The Importance of Keyword Research in Blog Writing

While Google keeps us on our toes with all the algorithm updates they’ve been dishing out, one thing has stayed pretty consistent for inbound marketers looking to optimise their website: keyword research.  

In this post, we’ll define what keywords are, what keyword research is, how to do it, the importance of it, as well as AI & Keyword research.

What are Keywords?

Let's start at the beginning, what are keywords in SEO? Keywords are words and phrases that you the searcher use when searching for information online. It could be anything. For example, you could be interested in the benefits of taking a certain supplement. This creates something called search intent, which we blog writers see and then make blogs like these to provide you with the information you’re looking for. 

Generally, keywords are classified into two types, Short-tail keywords and Long-tail keywords. 

Short-tail keywords are more generic, they are widely searched terms with a high monthly search volume but also very high competition. Examples of short-tail keywords could be "bikes", "restaurants" or "ski resorts". They are typically one to two words and are well-known in the industry.

Long-tail keywords are more specific, these are niche keywords which have a lower search volume but also lower competition. Examples of long-tail keywords could be “best mountain bikes for beginners”, or “vegan restaurants near me”. These are more niche keywords, they are typically a sentence or 3 or 4 words.

Now you may be wondering, why are keywords important? They're important because search engines use them to find relevant content to show in the search results, for you, the searcher. 

If you utilise keywords correctly in your blog writing, you're more likely to rank higher in search results. Ranking higher in search results is crucial, as users are more likely to click on top-ranking pages. Did you know the average click-through rate on desktop for organic search results in the number one spot is 22.2%. The click-through-rate as you rank lower only decreases. 

Today, we'll show you how to find those keywords that get you in those top-ranking spots. 

Keyword Research & Why It’s Important

Keyword research is the process of finding and analysing search terms that people enter into search engines. It’s mainly used for SEO, PPC ads as well as general marketing. Keyword research can show gaps in the market to fulfil, the popularity of the queries, their ranking difficulty and more. 

You may be wondering why keyword research is important. Well, It helps you find which keywords are best to target for your blog, which ones have high search intent, which ones have high competition and which ones will lead the ideal customer to your website.  

Having done thorough keyword research comes with a number of benefits to your site.

Keyword research involves discovering and analysing the search terms people use in search engines. It’s a crucial element not only for SEO but also for PPC ads and broader marketing strategies. Through keyword research, you can identify market gaps, assess the popularity of various queries, evaluate their ranking difficulty, and much more.

Keyword research is vital, as it enables you to determine which keywords are most effective to target for your blog, identifying those with high search intent, those with significant competition, and, most importantly, those that will attract your ideal customer to your website.

Conducting thorough keyword research offers numerous advantages for your site.

Such as: 

Understanding User Intent

Analysing keywords people use provides insights into their search intent, are they looking to make a purchase? Or are they looking for information? Knowing the intent behind keywords makes it easy to structure your content around what people are searching for. 

Improving Search Rankings 

Search engines use keywords as a signal to determine the relevance and authority of your content. Having the right keywords in your blogs, titles and metadata can significantly boost your rankings. 

Attract Relevant Traffic

Keyword research allows you to understand and see specific terms and phrases your target audience is searching for. By optimising your content around these keywords you can attract visitors who are actively interested in your brand and what you have to say.

Doing Your Own Keyword Research for Free in 2024

When it comes to optimising your own content, instead of me just telling you all the great things that come from keyword research, why not give you the tools to do it yourself? 

There’s a multitude of free tools you can use to do your own keyword research. Here’s my top three.

Google Keyword Planner 

Google keyword planner is mainly meant for paid search (PPC ads), however, it's still undeniably valuable to someone looking for keywords to include in their SEO Article.

You simply just enter keyword ideas related to your blog that you want to write about and it gives you all the information you'll need. Including monthly searches, an increase in % of searches, as well as the competition level. 

You can put in any number of keywords. Any keyword that piqued your interest, enter.

‍

Ahrefs 

Although Ahrefs is primarily a paid tool, it does still have some great free features which you can use to get the most out of your keyword research. Here’s how it works

Simply put a keyword regarding your topic of interest as well as the country you're making your blog post in. Ahrefs will do the rest!

Ahrefs gives you a multitude of keyword ideas, along with the difficulty of ranking with that keyword. You can decide what keywords you want to use from there. Easy ones obviously are easier to rank in SERPs. 

Google Search

Our last free tool is a simple Google Search. When you enter a keyword you've found, simply enter it into Google and look for the people who ask tabs.

Open up the tabs and more will pop up, giving you several keyword ideas and options to use in your blog. These are searches other people have asked Google, which means that there is a need for information regarding those topics. You as a blog writer can fill those gaps.

Tip: When you're doing your keyword research, be sure to check their difficulty, especially if you're a beginner blogger wanting to rank. Unless your blog is exceptional and full of relevant information, you won’t rank very highly. Take the time to go through the less competitive keywords and build your reputation as a brand. It builds authoritativeness with Google and your competitors. 

If you have a portfolio of blogs regarding a certain niche, Google will recognise that as you continue to grow. This builds your reputation with Google in that specific niche. 

AI & Keyword Research 

Over the past year and a bit with the growth of AI, it’s no shock that the process of SEO may have changed a bit for a lot of blog writers out there.

Having an AI keyword research tool in your process can make it a lot easier and a lot quicker. 

Here are two of my favourite AI tools to help you with your keyword research. 

ChatGPT

ChatGPT can have a number of uses in your keyword research process. You can use it for keyword ideas, assist you in your writing or even give you a blog structure to follow, it’s up to you.

Yes, ChatGPT can do amazing things for your blogs but don't make the whole blog AI-written, Google recognises AI-written pieces and punishes them. Meaning Google won't rank you or your website. 

Perplexity AI

Perplexity is a bit different from ChatGPT, it takes information from the latest sources like blogs, forums, reviews and social media. Meaning it gives you up-to-date information. 

Having AI in your process can make things ten times easier. Be sure to capitalise on these resources and make the most out of your time when writing. 

Keyword Research step-by-step

To finish off this blog, I wanted to give you a rough process you can use when doing your keyword research. It differs from person to person but having an idea when you’re starting can be helpful. 

• Pick a topic within the niche you’re in - if you're having trouble finding you can ask ChatGPT for ideas, or even Google search like the example above 
• Once you’ve found your topic, brainstorm for words or questions that may be associated with the topic - again you can use AI or Google 
• Once you have a strong list of keywords, it's best to check the difficulty of those keywords and use a tool like Ahrefs. 
• Once you have your list of keywords, get to writing

Tip: Be sure that when you're including your keywords it doesn't disrupt the flow of your writing or make the writing awkward. Keyword stuffing makes your work look messy, it also doesn't sit right with Google. Write normally and include your keywords when you can. Best of luck!