Small businesses need to research keywords for the following reasons.
Keywords Are the Cornerstones of SEO Strategies
If your business wants to be even the least bit discoverable on the internet through search engines, you need an SEO strategy—and thus, keyword knowledge. Keywords are the literal keys people use to unlock a path to your business on the web. Through the right keyword research, you’ll discover what your potential customers are searching for. Then, you can create content to rank for those keywords and get in front of your customers on search engines.
Keywords Shed Light on Your Customers’ Pain Points
Understanding what your customers are searching for gives you a better idea of what they need and how to help them. This is where short-tail and long-tail keywords enter the fray. Short-tail keywords are broader in their results and tend to have high search volume—meaning high volumes of users search for these terms. In SEO, that volume means there is more competition to rank for these terms.
Long-tail keywords have lower search volume, but that means there is less competition to rank on search engines for these terms. Your SEO strategy should combine efforts to rank for both short- and long-tail keywords—keeping in mind you’ll likely have more success with the long-tail ones.
To continue our example, if you run a dog training company in Los Angeles, you assume people are entering keywords like “dog training in LA.” But research may show that people also search for “dog trainers specializing in Alaskan Malamutes Los Angeles.” The shorter keyword might not render the results that best meet their needs, so they enter the longer one. Knowing your potential customers are looking for experts in Alaskan Malamute training helps you tailor content to them and gain visibility in their searches.
Keywords Influence Your Overall Marketing Efforts
Once you know what your customers need help with, keywords start to guide much more than just your SEO strategy. Let’s say your research shows that “dog trainers specializing in Alaskan Malamutes Los Angeles” stands to get many eyeballs on your business if you can rank on the first page of Google for it. You’ll need to heavily target that keyword, so your marketing plan might look something like this:
- Implement a content-creation plan to publish blogs about Alaskan Malamute training using both that keyword and related keywords.
- Create social media campaigns to promote those blogs and your business’ expertise in Alaskan Malamute training.
- Develop a page on your website explaining how your business expertly trains Alaskan Malamutes.
- Seek and publish testimonials from customers who have had their Alaskan Malamutes trained by your staff.
- Publish a case study about a successful Alaskan Malamute customer.
While there are many options for such a plan, it’s clear that the right keyword influences entire marketing campaigns and investments.
