Keyword research is still a major part of digital marketing but the research strategies have changed quite drastically over the years. Initially it was all about the head terms, then long-tail search phrases and finally (LDA) topic related phrases. Nowadays I like to target search phrases according to the users search intent and mapping them into the buyer personas conversion funnel. Adopting this process your marketing efforts are always aligned with business goals while assisting to user search intent.
2. SalesCycle:
Pieter Verasdonck
10+ years of experience in Digital Marketing
Industries: Gambling, Education, FMCG, Telco,
Travel & Tourism, Government, eCommerce &
Retail, Real Estate, Fashion, B2B and even Adult
Entertainment.
Featured in:
• Smart Startups Magazine, Backlinks.com.au &
Avanser’s Blog, SEMRush Webinar
• Spoke at: Numerous Meetups, SMX Sydney 2014 –
Bootcamp & Advanced Online Marketing
Conferences in Sydney
#SEMRushLive
3. Agenda
1) Foundation of Search
2) Keyword Research Process
3) Keyword Selection Process
4) Worst Keyword Research Mistakes
5) Change in Research Behaviour
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5. Searching & Looking = Action
• Random surfing, browsing and accidental
discoveries
• Craving entertainment, information, social
connection
• Looking to go somewhere…Brand / Topic
destinations
• Researching for a specific solution, reviews
or comparison
• Looking to execute a task or a transaction
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11. Matching Content With
Customers Buying Decision
Customer is
Asking
Customer
Wants
What to
Provide
What is my
problem?
How do I fix
my problem?
Are you the
right partner?
Education &
Benchmarks
Solution Options &
Product Suitability
Proof Points &
Decision Support
Awareness Stage Consideration Stage Decision Stage
• Trend Reports
• Benchmarks
• Analyst Reports
• 101 Education
• How to Guides
• How other people
are solving this
• What is the solution
& How it works
• Solution
Comparisons
• Pitfall Analysis
• Readiness &
Suitability
Assessment
• How to choose a
vendor
• Pricing
• Strength
Demonstration
• Case Studies
• ROI/TCO
• Partnering
Benefits
• How to Buy/Pay
#SEMRushLive
13. Keyword Research Preparation
• Identify your Main Competitors
• Create a Buyer Personas & Audience
Segments
• Map out Users Search Objectives to the
Buying Journey
• Map out the Content to Users Buying
Journey & Business Objectives
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33. Keyword Research:
Old School Keywords – SEO Quake
• HTML Code: <meta keywords>
• YouTube: Video Tags
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34. Keyword Research:
Old School Keywords
• Niche Topic Forums: Sub-Categorisation
Google Search:
• Your Keyword "visitors found this page by searching for“ -seo
• site:com.au “Your Keyword” forum -seo
• “Incoming search terms” “Your Keyword” -seo
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35. OK, I found 10,000
Keywords …Now What?
Selection Criteria
Cutting 10,000 Keywords to 1,000
38. Keyword Mapping to Purchase
Funnel
Purchase
Funnel Stage
Type of
Search Type of Keyword
Search Volume
& SERP
Competition Example
A Awareness Informational Head Terms High mens suits
I Interest Navigational Keyword + Brand TBD hugo boss suits
D Desire Research
Body Terms
(Head + modifier)
Medium tailor made wedding suits
A Action Transactional
Long-Tail
(4-5+ words)
Low
tailor made wedding suits online
click & collect
S Satisfaction Expression Emotional Low
Positive: Glad, Great, :) , Fun,
Fabulous, Thanks, etc
Negative: S**t, F**k, WTF, :( , bloody,
crap, etc
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48. Keyword Research Process
Resources
• Moz: moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo/keyword-
research
• SEMRush: semrush.com/webinars/competitor-
keyword-research-for-seo/
• Larry Kim and Will Critchlow:
wordstream.com/blog/ws/2014/08/06/keyword-
research-tips
• Backlinko: backlinko.com/keyword-research
• Nick Eubanks: seonick.net/master-keyword-research/
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49. OK, I got it down to 100
search phrases…What’s
Next?
Cutting 10,000 Keywords to 1,000
51. Using Your Keywords:
A Great Topic for Another Webinar
• Important SEO Areas for Keywords:
• “Domain”, URL, <title>, Meta Data, Internal Links, <hx>,
Body Text, Digital Assets (Images, PDF. Video, Audio), etc
• Keyword Mapping IA & URLs
• Research Intent Phrases (2-4 words) for Category Pages
• Transactional Search Phrases (4+ words) for Product
Pages
• Creating Topic Silo’s & “Evergreen” Long form pages
• Assigning Longtail Keywords to Blog Topics, FAQ, Forum
Topics, etc
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52. What are the pitfalls &
should I watchout for?
most common keyword research
mistakes.
53. What not to do!
• Only going for head & single word terms: “Suits”
• Competitor Brand Terms: “Asos mens suits”
• Going for irrelevant Geographic terms: “Suits New York”
• Words that are way out of your league: Super High
Competition
• Phrases that are irrelevant to your business: “Sports
Cars”
• Failing to monitor search trends and adjust strategies
over time
http://www.searchenginejournal.com/7-lessons-keyword-stupidity-
mess-keyword-research/104127/
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