater to that intent.

💡Ranking Difficulty

Ranking difficulty assesses how challenging it is to rank for a particular keyword. It involves analyzing factors such as the strength of competing pages and the relevance of content. The video mentions that understanding ranking difficulty is crucial for achieving SEO success and is a topic for a future lesson.

💡SERP

SERP stands for Search Engine Results Page, which is the page displayed by a search engine in response to a query. The video discusses using SERP overviews to analyze the top-ranking pages for a keyword, providing insights into searcher intent and traffic potential.

💡Ahrefs

Ahrefs is a popular SEO tool mentioned in the video for conducting keyword research. It provides data on search volume, traffic potential, and other metrics that help in assessing the effectiveness of a keyword for SEO purposes.

💡Keyword Cannibalization

Keyword cannibalization occurs when multiple pages on a website target the same keyword, potentially causing confusion for search engines about which page to rank. The video briefly mentions this concept, noting that some keywords may have low search volumes and traffic potential, making them less desirable to target.

💡Content Creation

Content creation is the process of producing valuable and relevant content for a website, often with the goal of ranking for specific keywords. The video implies that content creation should align with the keywords chosen, considering both their search volume and business potential.

Highlights

Introduction to keyword research and its importance in SEO.

Keywords are words and phrases that people use in search engines to find what they are looking for.

SEO's primary goal is to rank pages for keywords that your target audience is searching for.

Example of ranking #1 for 'SEO checklist' and driving 1,500 monthly visitors in the US.

Keyword research involves finding keywords that people input into search engines.

Search demand is represented by search volume, which is the monthly search frequency of a keyword.

Traffic potential is more reliable than search volume because top-ranking pages can attract traffic from multiple keywords.

Ranking for over 200 keywords with a single page can drive more traffic than search volume suggests.

Business potential of a keyword is crucial and should be rated based on how relevant it is to your business model.

Assign business value scores (1-3) to keywords to prioritize based on how easily you can recommend your products.

Search intent refers to the reason behind a searcher's query and is critical for keyword selection.

Matching searcher intent is vital for ranking high; e.g., a recipe blog won't rank well for 'toaster oven' if the top pages are eCommerce.

It's essential to assess whether you can rank for a given keyword in the near future.

Balancing search volume, traffic potential, business potential, and search intent is key to keyword selection.

A checklist with five points: search demand, traffic potential, business potential, searcher intent, and ranking difficulty.

Transcripts

Hey, it's Sam Oh and welcome to the first module which is on keyword research.

In this first lesson, we're going to talk about what keywords are and how to

choose them using a simple 4-point checklist.

Let's get started.

So what are keywords in the context of SEO?

They're simply just words and phrases that people type into search engines to find what

they're looking for.

For example, if you were shopping for running shoes, you might search for

keywords like "men's running shoes" or simply just "running shoes."

Now, keywords are actually super-important in SEO because it sets the entire foundation

for search engine optimization.

The basic goal of SEO is to rank your pages for keywords that your target audience or

customers are searching for.

And if you're not ranking for keywords that actually get searched, then your SEO efforts

are kind of meaningless.

For example, we rank #1 for the query "SEO checklist."

And this keyword is responsible for driving around 1,500 monthly visitors from Google.

And that's just in the US.

So keyword research is the process of finding keywords that people are

inputting into search engines.

And we'll get into this process in the upcoming lessons.

So how do you actually choose keywords that are worth targeting?

Let's run through a checklist that should help you choose keywords effectively.

The first thing to check is if your keyword has search demand.

Search demand represents the volume of monthly searches made for a keyword.

And this is measurable with a keyword metric that we call "search volume."

You can find the search volume for a keyword by using a keyword research tool like Ahrefs

Keywords Explorer.

For example, the query "km to miles" gets searched around 478,000 times per month

in the US alone.

But as you can see here in Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer, 80% of searches go without a click

to a page.

And that's because Google has a handy calculator right here that'll solve

the searcher's problem.

So search volume alone can actually be a bit misleading.

Which is why it's worth looking at the second checkpoint which is to check

the traffic potential of the topic.

Traffic potential represents the total search traffic you could get if you were to rank at

the top of Google for your keyword.

Let's look at the stats for our SEO checklist page in Ahrefs' Site Explorer.

So again, we rank #1 for the query "seo checklist," and it sends us approximately

1,500 monthly search visits from the US.

But if we look at the total global organic traffic to the page, you'll see that we get

approximately 3,000 monthly visits from Google every single month.

And that's because this page ranks for over 200 keywords!

And this page isn't an outlier.

In our study of 3 million keywords, we found that on average, the top-ranking page ranks

for nearly a thousand other keywords in the top 10.

So while you may be optimizing your pages for a main keyword, your page will likely rank

for hundreds or even thousands of other relevant keywords.

And because of that, the monthly search traffic potential of the topic "SEO checklist"

is actually higher than its monthly search volume.

This is what makes traffic potential a much more reliable metric than search volume.

And the way you determine traffic potential is by looking at how much

traffic the top-ranking pages are getting.

For example, if we go to Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer and search for "submit website to

search engines," you'll see that it has a search volume of 1,100 monthly searches in the US.

Now, if I scroll to the bottom of the page you'll see a SERP overview, which shows

you the top 10 ranking pages for that keyword.

And SERP just stands for "search engine results page."

And as you can see, our page gets an estimated 5,300 monthly search visits from the US alone.

And we rank for over 1,300 keywords making traffic potential of this keyword higher than its

search volume!

Now, it doesn't always work out this way.

For example, the query "keyword cannibalization" has a search volume of 150 monthly searches.

But the traffic potential is well under 100.

So it becomes more of a business decision whether you want to tackle the topic or not.

Now, choosing keywords based on metrics alone is not a good idea.

Which is why the rest of the checkpoints are meant to ground you.

The next point on our checklist is to assess the business potential of the keyword or topic.

Business potential simply represents the value a keyword has to your business.

And "value" really comes down to your niche as well as your business model.

So an easy way to do this is by assigning scores between 1-3

to keywords you're researching.

The higher the number, the more important the topic is to your business.

So let's say you have a site about golf.

And the way you make money is by selling used golf clubs.

Bringing this back to business potential, that means topics where you can organically

recommend products to visitors would hold the highest business value.

For example, people searching for something like "buy used golf clubs" are likely ready to

make a purchase here and now.

So in my books, this would have a business value of 3.

Now, a keyword like "best golf clubs" would also be relevant to your site.

People are likely ready to make a purchase soon but just don't know which clubs to buy.

But it's actually quite easy to plug your products.

Because for the golf clubs you recommend, you can easily link back to your product pages

leading visitors closer to making a purchase.

So I'd give this a business value of 2.

Now, a keyword like "what is a handicap in golf" would be really tough to organically

recommend your products.

But nevertheless, it's a way to attract relevant traffic to your site.

So I'd give this a business value of 1.

So these would hold the lowest priority.

And anything that has a score of 0 is probably worth ignoring because it's not going to impact

your bottom line.

So something like "happy gilmore review" would have a business value of 0 because

it has nothing to do with your business other than the fact that it's a fantastic

movie about golf.

Alright, the next point on this checklist is to see if you can match searcher intent.

This is a concept that we covered in the first lesson of this course, but it's

something that I'm going to keep talking about because it's super-important.

So again, search intent represents the reason behind a searcher's query.

And the way we determine that is by looking at the top-ranking pages for the keyword we

want to rank for.

For example, let's say you have a recipes blog and you wanted to rank for "toaster oven."

Looking at the top-ranking pages, you'll see that almost all of the pages are eCommerce

category pages.

This tells us that the intent of the searcher is likely to buy or at least to shop around

for different toaster ovens.

So unless you can actually satisfy the intent of the searcher, it's unlikely that you'll be

able to rank high for this query.

And we'll dig deeper into search intent in the next lesson.

The final point on this checklist is to determine whether you can rank for

your keyword.

Search volume, traffic potential, and business potential mean absolutely nothing if you can't

rank for your keyword in the not so distant future.

And understanding the level of difficulty to rank for a given keyword takes a bit of

analysis and practice.

This is why I've created an entire lesson on assessing ranking difficulty because

mastering this process will help you get predictable results in SEO.

So I'll save that for a later lesson.

Now, actually choosing keywords comes down to finding a balance in this checklist.

You have to ask yourself does the topic drive enough traffic and have business

value to make it worth the effort?

And this is the question you should ask yourself before you create pages with

the intent to rank in search.

And these 5 points in the checklist are exactly what we're going to dive deeper into throughout

the rest of this module.

Tomorrow, we'll be publishing the next video in this course on searcher intent.

So make sure to subscribe so you don't miss that and if you're watching this video

at a later date, then check the description because we'll have a link to the entire

course there.

See you in the next lesson.