Keywords are the foundation of any SEO campaign. They’re what online search engines and web crawlers look for to determine your site content and associated metadata so they can assign a relevancy score and rank you appropriately in their results pages.
Keyword research is time-consuming but vital because it helps determine which keywords will deliver Return on Investment (ROI) for your online marketing campaign. Here are some of the reasons why keyword research is important for companies of all sizes.
1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Strategy
From the very beginning, SEO has been about two things: getting more traffic to your site and then converting that traffic into paying customers. Keyword research helps you determine which keywords are most likely to attract targeted organic search traffic to your website. It enables you to make sure your pages are optimized for the terms people are searching for.
2. PPC, Display Network, and YouTube Campaigns
If you are using AdWords, Bing/Yahoo Ads, or YouTube advertising, keyword research helps you determine which keywords will deliver the highest Return on Investment (ROI). Once you know which keywords are most likely to attract traffic to your site, you can focus your ad campaigns on those terms.
3. Social Media Promotion
A social media campaign with no keyword research is an endeavor in vain. You’ll waste your time and energy on the wrong audiences, missing out on potential business opportunities. When you use targeted keywords in your posts, hashtags, and descriptions, you can spark conversations about products or services you offer that better fit the needs of your target audience.
4. Measuring Your Return on Investment (ROI)
Another reason keyword research is important is that it helps measure the impact your efforts have on your business goals. You’ll be able to compare the volume of monthly searches for keywords against their cost per click (CPC) and average conversion rate. This information will enable you to make informed decisions about which keywords are most efficient at bringing in traffic, leads, and sales.
5. On-Page Optimization
Many companies still do not include keyword research as part of their on-page optimization efforts. However, it can be a highly efficient way to drive targeted organic search traffic to your website. At the very least, you should include two or three keywords within page titles and meta descriptions, so they appear in bold text on SERPs (search engine result pages).
Time To Invest in Custom Website Design and Keyword Research
A website that is the first organic result of a Google search gets about one-third of the traffic. With good keyword research and a custom website design, you increase the chances of getting the first organic result. If you are looking for help with custom website design or keyword research, contact us today.