What is keyword research?

keyword research is an important practice for search engine optimization (SEO) professionals and digital marketers. The fundamental purpose of keyword research is to discover the terms and phrases that users enter into search engines in order to find relevant content. By understanding the search terms that people are using, businesses can be informed of how their target audience looks for products or services online. Having an in-depth understanding of the keywords that your target market uses can help you create focused content marketing strategies, optimize digital campaigns, and significantly increase website traffic.

By utilizing a Solid keyword strategy, businesses can identify which queries are most important to capture their target market's attention—by targeting popular keywords, or by recognizing queries with less competition and higher buyer intent. When done right, keyword research allows businesses to connect with their target audience through appropriate terms and topics—which can eventually lead to a higher conversion rate due to the intersection of user intent and content relevance.

There are different types of tools available to conduct keyword research. SEO experts usually utilize free Google AdWords tools like Keyword Planner or paid tools such as Ahrefs or SEMrush to discover which keywords are generating the most searches in a given niche or industry. With these tools, SEOs can evaluate various metrics such as search volume, average cost per click (CPC), organic competition levels, traffic potential estimate and more. After researching suitable keywords with these tools, businesses can use them in various aspects from website pages optimizations to PPC ad campaigns.