Search listening is one of the cornerstones of SEO for content. Google gets an estimate of 3 billion searches every day, and 20% of those have never been asked before. This might look like a lot of data, and it is when you’re doing your research on making content. It can be utterly useless if you don’t know where to find it and how.
In our previous article, we looked at how to perform keyword research. There are countless free and premium tools at your disposal, but tinkering with them can be overwhelming, especially if you’re a newbie in the SEO industry.
Google searches are the most important dataset ever collected on the human psyche.
Seth Davidowitz, former Google data scientist and author
What are people searching
With the numerous data that crosses Google’s search engine daily, it’s essential to know what people are searching for. This information will help make the keyword research process more manageable and your website’s content optimization.
We’ll look at the best tools to help you figure out what people are searching for. Some of the tools discussed in this article have been covered previously, but the usability will be slightly different.
Our top picks will help you answer pressing an SEO marketer asks themselves.
When is the best time to put out new articles?
How will the article perform?
What’s the target audience for this article?
This is not a sponsored post, and all tools mentioned in this article were tested without bias.
Google Tools
The best place to start would be Google, with its pocket-friendly and competent tools list.
Google Trends
Google Trends helps you view top stories or charts. If you have no idea where o start with your research, this is a great place. With Google Trends, you can view what trending topics people search for on Google in real-time or look at daily and yearly searches and their respective analytics.
Trends doesn’t, however, offer much insight into the analytics of your data search. It is excellent for surface-level insight on topics people are searching for and a great tool to help a beginner in their SEO analytics journey.
Google autocomplete
Google autocomplete is a built-in feature on Google search. It completes search sentences depending on what people have previously searched. It is an excellent tool for finding different variations of your selected keyword.
Start typing in the Google search box, and related terms will display in a drop-down menu. This will give you a rough working plan for content planning or researching keyword phrases that would drive traffic to your website.
People Also Ask, and related searches.
Some of the best SEO quick research features are within Google itself, so it would be reckless not to take advantage of them.
People Also Ask andRelated Searchesare features within the search results page that display related long-tail search phrases of what people have searched on Google.
YouTube Trends
YouTube is the world’s largest video search engine with an estimated 2.6 billion viewers monthly (those with Google accounts) and is under the Google umbrella. It is the second-most-popular search engine after Google, with the highest social media consumer penetration.
According to SEMrush’s list of 100 most googled terms globally, YouTube topped the list with 1.4 billion searches for that period. YouTube Trends is a handy tool that will help you view and digest search statistics on the platform.
BuzzSumo
BuzzSumo is a market favorite when it comes to search insights. The platform has different tools to make your SEO marketing a walk in the park. Content Discovery is one such feature that enables you to search by trending topics worldwide or by country. You can specify your search criteria using filters to get trending search data from search engines like Google.
BuzzSumo has a lot of functionality as a keyword analysis and SEO tool. It can show all trending topics on different social media platforms and what competitors are writing.
SEMrush
SEMrush is a market giant and leader in SEO content and marketing tools. SemRush published a list of Google’s most searched for topics in their blog. The data was collected from the company’s extensive database of over 20 billion keywords worldwide.
They have perfected the art of SEO management, and the tools they put out are well worth the effort and money you might pay for them. Their SEO toolset helps you find out the freshest search terms from search engines such as Google and analytics to help you plan content and marketing strategies.
Answer the Public
Answer the Public enables you to get a deeper level of understanding of how people search around topics.
It reveals questions and queries you wouldn’t think of at the top of your head. This concept works around primary keywords, so you need to know what you want to find. With your keyword, the website searches its vast database for all the questions people are asking about that topic.
Apart from its usability in figuring out the questions people are asking, the site arranges its data in a neat, easy-to-read format that is pleasing to the eye and makes information easier to digest.
Social media
Knowing what people are searching for on Google is an excellent strategy to help with optimized content creation, but you should not limit your data source to Google. Looking to social media platforms will help you understand people’s interests in real-time. Hashtags and trending topics give indispensable insight into what people are talking about, trending topics, and, therefore, relevant topics to help you write your content.
Twitter
Twitter’s trending topics category lists all trending topics in the region you live in and the people you follow. You can tweak the settings to get a real-time view of trending topics worldwide.
Twitter Trends (pointed by the arrow) shows all trending topics and popular hashtags people are searching and interacting with.
Pinterest
Pinterest is a specially specialized social media platform for sharing images. Users collect and organize their ideas and save them as pins that other users can discover.
Pinterest’s recent #Explore button enables people to see what people are searching on the platform and explore trending topics and ideas.
Quora
Quora is a question-and-answer platform, and all its content is crowd-sourced. That means that every question and answer has been provided by its users. It also allows people to create social networks and follow topics that interest them.
Quora is an excellent place to source all the questions people are asking, organized by topics, the answers people are providing, and gauging interactions and responses.
Final Note
Knowing what people are searching on Google and other search engines is essential in helping you see what content you need to put out for your audience.
Although it may seem daunting to figure out what works and what doesn’t, with the right tools, this search can be as easy as ABC.
Practice makes perfect. Dedicate a portion of your work time to figuring out how these tools work, where they are most applicable, and what works specifically for your brand. This way, you’ll grow and hone your SEO skills.
Most, if not all of all us, are familiar with conducting a simple search on Google. We use ‘Google’ here because it’s the most common search engine. After all, it’s the most prevalent search engine, enough to spawn its own verb. Are you confused about the most popular search engine? Why don’t we google it?
For anything we want to find online, we have to write a phrase or word into the search section; the engine runs through its massive content looking for sites that match your search term. More often than not, one search operation will bring up content you’re not particularly looking for. It can be exhausting to go through all this content to get to the right one.
Part of your SEO responsibility is knowing how to conduct a proper, time-efficient search on Google.
Searching on Google
Using several factors, Google has made it easier to conduct a productive search in a short time. This article will look at how to search Google like a pro.
Use more specific words.
Fine-tune your search by using more keywords to describe your search phrases. Broad search words will yield many results, making it hard to sift through all the results to find what you’re looking for.
It may also be distracting, leading to results other than what you’re looking for and wasting your time.
Searching used mustangs for sale will yield better results with a more specific search phrase. If we compare the two search results, a search phrase with the words ‘mustang for sale’ produce more direct results for websites that sell Ford Mustang cars.
Use tabs
Tabs appear at the top of your Google search results page. They help refine your search by specifying the criteria by which you’d like to view your results.
Tabs are a quick way to refine your search without including any unique words or symbols in your search phrase. If you prefer to view photos of BTS, type BTS in your search bar and then click on the images tab (shown above using the red arrows).
You can refine your search further in images by filtering images by specific tags: Wallpaper, Jungkook, Taehyung, e.t.c.
specify the website
If you know the website you want to get your information from, add the name of the website plus your search term in the search bar. The top results (not the ads) are what you’re looking for from the website you want.
This side-by-side comparison shows search results when a website name is included in the search phrase vs. when it is not. Image A shows many websites that may offer royalty-free images. Image B returns results for Pexel, a website that offers royalty-free images.
Knowing the website’s name can help narrow your search process significantly and save time.
Search by images
Google did us a solid by adding a search by image icon that allows you to conduct a Goole search using images. It is an excellent add-on for those who don’t know an object’s name but have a picture with them. For example, if you want to know the name of a particular plant, take a photo of the plant and use it to search via images.
Use of operators
Operators are specific phrases, punctuation, or a combination of both to perform a specialized task whole searching. These are the latest operators listed by Google as of the writing of this article.
It is essential to use these operators as they appear for a productive search. Do not add spaces between these symbols or words and a search term.
Hyphen (-), addition sign (+)
While searching, use a hyphen to exclude words you don’t want to appear in your search.
Example: phones-iPhone will return all phone results but leave out the iPhone.
Likewise, if you want to include something specific in your search, add the addition sign (+)
Exact match (“_”)
Enclosing your text in quotes will return results with words that match your exact phrasing.
Range (..) ellipsis
Adding an ellipsis (..) between two numbers in a range returns results of numbers within the two specified numbers.
Typing phones $400..$800 will return results for all types of phones that fall within this price range.
(OR)- all caps
When between two terms, e.g., While running a search to compare Samsung and iPhones, OR can be used to return results of only one of the search terms.
The search query “iPhone OR Samsung” (not in quotes) returns search results of either iPhone or Samsung, but not both.
NB: For the operator to work, OR must be in all caps.
AND
AND on the other hand, includes both phrases in its search results.
Unlike OR, AND includes both search terms on its search results. iPhone AND Samsung returns sites that compare the two devices.
Specify the site (site:)
Put site:website name. Do not add a space between the Colon and website name. This operator works the same as adding a website name to your search phrase.
Site:shein.com search returns results of summer dresses from the shein.com website. Capitalization, in this case, does not matter.
Related operator
Related: helps you find all the sites related to a website you’re searching. When using the operator, do not leave a space after the colon—type in the website address that you’d like to get comparable results.
related:pexels.com will return all the websites that have the same functionality as pexels.
Advanced search
Like operators, Google’s advanced search is a tool that allows you to be more exact with additional search options.
Google’s advanced search tool helps you get specific with your search phrase by filling out the specified categories of the search query.
You can do an advanced search directly by typing Google advanced search into the address bar. Advanced search can also be accessed by clicking on settings and clicking on ‘advanced search’ on a typical results page.
Voice search
Voice search is another handy tool that allows you to use your voice to search rather than typing. The voice search tool appears as a microphone on the right of the search bar.
Apart from the operators, which should be used exactly as they appear, your spelling doesn’t affect your results. Google’s algorithm opts for the most common type of spelling and will return results accordingly. It’s a pretty adept invention, knowing what you’re looking for, even when you don’t.
Conclusion
Searching on Google is pretty straightforward. Remember to be as exact as you can be in your search query phrasing and avoid unnecessary words. There isn’t a right or wrong way to do it, and only practice can get you better at googling. Make your journey a bit less tiring and more fruitful by using the search hacks we’ve provided you. Experiment and understand your needs and what tips work better for you.
Have fun with the process, and don’t take yourself too seriously. After all, it’s Google! You can never go wrong.
When we talk about SEO, it’s hard not to mention keyword research and planning. Keyword research is the process of understanding the specific words your target audience uses when searching for content on the internet.
Keyword planning is a system of analysis, comparison to competitor brands, and prioritization of the content you put out.
What are keywords
Keywords are words or phrases that are associated with particular web content. They are what people type in a search bar when searching for items on search engines. They define what your content is about.
Keyword research can be time-consuming and frustrating. We help you figure out your most important steps
Keyword planning allows you to decide what keywords to use and how to use them for maximum impact. You want to create content that people are searching for, ranks well on search engines, and drives visitors to your site.
Importance of keyword planning
i) Link between content and target audience
Keywords help you understand what your target audience is looking for and tailor your content according to their needs. Creating relevant content increases your SERP ranking which can lead to higher organic traffic to your website.
The basis of a proper SEO starts with keyword research and planning
ii) Helps create a content strategy
Keyword planning will help you align your content so it provides value to your audience and not just crawler bots on search engines. Keyword planning allows you to formulate a keyword map that helps visualize the impact of your content and identify growth opportunities.
iii) Gain competitor insights
Planning involves a healthy amount of looking at competitor statistics and seeing the strategies they are using to drive more organic traffic to their sites and therefore, the gap areas you can improve on.
Types of keywords
Keywords can be summarized into major categories that can be subdivided into specific functions.
Length
These keywords range in size from broader, ambiguous short-tail phrases to more specific long-tail phrases.
1. Short-tail keywords
Short-tail keywords are the most common type of keyword. They are short phrases (one-word phrases) that are used in query searches.
In the example below, the word “cats” is a generic short-tail term that brings up several items. Short-tail keywords are broad and far-reaching and are the basic foundation of the research process.
Searching the word cat will produce high-volume search results that cover a wide range of topics.
They are highly competitive, with higher search traffic but a lower conversion rate. Short-tail keywords are typically used when a user is starting their research.
2. Long-tail keywords
Long-tail keywords are keywords with longer phrases (three or more words). They are more specific, therefore narrowing down the search criteria. Because of this, they have lower search traffic compared to short-tail keywords but have a higher conversion rate. Long-tail keywords are used when a visitor is close to making a purchase or is looking for an exact item.
Posting your content with long-tail keywords in the title will reduce the competition significantly, helping your website rank higher on a search engine’s results page.
Long-tail keywords contain 3 or more phrases
Fresh vs long-term keywords
3. Fresh keywords
Fresh keywords are phrases that are recently hyped up but tend to die over time. Think of them as viral keywords. They have a peak season and then drop sharply after. You can take advantage of this high-volume search to come up with content that will remain relevant until it isn’t anymore.
This will allow you to attract new audiences, breaking from the existing ones. Be prepared though, for the sharp decline in traffic when the hype surrounding the topic is over.
4. Long-term keywords
Also known as evergreen keywords, these are the keywords that stay relevant for a longer period. The search volumes for this type of content are consistent without major fluctuations. Content that falls under this category would be informative or educational content (like this article!).
The views are consistent and can compound with time. This kind of content ensures you have a steady flow of traffic to your site. Craft your content around more informative pieces and this will add to your authoritative points.
Intent
These are keywords that searchers use during the purchase process. A good rule of thumb is combining long-tail keywords and adjusting them according to the audience’s intent.
5. Informational keywords
These relate to general queries a searcher may have. A good example is a search beginning with the words ‘how’. In this case, searchers are seeking solutions to their problems. Other types of informational keywords are comparisons between two items or the pros and cons of specific items.
Information keywords seek to answer questions like ‘how’, ‘how to’
6. Transactional/ product defining keywords
These are keywords that relate to a searcher’s intent to purchase items. The keywords used here are very specific and directly correspond to the conversion phase of the funnel. The audience already knows what they want to buy and will use specific terms to search for the product.
Tailoring your SEO keywords according to where your customers are in their journey will help you build content that reaches your target audience and creates opportunities for higher conversion rates and building a sustainable growth plan.
7. Navigational keywords
These are keywords that relate to specific brands or companies. They can also be geo-targeting keywords if you’re looking to attract an audience from a specific location. This might be the easiest keyword planning because there’s already a market for your content. Use navigational keywords if you focus on a specific niche area. Better if you can add a location to it. There’s a lower competition rate and lower search volumes, but if done right, the conversion rates can be quite high.
Primary and secondary keywords
8. Primary keywords
A primary keyword is the main focus word or phrase when creating content. This is the keyword that you want your web content to rank for. For example, the primary keyword in this article is ‘keyword’. Your primary keyword should appear in strategic positions; the title, headings, tags, first line of writing, and throughout the content. For higher ranking, include it in your rich content; infographics, images by description, or the filenames.
9. Secondary keywords
These are keywords that complement primary keywords. They are also known as LSI keywords. They are words associated with the primary keyword, either variations or synonyms. They help in reducing the saturation of the main keywords and help optimize content. They are important because they help in ranking for several keywords, widening the search criteria. They also help search engines contextualize and understand your content better.
Market-Specific SEO Keywords
Market-specific keywords target specific industries, brands, or customers. They are a broad term for customer-specific keywords, product, and competitor keywords. They hold keyword data of niches.
10. Customer-specific keywords
These keywords target customers specifically. They can include specific attributes of a customer, or they can be broader in search. Customer-defining keywords help in creating relevant search connections with an audience that is seeking to purchase your product or service. These types of keywords need you to have a deeper understanding of your audience so you can create authentic content for them.
Bonus: Product and Competitor keywords
These keywords contain specific names of the product niche as well as competitor details. Using product-specific keywords will help you reach a target audience. Competitor keywords can be used to evaluate your competition in the same niche. It is a good strategy to always stay on top of your game by understanding your competitor’s top products or services and how they market them to users. For example, Pepsi might use Coca-Cola as their competitor keyword
Conclusion
Keyword research is an important step in search engine optimization and accounts for a higher conversion rate. When choosing keywords, relevance and usability are important factors. It’s important to know where to place them in your content and the role they play in reaching your target audience.
In this article, we have discussed what keywords are and the types there are. This will help you get an idea about what you want to research before getting on keyword research tools, which we’ll be tackling in our next post. Stay tuned, and remember to enjoy the process!
