Introduction to Keywords Research (KWR) and its Importance for Content Writers
As a content writer, one of your main goals is to create articles, blog posts, web pages and other written content that ranks well in search engines. Search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial for driving organic traffic to your content and the website it lives on. One of the most important factors that search engines like Google use to determine rankings is keyword relevance – how well your content matches the keywords and phrases people are searching for. This is where thorough keywords research comes in. By doing in-depth KWR for each piece of content you create, you can optimize it to target the right keywords and improve its chances of ranking.
What is keywords research?
Keywords research, also known as KWR or keyword research, is the process of analyzing search engine data to identify relevant and high-volume keyword opportunities for a piece of content. The goal is to uncover the most important keywords and phrases related to the topic that have real search traffic behind them. Some key aspects of performing keywords research include:
Using keyword tools like Google Keyword Planner, Moz Keyword Explorer or Ahrefs to find related long-tail keywords and phrases people are searching for on search engines. These tools provide search volume data so you know which keywords are most popular.
Analyzing keyword difficulty by checking the top ranking pages in Google for targeted keywords to evaluate how hard or easy it may be to rank for them. High difficulty keywords require more authoritative, specialized content.
Finding semantic and synonymous keyword variations to expand your targeted keyword list beyond strict search queries. Similar concepts are often searched in different ways.
Checking for commercial or competitive intent behind top keywords and filtering out those unlikely to lead to conversions for your business.
Grouping related high-volume keywords into “clusters” that can be targeted cohesively through a single piece of content.
Tracking seasonality and trends in search volumes to identify opportune times for publishing new content.
Why is keywords research important for content writers?
There are several reasons why taking the time to properly research keywords is so critical for content writers:
Targeting the Right Keywords – Without KWR, you won’t fully understand what people are searching for and which keywords will resonate most with your target audience. You could end up optimizing for obscure long-tails with no traffic.
Optimize Content Strategy – Keyword data helps inform your overall content planning and strategy. You’ll know which areas, topics and concepts need more coverage based on demand.
Rank Higher in Search – SEO is all about optimizing content for specific intent-based queries. By focusing on relevant, high-volume keywords discovered through research, you set yourself up to attract free organic traffic from search engines over time as your content ranks higher.
Improve Client Value – For clients or employers, KWR demonstrates diligence and helps prove the ROI potential of suggested content ideas based on targeted keywords. Content will satisfy real audience needs.
Inform the Writing Process – Having a list of optimized keywords in mind as you write guides sentence and paragraph structuring, as well as internal linking and navigation. Flow and messaging better match intent.
Encourage Conversions – Qualifying keywords are more likely to lead to conversions since they reflect what people are actively searching to accomplish. Your content directly satisfies their needs.
Assist Marketing & Promotion – keyword data lets you promote optimized content across other marketing channels like social media using relevant hashtags and targeting.
How to perform thorough keywords research
Here are the basic steps to properly perform keywords research before beginning the content writing process:
Define initial topics or concepts for potential articles/pages based on business goals, brand strategy, customer personas, etc. Narrow your scope.
Brainstorm long lists of related keywords and phrases for each topic area through keyword tools, competitor analyses, and customer research.
Refine your lists by filtering for search volume, competition difficulty level, low commercial intent, and relevancy. Focus on most promising candidates.
Group or “cluster” associated keywords that could be optimized together under one piece of content due to similarities. This expands coverage.
Analyze top ranking pages in Google to see what they’re optimizing for and evaluate competitive landscape. Get ideas.
Check for keyword gaps, trends or opportunities based on search volumes over time. Identify new angles.
Prioritize your final targeted keyword lists based on a combination of high search demand, medium-low difficulty, and tight relevancy.
Regularly repeat KWR as search behaviors shift monthly with trends, seasonality or algorithm changes. Be agile.
Continually assess keyword performance for published articles using analytics tools. Refine SEO efforts.
Communicate optimized keyword lists clearly to content writers so they can structure the appropriate messaging, optimizations, internal linking etc.
Applying keywords insights in your actual writing
The culmination of your thorough KWR should be having a prioritized list of optimized keyword phrases to target with each piece of content before the actual writing begins. But how do you practically apply these insights?
Include targeted keywords naturally in your Title, H1 heading and throughout copy maintaining human readability.
Structure content to answer searcher’s implied question behind the keyword to satisfy their need.
Link internally to related pages also optimizing for other targeted keywords to strengthen topical authority.
Break up content into logical sections divided by subheadings tagged with associated keywords.
Include relevant keyword variations and synonyms in addition to strict search queries.
Add multimedia elements like images, videos with SEO-friendly filenames and alt text for keywords when possible.
Consider external links to authoritative sources for further credibility.
Implement additional on-page optimizations like keyword density within a reasonable range.
Publish strategically timed for seasons and trends uncovered in research.
Deeply integrate promotional elements like calls-to-action, CTAs around qualified conversions.
Monitor analytics and make refinements to continuously strengthen performance.
Conclusion
Thorough keywords research provides content writers with the critical blueprint needed to strategically create optimized pieces that will satisfy search intent and rank competitively over time. When done properly at the outset, KWR improves every step of the content creation process and ultimately helps both client websites and brands better connect with qualified audiences through organic search. All this equips writers to produce higher quality, data-backed content that reliably delivers results.
Andrew Stroud