Keyword research is the foundation of successful SEO. Without a clear understanding of what exactly people are searching for on Google, it is difficult to count on steady traffic and development of your website or business. In this article, we'll look at how to choose keywords to promote your website so that you can rank higher in search results, get ahead of your competitors, and get exactly the visitors you need.
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What are keywords and why are they important?
Keywords are words or phrases that users enter into a search engine to find information, a product, or a service. The more accurately a website matches these queries, the more likely it is to be found by potential customers.
It depends on the correct selection of keywords:
- Website visibility in Google and other search engines.
- Organic traffic growth rate.
- Quality of visitors (target audience).
- Capture a larger market share in your niche[2][3].
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The main stages of keyword research
1. Defining goals and objectives
Start by answering the following questions:
- What is the main goal of website promotion (contact, order, subscription...)?
- Which pages are the most important for promotion?
- What actions should users take?[1][2].
Well-formulated goals will help you not to be scattered and immediately focus on the most important requests.
2. Analyze your target audience
You need to clearly understand who your audience is: their problems, desires, "pains," motivation, and communication style. For example:
- How do they formulate requests for your product?
- What words and phrases are used?
- At what stage of the buying journey are they (acquaintance, selection, purchase...)?"[1][2][3][4].
3. Collecting basic (token) requests
Highlight the main/most general phrases that describe your business or products. For example, for a sports nutrition store, these are: "protein", "gainer", "vitamins". You will expand the list of keywords from these phrases[5].
4. Using keyword research tools
Sign up for one of the query research tools:
- Google Keyword Planner[1][2].
- Ahrefs, SEMrush, Serpstat - platforms with rich analytics of competitors, keyword frequencies and complexity[3][4][5].
- AnswerThePublic - allows you to find questions asked by potential customers
- Google Autocomplete - ideas for long or conversational phrases[4].
Enter basic phrases and you will get a list of related queries, for each: monthly search volume, competition, seasonality.
5. Competitor analysis
Analyze what queries your niche leaders are using. To do this:
- Enter the address of the competitor's website in Ahrefs, Serpstat, or SimilarWeb.
- Look at the top keywords for which it is in the top? Which pages bring in the most traffic?
- Compare it with your own semantic core to find gaps or new opportunities for development[4][5].
6. Selection and cleaning of relevant queries
Remove the keys from the collected array that are not needed:
- They have low relevance,
- Not relevant to your business,
- They have too much competition or too low a frequency,
- Repeated or overly similar (cluster by topic)[5].
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Types and types of keywords
Different types of queries are used for a high-quality SEO strategy:
- High-frequency (HF) - short phrases with a large number of queries ("protein"). Usually very competitive, they are difficult to promote for new sites.
- Medium-frequency (MF) - consists of 2-3 words ("protein for weight loss").
- Low-frequency (LF) or long tail keywords - consist of 3+ words ("where to buy whey protein in Lviv"). They have less competition and provide "warmer" customers who are often ready to buy[3][4].
Be sure to include "long tails" - they more accurately reflect the user's intent, are easier to promote, and give the best conversion rate[3][4].
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User intent and the meaning of search words
Understanding the user's intent is critical to choosing the right keys. Intent can be:
- Informational ("how to do...", "what is it...")
- Navigation ("youtube", "login to Privat24")
- Transactional ("buy...", "order with delivery")
- Commercial search ("laptop review", "best hosting")[3].
Adapt your strategy to the real needs of your audience: if you are promoting a blog, you need more information requests, if you are promoting an online store, you need transactional and commercial requests.
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Trends and life hacks in choosing keywords
- Voice search: Include longer, more conversational queries that mimic real speech ("where is the nearest coffee shop?").
- Local keys: if your business is tied to a city or district, add geography ("laptop repair Kyiv").
- Questioning phrases: common in blogs and instructions - "how to choose a laptop for a student?"[4].
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Common misconceptions
- Ignoring long-tail keywords and focusing only on popular short phrases results in low traffic for new resources.
- Overspam: excessive use of keys leads to search engine penalties.
- Choosing phrases that are too general: they don't give the desired conversion and don't reveal the user's intent[4].
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Practice: how to create a semantic core
1. Gather all the ideas from tools, competitors, and Google tips.
2. Organize words into groups by topic or page.
3. Manually sort by frequency, relevance, page purpose, and relevance.
4. Add filters: city/regional, transactional/information, etc.
5. Constantly update and test the core - the market and user behavior change, trends emerge.
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Conclusion.
Keyword research is not a one-time action, but an ongoing process. The deeper you understand your customers, their words and intentions, the better your website will meet their expectations. A well-crafted semantic core is your foundation for growing organic traffic, rankings, and profits.
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TAGS: keywords, SEO, semantics selection, website promotion, semantic core, competitive analysis, long tail keywords, local search, voice search
META: How to choose the right keywords for SEO and website promotion - a detailed guide for a business, blog, or store. Increase your visibility and traffic!
