Keyword research tools to help improve your SEO
Understanding the search terms people use to look for a website like yours is one of the fundamental building blocks of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). However, simply guessing what keywords your audience might be searching for on Google, Bing and other search engines, isn’t good enough – you need to be certain that people are searching for those particular terms.
There’s no point spending time crafting content for keywords that no one searches for, or for keywords that aren’t relevant to your business, so it’s vital that you conduct proper keyword research. But where do you start? That’s where keyword research tools come in. Here’s Air Social Digital Marketing Agency’s guide to some of the best.
Google Keyword Planner
While Google Keyword Planner is designed to be used with Google’s paid-ad scheme, Google Ads, you can use it to find new keywords too. Enter a few core keywords and the tool will generate a list of phrases containing your core words, as well as some related search results, which you can again filter by search volume or competition. It’s free for a limited number of keywords and will only show top 10 results, but you can change the filter to find more keywords and group keywords together in ad groups for campaigns or SEO content.
SEM Rush
SEM Rush is excellent for a host of keyword research. It’s a great place to start by assessing your own ranking keywords, and syphoning off your competitors’ keywords. Not only will the tool show you search volume data for keywords, but it will also suggest related keywords and content ideas. You can also use it to track your rankings and that of your competitors.
Prices start from just over £80 per month, but if you’re willing to learn how to get the most out of SEM Rush, then it’s worth it.
Keywords Everywhere
Keywords Everywhere is a browser plugin that lets you view keyword data on 16 websites, including Google. The search volumes will show both in the top bar and in the Related Search section, so that you can further drill down into topics and find more related searches as you go. Currently, it’s available for Chrome and Firefox and is free, so is a great tool for beginners looking to expand their keyword research skills, and for experienced SEOs looking to work more efficiently.
Moz
Moz’s Keyword Explorer adds a few extra dimensions to your keyword research, such as the Keyword Difficulty metric, which helps show you how hard it is to rank organically for a keyword or phrase, ranked on a 0-100 scale. There’s also the opportunity metric, which shows you the relative Click-Through Rate of the organic search results and Keyword Priority Score, which helps rate the level of traffic opportunity available for that keyword. Some of the basic tools are free but to get the full package you’ll need to sign up to Moz Pro, which starts from just over £80 per month.
Still confused? Air Social is a full-service digital marketing agency that can help you with keyword research and SEO content. Contact us and we’ll be happy to help.
