Keyword research should be the backbone of any successful SEO campaign. However, SEO professionals each to keyword research a little bit differently. For example, a less experienced SEO person might do ad hoc keyword research each time they need to create a piece of content. Ideally, though you’d have one well researched and easy to follow keyword research document that could then provide to all necessary parties including in-house SEO teams, SEO agencies working on your website, content writers and even brand managers.
The best SEO keyword research should have the following:
The keyword research should contain roughly 1,000 keywords although it could be larger depending on the business. For example, a handyman website could offer hundreds of services while a dog training website might only have a handful of unique services.
Keyword Research Categories
Imagine being able to sort through a thousand or more keyword by category type. What does that mean? The keyword research provided will give each keyword a primary category and sub category so you can easily identify the product or service you are targeting.
Keyword Research Audience Targets
Similar to the category and sub category above, each keyword we provide on the keyword research will be categorized by audience type. Audience type could be things such as National, Local or both. Other ways you can use audience targeting could be corporate vs franchise pages.
Keyword Research Funnel Targets
When you do keyword research the right way you should also have a breakout for phases of your marketing funnel. By default, the keyword research provided will include Awareness, Consideration and Transaction intent type keyword categorization.
Keyword Research Search Volume
The search volume of each keyword is often times going to dictate which keywords you are optimizing towards when you are creating content. You can track search volume in yearly numbers or monthly numbers. The keyword research Shane provides is Average Monthly Search Volume.
Keyword Research Tools To Use for Search Volume
- Google Adwords Keyword Planner
- SEMRush
- AHREFS
- Advanced Web Rankings
- SERPStat
- Google Search Console
Keyword Research FAQ’s
Why is Keyword Research Important for Franchise SEO?
Franchise businesses need to be able to provide a single source of truth to each franchise owner and the SEO vendors they work with. This is especially true when each of the franchise locations live on the same domain as the corporate website.
Why is Keyword Research Important for Enterprise SEO?
Enterprise businesses often times have a combination of in-house SEO team and also work with an SEO vendor or even multiple SEO agencies. Having a dedicated keyword research document is crucial so each of the SEO entities are working off the same list and building your content cohesively.
