Using keywords can boost your brand, help it top search results, or break it to the point where it lands on the very last pages. In Search Engine Optimization, one of the most important factors to bear in mind is keyword research.
Knowing how to research keywords for your content will greatly impact how you show up on your target audience’s search results. However, aside from merely knowing which key terms to use, it’s even more crucial to learn how to use them effectively.
There are many parts involved as you figure out how to do keyword research and resources that can help. However, relying on these tools can only get you so far. If something significant or weird happens somewhere in the world at any one time, this can immediately change user behavior. The data these tools provide may be complete and concise, but they are not entirely up to date. Any immediate shift in research patterns may not immediately reflect on any keyword research tool.
So if you now find yourself wondering how to do keyword research that is effective and relevant without relying on these tools, don’t worry. Aside from keeping abreast of current issues in your community and that of your target audience, there are other ways to figure this out and still rank highly in search results pages.
3 Alternative Keyword Research Methods
1. Use Google Search Console
One aspect of keyword research that you can’t overlook is ensuring that the terms you use will rank well for commercial purposes.
You still want to rank high even if a drastic change happens around you, so make sure you are up to date with people’s research behavior in regards to your products and industry by using Google Search Console.
Using this may not show all the results you would typically get from any other widely used program or keyword research tool. However, it will still give you a thorough insight into commercial-intent keywords and your audience’s behavior.
Even if many important events happen in the world that can influence your target market’s research behavior, using commercial-intent keywords and people’s buying intent does not tend to change as fast. Using key terms that are not specific will still be researched by people in the future, keeping your content relevant, fresh, and more relatable.
2. Use empathy to put your audience first
In Search Engine Optimization, you must always be in tune with your audience. You must know how they feel and adjust your content accordingly to get a better chance of reaching them based on their research behavior.
You want your content and products to reach your audience. The aim is to retain your current clients and gain new ones, so you need to establish rapport and work on connecting with them. If you find yourself and your community facing extreme circumstances, you have to remember to empathize with what is currently happening around you and provide content that might help your audience.
3. Use common sense and intuition
Keyword research tools may not provide a significantly up-to-date list of keywords people might be using right then and there, so you must always remember that you live in the same reality as your audience.
So, if you find yourself still wondering how to research keywords, then adjust the keywords you already know to be useful, and base that on what you think is currently going on around you and your target audience. Use keywords with an apparent commercial intent for your products and business no matter what is happening in the world right now, especially if you know those keywords are faring well throughout the year.
Although it will depend on your domain authority and how close you are to Page 1 on a regular day, merely modifying your tried and tested keywords according to the current social scene can still help you rank well in search results.
You may not be using your usual content strategy, but you are undoubtedly building something more substantial with your audience.
If you need help with proper keyword research, do not hesitate to contact us. We can help!
