Keyword Research Mistakes You Might Be Making

Keyword Research is a very underappreciated tool in the SEO’s arsenal. Most people assume that they would know right from the start what keywords they should target. I had the same impression too early on in my career. I hardly did any keyword research because I always assumed the keywords to be obvious. It’s only when I started taking keyword research seriously did I see my folly. Here are keyword research mistakes you too might be making.

Keyword Research Mistakes You’re Probably Making

1. Being Unrealistic

When you have your client breathing down your neck to show the results it becomes difficult to focus on the right objectives. You set the bar too high too soon and your client leaves feeling disappointed not reaching the targets you set for them. I’ve learnt this the hard way.

Now I’d rather focus on a few long tail keywords rather than try and capture the really difficult keywords that I’m not sure I can rank for. With more realistic targets I can focus on the quality of my content rather than trying to squeeze every last drop out of one really competitive keyword.

2. Look At Search Volumes For Exact Match Keywords

When performing research for your keywords you’re probably looking at the search volumes for the broad match keyword. While this may work for a while you won’t really know the effectiveness of the keywords you’re targetting unless you do a search volume for exact match keywords.

While eventually, the keyword you target will be worth targetting no doubt, however knowing the exact match volumes will help you set more realistic targets.

3. Ignoring Your Conversion Ratios

Let’s be honest, we’re not in business for our health. We want to make money. Targetting keyword for the sake of ranking isn’t enough. You need to be able to convert. Conversion is by far one of the most important factors you should consider when doing your keyword research.

For instance, e-commerce websites should focus on an action-oriented keyword for better positioning as well as better conversion rates. Looking at search volumes for enquiry related keywords to action-oriented keywords could dissuade you but remember that conversions are also a factor.

4. Using Out Of Context Keywords In Your Research

While performing your research, you might know exactly what you mean. How Google’s AI is going to interpret that is another matter altogether. Due to the nature of language, a word could have multiple meanings and multiple interpretations.

For one, storage could mean a shelf, cupboard, or a locker. What were you thinking about when you typed storage into the keyword research tool? Being specific when doing your research will help you narrow down your keywords and you can focus your energy on them.

5. Timely Keyword Audit

Another common error I see a lot of SEO’s doing is, they don’t do a keyword audit. A keyword that was once popular needn’t be so in a few months time. Keep a tab on your keyword because like everything else they rise and fall.

An audit can also help you find additional content ideas for blogs and your social media pages. Even better is being able to update your old content with new keywords and increase the number of keywords in the blog so as to rank it better.

Conclusion

Avoiding these basic keyword research mistakes will take you a long way towards ranking better on the popular search engines. Keyword research takes a lot of work and effort and it isn’t as easy as some people believe. If you would like your website to grow, use the right techniques to improve. If you’re struggling you can always get in touch with CodePlateau Technologies Pvt Ltd and use their excellent digital marketing team for your problems.