Finding the right keywords is essential for ranking well in search engines and driving qualified traffic to your site. You can find great keyword ideas for free through keyword research. Here are proven methods to help identify low-competition, high-value keywords to target in your content and SEO.
Why keywords matter
Key phrases that users search for indicate purchase intent and interest around certain topics. Including relevant keywords throughout your content, especially prominent ones like page titles and headers, helps search engines understand what each page focuses on. This allows you to rank well for valuable keyword searches and gain traffic.
Techniques to find keyword ideas
Use keyword planners like Google’s
Google offers a keyword planning tool that generates many relevant keyword ideas and search volume estimates. Filter by low competition thresholds to target more rankable phrases. Look through related keywords too for additional options.
Analyze your competitors
Check out the top pages ranking for your primary target phrases. Plug their prominent keywords into planning tools to find more untapped options they may not focus on yet. Their content can inspire new ideas.
Explore search autocomplete
Type seed phrases into Google, then look through the search autocomplete to see other keyword options actual searchers inquire about. Filter down based on relevance. Autocomplete provides current, real search demand.
Mine search results pages
Review search results for common phrases in your niche for keyword ideas you can rank for. Check out the websites appearing for them and topics those pages cover that you could create content around too. Think one step ahead of searchers’ intent.
Search forums and Quora
People discuss keyword topics like questions seeking answers. These sources reflect active search queries around problems people want solutions for today, which could make for promising keywords with little content competition currently.
Optimize keywords appropriately
Only include keywords and phrases in your copy naturally where helpful for users. Over-optimizing looks spammy to search engines and frustrates visitors seeking quality information. Ensure excellent expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness through your content.
Place keywords in prominent areas
Work your primary target phrases into page titles, section headers, image names/alt text, bolded list items and the meta description. These areas hold more SEO weight when done reasonably.
Add related long-tails
Incorporate longer keyword variations like question formats into paragraph copy. These help pages rank for more types and search intent variations around main topics.
Update old underperforming content
Adding modern keywords and sections to existing pages can give them renewed search visibility. Look at Google Search Console to identify such pages worth improving with new keyword opportunities.
Key takeaways
- Research planners, competitors, autocomplete results and consumer forums/questions for the best keyword ideas aligned with search intent
- Check keyword difficulty and volume prior to targeting phrases
- Organize pages and content around natural theme-based keywords instead of awkward over-optimization
- Update older material with better keywords over time to keep search traffic fresh
Conclusion
Thorough keyword research helps reveal many relevant, low-competition phrases worth optimizing for. Dedicate time analyzing keyword planners, successful sites in your space, autocomplete and discussions around your topics. Identify fresh keyword ideas people actively inquire about and craft content centralized around these terms for greater visibility. Just be sure not to force keywords unnaturally. With the right research and optimized content development, you can continually uncover new SEO and search growth opportunities.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the best free keyword research tools?
Google’s Keyword Planner, UberSuggest, Answer The Public and KeywordTool.io offer excellent free keyword ideas and data. - How do I choose which keywords to target?
Prioritize keywords around high search volumes, low difficulty scores and relevance to your topics and offerings. These bring valuable traffic that converts well. - What is a good keyword density percentage?
1-2% keyword density is optimal for targeting primary phrases while avoiding overuse penalties. Higher densities risk getting flagged as spammy. - What is keyword stuffing?
Abusing keywords unnaturally throughout copy only to manipulate rankings, without considering relevance or user experience. This leads to penalties. - How many keywords should be in a 2000 word blog post?
Around 10-20 keywords, including short and long tail variations. Enough to cover related topics without compromising readability. - How do I find low competition but high search volume keywords?
Set precise filters in keyword tools for high volumes but low difficulty and competition using custom settings. Or check metrics like backlinks for keywords used on sites not fully optimized yet. - What keywords should I use for YouTube videos?
Target keyword phrases people would actually search for to find relevant tutorial or informational videos around topics they need help understanding or solving problems around. - Which keywords should be in my title tags?
The 2-3 most important semantic phrases matching the core focus of that page’s content purpose. - How do I write meta descriptions that rank?
Use your most important keywords while summarizing clearly what unique value page visitors can expect from the content in an engaging, click-worthy manner. - How do I research competitor keywords?
Reverse engineer successful sites through tools showing the keywords their top pages rank for. Uncover gaps in their optimization targeting the same audiences. - Should I use keywords in image names/alt text?
Yes, insert 1-2 main keywords where relevant without over-optimizing or awkward verbiage just to force keywords. - How often should I update page content?
Review pages at least every quarter to improve page speed, user engagement and keyword optimization as search behaviors evolve over time. - Can I rank a new page with no backlinks?
Yes, it is possible through great user engagement and optimal technical SEO elements on-page. But even minimal backlinks will improve rankings velocity.