Keyword Research for SEO

Keyword Research for SEO

Let’s face it: SEO can feel like an intimidating beast, especially if you’re new to the game. You might be thinking, „Where do I even start? And what’s the deal with keywords?“ Well, let me tell you, it’s all about understanding your audience and speaking their language. That’s where keyword research comes in. It’s the backbone of a strong SEO strategy, and once you master it, you’re well on your way to boosting your visibility, traffic, and ultimately, conversions.

In this post, we’ll dive deep into how to do keyword research for SEO, walking you through the steps using the tool Mangools (trust me, this is one of the easiest and most beginner-friendly tools out there). By the end, you’ll know exactly how to uncover the keywords that will help you rank on Google, attract the right audience, and boost your website’s performance.

An overview of the most important points:

  • Keyword research is the foundation of SEO success: Without the right keywords, you won’t reach the right audience.
  • Understand your target audience and their search intent: Know what your users are searching for and why.
  • Use Mangools as your tool: A beginner-friendly tool to find keyword ideas, showing search volume, competition, and CPC.
  • Focus on long-tail keywords: Longer, more specific keywords are less competitive and often more effective.
  • Analyze keywords carefully: Look for a balance between search volume, competition, and relevance.
  • Use keywords strategically: Place them in your titles, headings, first 100 words, image alt text, and meta descriptions.

How to do Keyword Research for SEO?

Alright, let’s get into the nitty-gritty. Whether you’ve just started your first blog or you’re revamping your existing website, these steps will help you approach keyword research like a seasoned pro (or at least fake it till you make it).

1. Start With the Basics: Know Your Audience and Search Intent

Before you even touch a keyword tool, you need to get clear on one crucial thing: Who is your audience and what are they searching for? Imagine you’re running a blog on sustainable fashion. Your target audience might be eco-conscious consumers who are looking for ethical brands, tips on reducing their fashion footprint, or affordable sustainable clothing options.

It’s not just about guessing the words people type into Google; it’s about understanding their search intent. Ask yourself:

  • Are they looking for information (What is sustainable fashion?)?
  • Are they comparing options (Best affordable sustainable fashion brands)?
  • Or are they ready to buy (Buy eco-friendly jeans)?

This knowledge will guide the kind of keywords you’re looking for and help you create content that matches the intent behind the search.

2. Use Mangools to Find Keywords (Seriously, It’s Super Easy)

Now that you’ve got a solid understanding of your audience, it’s time to jump into Mangools. Don’t worry, this tool is as user-friendly as it gets. If you can navigate a YouTube playlist, you can do this.

Here’s how you can get started:

Step 1: Enter Your Seed Keyword
Let’s go back to our sustainable fashion example. Head over to Mangools Keyword Finder (or any other SEO tool. Mangools is just really easy) and type in “sustainable fashion” as your seed keyword. This is just the starting point to help the tool generate a bunch of related keyword ideas.

KW Finder Keyword Mangools

Step 2: Analyze the Keyword Suggestions
Mangools will give you a list of keyword suggestions, along with important data like search volume, keyword difficulty, and CPC (cost per click). You’ll want to focus on keywords that strike a balance between decent search volume and low to medium difficulty. If you’re just starting out, avoid going for highly competitive keywords—those are dominated by the big brands and established sites.

Pro Tip: Sort the suggestions by Keyword Difficulty (KD) and aim for keywords with a difficulty score of under 40. This way, you’re not fighting an uphill battle.

Example Keyword „fresh flower delivery“

Step 3: Pick Long-Tail Keywords
What the heck are long-tail keywords? These are more specific, longer phrases like “best sustainable fashion brands for men” instead of just “sustainable fashion.” They typically have lower search volumes but are way less competitive. And because they’re more specific, they often convert better. Win-win, right?

Here are a few keyword gems Mangools might spit out for our sustainable fashion blog:

  • “affordable eco-friendly clothing”
  • “how to shop sustainable fashion on a budget”
  • “ethical clothing brands for men”

Notice how these keywords are super targeted? That’s what you want!

3. Analyze Keywords: What to Look For

Just because a keyword has a high search volume doesn’t mean it’s a good fit. You’ll need to evaluate keywords based on a few factors:

  • Search Volume: How many people are searching for this keyword each month? Ideally, you want something with enough volume to bring in traffic, but not so much that you’re competing with major websites.
  • Keyword Difficulty (KD): How hard will it be to rank for this keyword? Mangools gives you a simple score for this—stick with lower difficulty scores if you’re just starting out.
  • Relevance: Is the keyword actually related to what you’re offering? A keyword like “vegan leather jackets” might sound great, but if you’re running a store that only sells organic cotton clothing, it’s a mismatch.

Let’s look at an example:

  • Keyword: “sustainable fashion trends 2024”
  • Search Volume: 5,400
  • Keyword Difficulty: 28 (easy-ish)
  • Relevance: Spot on if you’re writing an article about upcoming sustainable fashion trends.

This keyword checks all the boxes—it has solid search volume, isn’t too competitive, and aligns perfectly with the kind of content you’d be offering.

4. Practical Example: Finding Keywords for a Sustainable Fashion Blog

Now let’s put it all together with a real example. Let’s say you’re writing a blog post titled “How to Shop Sustainable Fashion on a Budget.” You’d want to find keywords that match the intent of someone looking for budget-friendly eco-fashion tips. Here’s what the process looks like:

  1. Seed Keyword: “sustainable fashion”
  2. Long-Tail Keywords: After some Mangools magic, you find these gems:
    • “cheap sustainable fashion brands”
    • “how to afford sustainable fashion”
    • “budget eco-friendly clothing”
  3. Pick Your Target Keyword: After comparing search volume and difficulty, you settle on “cheap sustainable fashion brands” because it has a decent search volume (3,200) and a keyword difficulty of 25, making it a great low-competition option.

5. What to Do With Your Keywords

Congrats! You’ve got your keywords. Now, what do you do with them? It’s not about cramming them into every sentence (Google hates that, and your readers will too). Instead, you’ll want to use your keywords naturally and strategically:

  • Title & Headings: Include your primary keyword in your blog post’s title and at least one subheading (H2 or H3).
  • First 100 Words: Drop your keyword in early, ideally in the first paragraph.
  • Alt Text for Images: Use keywords to describe the images in your post—Google loves this.
  • Meta Description: Write a compelling meta description that includes your keyword and entices people to click.

6. What Comes Next?

Once you’ve written your content and optimized it with your chosen keywords, your job isn’t done yet. Monitor how your content performs over time using Google Analytics or Mangools‘ own tracking tools. If you find that certain keywords are driving more traffic than others, rinse and repeat that process!