Content, link building, and keyword research are the three most daunting SEO jobs. Experts believe that 66% of the people carry the task of keyword research in-house instead of contracting it to any agency; then, 40% of the people do it only when it becomes necessary. That’s why perhaps this particular task feels more laborious. Plus, some common mistakes make this job more challenging for marketers. These are, however, better to avoid for ensuring success for your project. Here is a quick peep into them.
Not paying attention to search intent
Searcher intent can reveal what users want when they search for something on the internet. Forgetting searcher intent and focusing more on the highest-ranking keyword can be disastrous. If content cannot meet user queries, it doesn’t make sense to rank there. Priority should be conversions and not just driving traffic, which, unfortunately, many marketers don’t realize.
Not analyzing SERPs
By looking at the search engine result pages, one can understand the intent of the user and how search engines solve their queries. Often people invest a lot of time in the tools and don’t bother about the results showing up for a particular keyword. As a result, they fail to come up with a kind of content that users want. But if you implement it, you can create your content accordingly.
Not taking other factors into account other than the volume
Just because some keywords generate high volume traffic doesn’t mean that every business should go after them only. The searched terms need to be relevant in terms of your product and services and should provide a solution to your audience. So, don’t obsess over volume alone.
Not giving importance to long-tail keywords
A tendency to attach undue significance to volume causes ignorance towards long-tail keywords. These keywords can be lower in volume, but they can expand your reach to the advanced stage of the buyer’s journey, where the chances of earning lead or conversion are higher. Even if these types of keywords have good volume, you can trust them to be less competitive and to help you meet your users’ expectations.
Not treating keyword research as the foundation
People think that by inserting some searched terms in the existing articles or producing content for those can help them rank their website on top positions in the search engine. But keyword research is not an add-on job. Instead, it is a building block for other strategies, including SEO, content, PPC, and so on.
Not exploring other places where users search
The type of search volume that happens on YouTube can be vastly different from Google or other platforms. So, along with checking SERPs, it’s also critical to know where people are searching for information. It will enable you to target your audience wherever they go in search of the details.
Not thinking about localization
The search terms, trends, seasonalities, and preferences can vary from one place to another, even though the language is the same. Hence, it is necessary to go local. Sometimes, people focus on the universal keywords without realizing that how people in their area may search for a product or service could be slightly different. So, again, to determine this thing, you need to target keywords locally.
If you are an SEO person, you must have noticed these or some other types of keyword research mistakes that many people commit. What are those? Share them with others so that they can also benefit.
