Keyword research is important to do before writing a blog post because it allows you to determine which keywords to target in your post.
By targeting the right keywords, you can increase your chances of ranking higher in search engines and driving traffic to your blog.
Additionally, keyword research can help you understand what your audience is searching for and the type of content they are interested in. This can help you create more targeted and relevant blog posts that are more likely to resonate with your audience.
It can be daunting to think about researching keywords if you have never done it before, but we are here to help! Let’s dive in and learn how to do quick and easy keyword research before you write your next blog post.
Brainstorm a list of potential topics to write about
If you’re planning to write a blog post, the first step is to brainstorm a list of potential topics.
To come up with ideas, think about the problems your target audience faces. You can also look at popular blog posts in your industry and see what topics are being covered, or just ask Bertha to suggest some topics.
Quick and easy keyword research
Once you have a list of potential topics, it’s time to do some keyword research. This will help you determine which topics are most likely to rank well in search engines.
There are several different ways to do keyword research. One option is to use Google’s Keyword Planner tool. To use this tool, simply enter a seed keyword into the search field and Google will return a list of related keywords. Note that this tool is connected to a Google Ads account. If you don’t have an account for running Ads on Google, you won’t have access to this keyword planner.
A super simple, free way to do keyword research is to use Google’s autocomplete suggestions. Simply start typing a seed keyword into the Google search bar and see what suggestions pop up. These suggestions can give you ideas for other related keywords that people are searching for. You can also do a search for one of your keyword phrases and scroll down to the bottom of the page to check out the “Related Searches” area.
Finally, you can also look at competitor sites to see what keywords they are targeting. To do this, simply enter your competitor’s URL into a tool such as SEMrush or Ahrefs and click on the “Keywords” tab. This will show you all of the keywords that they are ranking for in organic search results. Note that these are both paid tools. SEMrush has a free plan with a limited number of searches per day.
Bertha can help with this step, too! Enter your company description into the “SEO Keyword Suggestions” template and hit the purple “Generate” button. In just a few moments, you will receive 20 or more keyword phrases to choose from.
Now that you have a list of topics and keywords, let’s determine which is the best one to write first.
Narrow down your topic list by identifying which topics are likely to generate the most traffic
Don’t forget why we are doing this – to get traffic to your blog! Therefore, we want to identify which of your list of topics are likely to generate the most traffic. We need to consider two things in order to make this determination:
- What would be interesting or useful to your specific audience
- Which topic would get the most search traffic
The first is to analyze your target audience and determine which topics would be of interest to them. You can do this by really getting to know your prospective customers. Do a “customer avatar” exercise to really get inside their heads. Visit forums, conferences, or groups (online or in person) where you can observe, ask questions, and listen. Understanding their problems and pain points is one of the most powerful ways to provide them with solutions they are searching for.
Secondly look at related keywords that people are searching for. To do so, you can use the tools mentioned above to analyze keywords for their search volume.
By addressing these two factors, you can narrow down your topic list and focus on the topic that is most likely to generate traffic.
Now it’s finally time to start writing your blog post!
Incorporate keywords into your blog post
When you’re ready to start writing your blog post, keep your target keyword or phrase in mind. You’ll want to include it in the title, headlines, and throughout the body of the article. As you write, be sure to stay focused on your topic and include relevant related keywords and phrases. By doing this, you’ll help your post rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), making it more likely that people will find and read your content.
When using Bertha’s “Long Form Content” template to write your blog post, be sure to enter your primary keywords into the Keywords field so Bertha can include them in the content she generates.
What NOT to do when researching keywords for a blog post
A word of caution: Make sure you’re using your target keywords and keyphrases throughout your content in a way that sounds natural. Stuffing your content full of keywords will not only make it difficult to read, but it will also flag your site as being spammy to search engines. Use the keywords throughout your content, but don’t overdo it.
Shout it from the rooftops
It would be wonderful if we hit “Publish” and the traffic started pouring in, but unfortunately that isn’t the reality for most blogs. You will need to promote your newly written content. Share your content on social media, post it in forums, and reach out to influencers in your niche to help get the word out. If you do all of these things, you’ll be much more likely to rank well in search engines for your target keywords and keyphrases.
Checklist for doing keyword research
Here is a quick list to refer back to next time you are doing keyword research for a blog post:
- Brainstorm possible topics (Bertha can help!)
- Identify related keywords (Bertha can help!)
- Narrow down list of topics based on audience interests and keyword search volume
- Incorporate keywords in the following areas of your post (Bertha can definitely help with this!):
- Title
- Headlines (H tags)
- Body
- No keyword stuffing!
- Share your new post out to your network
This post was written with Bertha live on a webinar.
Watch the replay: Let’s write a blog post with Bertha!
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