Why do videos from some YouTube channels consistently become viral, racking up millions of views in a short amount of time? In reality, they have a firm grasp of the platform and make effective use of its features to increase their content’s discoverability. When someone is seeking for knowledge on a specific topic, they may locate their videos quickly because they include the appropriate keywords in the titles and descriptions. However, many SEOs and marketers use the same resources (like Google’s Keyword Planner) to generate keyword suggestions, leading to a situation where a large number of websites all aim for the same handful of phrases.
What’s the end result? As time goes on, competing for those keyword positions gets more challenging. I’m not trying to imply that keyword tools are pointless; they may be a great source of inspiration. However, they are most effective in a wide niche with numerous subtopics, because each subtopic may have hundreds of thousands of relevant keywords (for instance, “fitness” may incorporate “weight loss” and “bodybuilding”). What if, however, your target audience is rather small? “Used automobiles” is an example.
What if the competitor has already seized onto all the lucrative keywords suggested by keyword tools? It’s imperative that you research the preferred language styles of your intended audience in this scenario. That’s the only method to unearth untapped keyword goldmines that rivals haven’t previously mined.
Think as your consumers do
One of the simplest and most efficient ways to come up with potential keywords and topics is to just brainstorm. But as SEOs, we have a natural inclination to consider terms with high potential for search traffic. This is great up until you take into account the following:
The competition for most of these keywords is going to be fierce; To illustrate, between 16 and 20 percent of all Google queries are completely novel. Therefore, you should put yourself in your clients’ shoes and consider the unexpected methods they could be looking for what you provide.
Consider the case of a straightforward florist. Most florists will optimise their sites for the most popular search terms (like “buy flowers online,” “flower delivery London,” “cheap flower delivery,” etc.).
Consult with your clientele
When working in the same field day in and day out, it’s easy to get disconnected from the needs of the people you serve. In light of this, hearing from your customers is crucial. Face-to-face communication with these individuals isn’t always feasible, but there are other ways to collect data (autoresponders, on-site search, onboarding forms, etc.). It’s something we currently display all new clients, and it questions them about their aims and challenges. We hope that by doing so, we may better meet their requirements and thereby provide a superior product.
It’s secondary value is that it clarifies the language people employ, which in turn helps us better grasp their needs and, in turn, uncover keywords we hadn’t considered before.
Consumer-driven media + online communities
One of my favourite activities is exploring online forums and UGC sites in search of underutilised keyword phrases. Why? Simply said, because after they have looked everywhere else and still have questions, they come here (i.e. when nobody has created any worthwhile content on the topic). You may learn a lot about your target audience and the kinds of queries and topics they care about in just a few hours of browsing these sites, and you’ll find plenty of keyword suggestions to work with.
Social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.)
The vast majority of social media posts get up on sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. without any sort of editing. This means that the stuff users share on these platforms typically accurately reflects their actual speech patterns. This is also a common resource for individuals to consult when they have issues or queries.