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Keyword research is one of the topics that often needs to be reconsidered in SEO campaigns. With all the talk in the SEO world about PR, content, and link building, it’s easy to forget the foundation of SEO: keyword research. Think of keywords as the compass of your SEO campaign, it guides the campaign in the right direction and shows whether progress is being made. However, often businesses end up choosing keywords for glory that they simply cannot rank for using their existing resources.
The good news is that there are more resources than ever to help newbies learn about digital marketing. Industry leaders from Moz to SEMRush to Hubspot offer guides and informative articles you can use to expand your knowledge and help you make smarter digital marketing decisions.
Here are some keyword research tips you can use right away to start your digital marketing campaign on the right foot.
See what your competitors are doing
Unless you are moving forward in a completely new industry, you most likely already have competitors ranking for keywords. If they’ve done their homework, they’ve probably spent time testing which organic and paid keywords work best, and which title tags and ad titles generate the best conversions. While you shouldn’t copy them verbatim, it would be foolish to ignore the results that your competitors have discovered. By using this information, you can customize the focus of your keyword research and digital marketing campaigns on the areas that have proven to be most promising. This is a great case for companies in the UAE, as the number of businesses with an online presence in the UAE is quite small compared to the US, so it is possible to choose keywords that will bring the most value to their business. Businesses can also look for companies offering the same services in more mature markets like the US or UK and use tools like Ahrefs and Semrush to identify target keywords.
One last note: If you’re lucky enough to be in an industry where most or all of your competitors haven’t started actively working to rank for relevant keywords, you have a major opportunity that you can seize. In this case, you can be the first to rank for broad keywords that would otherwise be competitive and use far fewer resources than you would otherwise need.
Find long-tail keyword opportunities
While everyone wants to be the top-ranked website in Google searches for their industry, the reality is that this is often an expensive and time-consuming task. Depending on the size and authority of your competitors, this is nearly impossible. Fortunately, you don’t need to rank #1 for the one or two-word keyword that defines your industry, although you should always include it as a stretch goal if possible. Instead, look for long-tail keyword opportunities that are less competitive than one or two word variations. One example would be to target “Best Orthodontist in JLT Dubai” instead of “Orthodontist”. In addition to being less competitive, people searching for long-tail keywords are more likely to take a particular topic seriously, and in many cases, they are more likely to convert to a sale or be interested in learning more about your business. Additionally, long-tail keywords allow you to tailor your content to be more specific and therefore more relevant to audiences searching for that specific keyword.
Related: UAE’s small business market should study customer lifecycle
Have a specific buyer or audience in mind
When choosing your target keywords, it’s useful to have a specific type of buyer or at least a specific audience in mind beforehand. The truth is, no content, no sales pitch, no product can appeal to everyone. By focusing on one specific type of person from the beginning, you can understand how they think and determine what types of searches they are likely to use, and what type of content they want to find when they search.
As a business, the focus should be on keywords with commercial intent. Some of these keywords are the most effective, such as coupons, discounts, promotions, etc. A real life example might be “Dentist Deal in Dubai”. Additionally, searchers in Google also look for the following keywords “Dentist Dubai, India” or “Dentist Dubai, Philippines” indicating that people from the respective countries often look for dentists from their country. It’s also useful to have specific goals in mind when conducting keyword research. In other words, what do you want people to do when they search for and click on your page? Having an end goal in mind—whether it’s sales, an email list, or just brand recognition and authority—will narrow down the list of target keywords you choose during the research phase.
Focus on a few keywords and gradually expand
While it may be tempting to try to rank for a large number of keywords at once, it makes more sense to focus your efforts on just a few keywords, at least in the beginning. By focusing on a few specific keywords, you actually have a better chance of ranking for those keywords. Additionally, by limiting the scope of your casting net, you’ll force yourself to dig deeper, making your keyword research more in-depth. In other words, you will be able to find long-tail keywords that are perfect for the niche you have restricted. By working within these limited parameters and expanding later, you’ll get more value from each set of keywords.
Keyword research doesn’t need to be overwhelming, all you need to do is have a specific set of goals and a clear plan on how to achieve them. Make sure to take advantage of the tools at your disposal (many of which are free online tools) to maximize your digital marketing efforts.
Related: Infographic: Marketers are investing in customer loyalty, and you should too!
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