Keyword intent analysis may seem like an ominous term.
What keyword analysis is, in actual fact, is not as nearly sinister as it appears to be at first sight.
The process doesn’t require the researcher to be an expert, nor is difficult to master the art.
Simply put, keyword research and analysis is the first step in achieving the greatest SEO marketing goal: a better Google ranking.
And anyone with a knowledge of SEO knows that better rankings, in turn, translate into higher engagement and conversion rates.
In this article, we’ll go beyond answering the question of “what is keyword analysis?”
We’ll instead explore how to do keyword research for SEO.
This includes:
- A basic overview of how to begin a keyword ranking analysis
- The common types of queries to format keyword research around
- Choosing your target keywords
Getting Started With Keyword Analysis
Thorough keyword research and analysis is the first step to long-term success.
It goes far beyond just the general notion of keeping informed about what customers are looking for online.
What keyword research for SEO truly spells is a deep understanding of the market, competition, and Google’s algorithm and how it affects search patterns.
The easiest way to start is by researching average monthly searches per keyword and keyword difficulty.
Remember, what you should be aiming for is a holistic SEO strategy – one that takes all variables into account.
That allows you to continually scale your efforts and adjust for long-term success.
So, what exactly are you trying to communicate?
What target audience are you looking for?
Once you know the answers to these two questions, look into what Google favors.
How to Do Thorough Keyword Research
Now, let’s see what the options are for your keyword analysis.
Actually, things are pretty defined, which makes the process far easier when you begin.
However, keep in mind that users’ needs change over time and also during the buying process.
The latter is known as “funnel” and is a parameter of extreme importance in online marketing.
To understand the nature of this change, it is best to use Google search results as a reference.
The type of page that dominates the results is the type of page Google favors.
Now on to the defined parts.
There are three major query types satisfying user intent:
- Transactional queries
- Informational queries
- Navigational queries
Transactional Queries
Arguably the most important query type, transactional queries are what drives a powerful SEO strategy.
Transactional queries come in different shapes and sizes, but, more often than not, they feature a call to action (in one form or another).
Calls to action may be direct, creative, indirect, and so on.
Anything from “buy this supplement” to “cheapest car wash in Brooklyn” (note the mention of the location) serves the purpose.
In most cases, these calls to action lead directly to target category and product pages.
As a result, it’s important to conduct keyword analysis that proves what people are searching and then formatting these pages to correspond to those transactional queries.
This guides the customer to make a purchase.
By doing so, transactional queries lead the prospective buyer exactly where they need to go.
However, the downside to them is that they lack supporting content.
That is where informational queries step in.
Informational Queries
The role of informational queries is to provide direct answers to visitors’ queries.
They address the queries of people who already know what issue they are looking to solve.
An example of an informational query is “how to regain strength after surgery”.
In most cases, informational queries call for multiple answers.
Using the example from above, it is not sufficient to answer it with “get plenty of rest” or “use cod liver oil”.
Due to that reason, informational queries should lead to long forms, such as are articles, guidelines, and blog posts.
These pieces are what provides supporting content to money pages.
As with transactional queries, keyword research and analysis plays its role here in telling you what keywords to include in this long-form content.
Try Googling that phrase above (“how to regain strength after surgery”)!
The top five results are:
8 Mistakes After Surgery That Slow Your Recovery
How to Better Recovery After Surgery
Feeling Fatigued After Surgery
How to Recover Faster After Surgery
Regaining Your Energy After Surgery
As you can see, all of these are educational materials, articles/blog posts that provide context to the actual product you advertise.
You will not find eCommerce results for such queries, and there is a good reason for that.
Navigational Queries
Navigational queries aim to aid the visitors who already have some idea on how to address the issue.
Going back to our earlier example, people looking for means to regain strength after surgery may attempt to try more specific answers, such as:
Natural Remedies to Regain Strength
Best Supplements for Fatigue
Acupuncture for Faster Recovery
Being quite specific in their nature, navigational queries serve the purpose of guiding the visitor to make the final purchase decision.
That is to say that they should lead to category pages, comparison pages, blog posts, review pages, or affiliate pages.
To fine-tune navigational queries, use specific long-tail queries coupled with modifiers that explain the keyword in more detail.
Here are some examples:
- Review-focused words: review, compare, best, versus
- Modifiers: vegetarian, vegan, for men, for women, gluten-free
- Expertise words: consultant, teacher, facilitator, guru
Coming Up With Target Keywords Using Research and Analysis
If you don’t know where to start with keyword research for SEO, that’s okay.
Not many people do.
Fortunately, Google always does.
The best starting point is SERPs.
While researching, pay attention to organic listings, ads, and graph results.
Further out, there are numerous tools that will help you get started and complement your keyword ranking analysis in the best possible way.
Some recommendations are:
Like we said, keyword research for SEO doesn’t see so difficult with these tips and suggestions.
Now enjoy the ride to your best SEO strategy!
