Being conversant with keyword research and best SEO practices is a big plus when working as a digital marketing consultant. A huge part of my job involves advising clients on how to improve their search engine rankings and business’ visibility online to net the customers they want. To do this, you have to know which keywords your target audience is searching for and how to optimize them for greater conversions.
A great way to do keyword research is to take a look at the keywords your competitors rank for to see if there are any you could be interested in. Using your competitor’s intel this way can be time-saving as long as you know what you’re looking for.
Of course, you don’t want to rank for all of your competitor’s keywords- some of them might not be relevant to your business. So you have to be strategic and intentional with your decisions.
How do you choose which of your competitor’s keywords to go after and how do you prioritize them?
Ensure you understand your keyword conversion funnel.
Picture a funnel with people who search for particular keywords at the top and those who buy at the bottom- that’s your conversion funnel. You need to understand which people you lose and who actually convert and also the kinds of keywords both groups go after. Once you figure this out, check which of your competitor’s keywords fit the bill and are in line with your own business goals. Those goals can be increased conversion, increased traffic or retargeting customers.
Select competitors who target the same audience as you.
When looking up competitors and keywords they use, select those who have a similar target audience to your business. This will increase your chances of finding relevant keywords. Additionally, the information you get will give you an idea of almost similar keywords that you can use to increase your own sales conversions.
Go for keywords that:
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Are the easiest to rank first.
The easier the keywords are to rank, the earlier you can notice progress in the SERP. This helps assure your clients that you’re on the right track. Choose keywords that have low difficulty but high chances of success.
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Are similar to keywords you already target that convert well.
If certain keywords already work well for you, find similar ones that your competitor uses as long as they fit your business and site structure.
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Are brands that your business carries and serves.
For relevance, go for keywords on brands that both you and your competitor carry. Focusing on brands that are exclusive to your competitor or those that are your competitor’s brand names will just be a waste of time because you can’t use them to highlight your business.
Using these tips, you can carry out effective and efficient keyword research from your competitor’s intel which in turn can bring you some nice SEO returns.
Schedule a consultation with me today if you need help with keyword research, SEO or any other aspect of digital marketing. I’ll be glad to help.