What is keyword research?

keyword research is the process of researching and finding relevant terms and phrases that people are using to search for on the internet. This process is essential in helping businesses improve their rankings on search engine result pages, driving more organic traffic to their website and improving visibility in the online marketplace. Knowing which keywords to target has become an essential part of any successful online marketing strategy.

The main purpose of keyword research is to identify popular search topics related to your business and create content that has those topics as focal points. It's not just about finding popular topics though – keyword research also lets you see what's trending and figure out which terms have the most search volume, giving you a better idea of just how much competition you'll face when you start targeting these terms. You can also uncover insights about consumer behavior – for instance, which topics attract them and which ones don't – allowing you to tailor your content accordingly.

When doing keyword research, it's important to get a good understanding of your user intent – that is, why people would be searching for the particular words or phrases in the first place. Are they looking for information related to a product or service? Answering this question is critical; if you don't understand the user intent behind certain words or phrases, it's very unlikely that you'll be able to generate meaningful search engine traffic from them.

Additionally, it can also be useful to break down keywords into broader categories – for instance, geographic modifiers (city- or country-specific keywords) or commercial modifiers (words related to buying). Doing so can help shed some light on who exactly might be searching for certain keywords, allowing you to further refine your approach and make sure that your content resonates with the right audience.