Introduction

Users look for answers on search engines by typing in keywords to find the most relevant information according to their buyer cycle. User search intent is the definition by which a user enters a search term into a search engine with the aim of finding the most relevant information at the top of the search results. 

One of the key factors that Google considers when ranking a website higher on search engines is the search intent. Additionally, Google’s algorithm works towards ranking pages higher than others by recognizing what website or page has the most accurate answer to the search query and keyword term. 

What is keyword research?

Keyword research is the process of finding and analyzing the terms and phrases that users use on search engines with the purpose of finding relevant information for their queries. This technique improves SEO as it provides insight into the questions the target audience is searching for. 

As a webmaster, your main goal is to drive qualified traffic to your website. Therefore, you need to understand the way users search to find your website against the competition. Learn about the 3 types of queries according to the buyer cycle in this article. 

Key reasons why keyword research is important

Keyword research is crucial for your digital business because it identifies the keywords and searches topics of your potential customers at any stage of their buyer journey. That being said, it is imperative to know the search trends and topics of your target audience to optimize your website accordingly. There are 7 key reasons why you should implement keyword research:

1. It raises your SERP ranking
2. Allows you to focus on the best and most relevant content
3. Empowers user-focused content
4. It allows you to nurture your target audience
5. You can identify the most popular keywords in your market
6. It increases the engagement rate and reduces bounce rates
7. It puts you ahead of the competition 

Best practices for keyword research 

1. Get in depth knowledge of the industry and crucial market trends
2. Think like your customers when describing your product or service
3. Use keyword research tools, for example:

• Keyword Planner from Google
• Afhrefs
• Semrush

4. Analyze your competitors and see what keywords they rank for
5. Aim for long-tail keywords and align them with your content
6. Keep abreast of new keywords associated with your industry

Final thoughts

SEO and keyword research will evolve in the next few years as the primary objective is to provide users with the most relevant pages according to their intent search. Users’ search intent has changed over the years due to new purchase behaviours which impact directly at the decision stage. Furthermore, at this moment we can assure you that it is essential to work on SEO and optimize the key factors through which Google’s algorithms rank websites. In fact, you will confirm that “You don’t exist if you don’t show up on Google”. Therefore, you need to organize and invest time in implementing your keyword research and SEO strategy.