Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, SEMrush
To understand this better let's break down using Keyword Research Tools in SEO learning:
What it is: Keyword research tools help you find the words and phrases people actually use when searching for things online related to your website's content. Understanding these keywords is critical for SEO because it tells you what to optimize your website for.
Why it's important: If you guess at keywords, you might target terms nobody is searching for, wasting your time and effort. Keyword research tools give you data-driven insights to target the right keywords, improving your chances of ranking higher in search results.
How it works (general process):
Brainstorm initial keywords: Think of the main topics and services your website covers. These are your seed keywords.
Enter seed keywords into the tool: You put these keywords into a keyword research tool like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMrush.
The tool generates suggestions: The tool provides a list of related keywords, along with data points for each keyword.
Analyze the data: You look at things like:
Search Volume: How many times per month people are searching for that keyword. Higher volume usually means more potential traffic, but also more competition.
Keyword Difficulty (KD): An estimate of how hard it will be to rank for that keyword. This varies depending on the tool.
Related Keywords/Keyword Variations: This expands your list of potential targets.
Choose your target keywords: Based on the data, you select the keywords that seem most relevant and achievable for your website.
Use the keywords: You then use these keywords strategically in your website content, page titles, meta descriptions, and other on-page SEO elements.
Examples using hypothetical scenarios:
Example 1: You run a small bakery specializing in custom cakes.
Seed keyword: "custom cakes"
Tool (e.g., Google Keyword Planner) might suggest:
"custom cakes near me" (Search Volume: High, KD: Medium)
"birthday custom cake" (Search Volume: Medium, KD: Low)
"wedding custom cake" (Search Volume: Medium, KD: Medium)
"custom cake designs" (Search Volume: Low, KD: Low)
Analysis: You see that "custom cakes near me" has high search volume, so targeting that could bring in a lot of local traffic. "Birthday custom cake" has medium volume and low difficulty, making it a good target for beginners.
Action: You could create a page on your website specifically targeting "birthday custom cake," featuring photos of birthday cakes you've made, and using that phrase in your page title and description.
Example 2: You have a blog about gardening.
Seed keyword: "growing tomatoes"
Tool (e.g., Ahrefs) might suggest:
"how to grow tomatoes" (Search Volume: High, KD: Medium)
"growing tomatoes from seed" (Search Volume: Medium, KD: Low)
"growing tomatoes in pots" (Search Volume: Medium, KD: Medium)
"best fertilizer for tomatoes" (Search Volume: Low, KD: Low)
Analysis: "How to grow tomatoes" is broad but popular. "Growing tomatoes from seed" is a more specific, potentially less competitive target.
Action: You could write a detailed blog post titled "How to Grow Tomatoes From Seed: A Beginner's Guide" and optimize it with that specific keyword phrase throughout the content.
Key Takeaways:
Keyword research tools provide data about what people are searching for.
Search volume and keyword difficulty are important factors to consider.
The goal is to find keywords that are relevant to your website and have a good balance between search volume and difficulty.
You then use the target keywords in your website content to improve your search engine rankings.