How Do You Conduct Keyword Research For On-Page SEO?

Situation-Based Question

Imagine you’re managing the SEO for a local bakery’s website. Your goal is to increase online orders and traffic. You know that to make the site more discoverable on Google, you need to use the right keywords, but you’re not sure where to begin. One day, your boss asks, “How do you conduct keyword research for On-Page SEO to improve our website’s visibility?”

Exact Answer

To conduct keyword research for On-Page SEO, start by identifying the core topics related to your business, use keyword research tools to find relevant keywords, analyze the search intent, and prioritize keywords based on search volume, competition, and relevance to your audience.

Explanation

Keyword research is essential for On-Page SEO because it ensures that you’re targeting the right terms that your audience is searching for. The goal is to discover keywords that match what your potential customers are looking for and integrate them naturally into your content.

Here’s a step-by-step process:

1. Identify Core Topics: Begin by listing out the main topics that define your business. For a bakery, these might be “cakes,” “bread,” “pastries,” “gluten-free treats,” or “wedding cakes.” These core topics will help guide your keyword research.
2. Use Keyword Research Tools: Tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Ubersuggest are great for finding keyword ideas. Enter your core topics into these tools and see what related keywords people are searching for. For example, if you search for “wedding cakes,” you might get suggestions like “custom wedding cakes,” “best wedding cakes near me,” or “wedding cakes delivery.”
3. Analyze Search Intent: Understanding search intent is crucial. There are different types of search intent:
   • Informational: Users want information (e.g., “How to decorate a wedding cake”).
   • Navigational: Users are trying to find a specific site (e.g., “Bakery near me”).
   • Transactional: Users are ready to make a purchase (e.g., “Order wedding cakes online”).
   For your bakery, you’d want to focus on transactional keywords like “order wedding cakes” or “buy gluten-free bread online” because they indicate a customer is ready to make a purchase.
4. Evaluate Keyword Metrics: Use your tools to check key metrics like:
   • Search Volume: This tells you how many people are searching for a particular keyword.
   • Keyword Difficulty: This indicates how competitive the keyword is.
   • Relevance: Make sure the keyword aligns with your business goals and audience.
   You might find that “custom wedding cakes” has high search volume but is also very competitive. If that’s the case, you could target a more specific keyword like “custom wedding cakes for small weddings,” which could have lower competition but still be highly relevant.
5. Prioritize Keywords: After gathering a list of keywords, prioritize them based on a combination of search volume, competition, and relevance to your business. Focus on long-tail keywords (phrases with 3 or more words) because they’re often more specific and less competitive. For example, instead of targeting “wedding cakes,” you could focus on “custom wedding cakes near me” or “gluten-free wedding cakes for small events.”

Example

Example:

Let’s say you run a bakery that specializes in gluten-free products. Here’s how you would apply this process:

1. Identify Core Topics: Your core topics could be “gluten-free cakes,” “gluten-free bread,” and “gluten-free pastries.”
2. Use Keyword Research Tools: You use a tool like Google Keyword Planner and enter “gluten-free cakes.” The tool suggests several keywords:
   • “gluten-free birthday cakes”
   • “best gluten-free cakes near me”
   • “custom gluten-free cakes”
   • “buy gluten-free cakes online”
3. Analyze Search Intent:
   • “Gluten-free birthday cakes” has an informational intent. Users might be looking for recipes or information.
   • “Buy gluten-free cakes online” shows transactional intent. These are people ready to make a purchase, so this is a key phrase to target.
4. Evaluate Keyword Metrics:
   • “Buy gluten-free cakes online” has high search volume and moderate competition, making it a great keyword to target.
   • “Best gluten-free cakes near me” could be useful for local SEO, especially if you have a physical store.
5. Prioritize Keywords:
   • You decide to prioritize “buy gluten-free cakes online” and “custom gluten-free cakes” because they have a strong transactional intent and are relevant to your bakery’s online sales strategy.
   For your on-page SEO, you would now optimize the following:
   • Title tag: “Buy Gluten-Free Cakes Online – Custom Gluten-Free Birthday Cakes”
   • Meta description: “Order delicious custom gluten-free cakes for all occasions. Free delivery options for gluten-free cakes in your area.”
   • Content: Use keywords like “custom gluten-free cakes” and “buy gluten-free cakes online” naturally in your content while explaining the benefits of your products, pricing, and delivery options.