Keyword Research Tutorial: From Start to Finish

Summary

In this tutorial, Sam Oh from Ahrefs demonstrates how to conduct effective keyword research that goes beyond search volume and traffic. He emphasizes the importance of understanding search intent and mapping keywords to the customer journey. By categorizing keywords into informational, navigational, commercial, and transactional types, the tutorial guides users through a process to find keywords that drive revenue. Sam also showcases how to analyze competition, assess ranking difficulty, and identify business value, ensuring that the chosen keywords align with customer needs and ultimately drive conversions.

Takeaways

• 😀 Keyword research is not just about search volume or traffic—it's about choosing topics that meet customer needs and drive revenue.
• 😀 The process of keyword research should focus on finding keywords that align with different stages of the customer journey: informational, navigational, commercial investigation, and transactional.
• 😀 Informational keywords are great for building trust and authority, while transactional keywords are most likely to convert visitors into customers.
• 😀 You can use internal linking to guide potential customers through their buying journey, speeding up the process from informational content to transactions.
• 😀 Search intent can be identified using keyword modifiers like 'best', 'top', or 'current year', helping you focus on the right keywords.
• 😀 Filtering keyword results by search intent and business potential helps target high-value keywords that will drive both traffic and sales.
• 😀 Group keywords by parent topic to avoid creating redundant content and focus on targeting the most impactful topic for your business.
• 😀 Analyze Google’s top-ranking pages for a keyword to understand content format and ranking difficulty, ensuring you create competitive content.
• 😀 Evaluating referring domains and domain rating (DR) helps assess the difficulty of ranking for a specific keyword and understand competition.
• 😀 Reverse-engineering competitors' top-ranking pages can uncover additional keyword opportunities, helping you identify low-competition topics.
• 😀 Always ensure that the keywords you target are aligned with solving your customers' problems, showcasing how your products or services can help them.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of keyword research in SEO according to the speaker?

The main purpose of keyword research is to choose topics that potential customers are searching for, serving their needs, and eventually converting them into customers. It's not just about search volume or traffic.

What are the four types of search intent categories mentioned in the video?

The four types of search intent are: Informational (seeking knowledge), Navigational (looking for a specific destination), Commercial Investigation (researching before buying), and Transactional (ready to make a purchase).

Why should you focus on informational keywords, even though transactional keywords drive revenue directly?

Focusing on informational keywords can help expand your reach by targeting earlier stages of the customer journey. Additionally, informational content helps build trust and authority, which may influence purchase decisions later in the process.

How can you use keyword modifiers to determine search intent?

Keyword modifiers are add-ons to base keywords, such as 'best,' 'top,' or the current year, which help identify the searcher's intent. For example, 'best DDR4 ram' suggests someone is comparing options, indicating a commercial investigation intent.

What role do parent topics play in keyword research?

Parent topics help you group related keywords and identify which larger, more general topics you can target with a single page. This allows you to rank for multiple related keywords by focusing on a broader topic.

How do you determine the business potential of a keyword?

To determine the business potential of a keyword, ask if you can naturally link your products or services to the content associated with the keyword. If the answer is yes, the keyword holds business value.

What are the key factors to consider when analyzing the top 10 ranking pages on Google?

When analyzing the top 10 ranking pages, focus on the content format (e.g., blog posts vs. product pages), the number of unique referring domains (backlinks), Domain Rating (DR), and the topical relevance of the page to your keyword.

Why is assessing ranking difficulty important during keyword research?

Assessing ranking difficulty helps you understand how competitive the keyword is and whether it’s realistic to rank for it. Factors like the number of backlinks and the strength of domains linking to the top-ranking pages are important in this evaluation.

How can you use competitor analysis to generate keyword ideas?

By analyzing your competitors' top pages in tools like Ahrefs Site Explorer, you can reverse-engineer the topics driving traffic to their sites. This helps you discover new keyword opportunities and understand the competition.

What is the significance of mapping keywords to customer problems in SEO?

Mapping keywords to customer problems ensures that your content addresses the needs of your potential customers. By doing so, you provide solutions and guide them toward conversion, ultimately increasing business success.