Tips on Keyword Research for Effective Blog Writing

Conducting keyword research is crucial for blogging because it evaluates the demand for information and identifies any gaps. The selection of keywords is pivotal to a blog's success and holds significant importance from an SEO standpoint.

Here is some guidance on performing effective keyword research to enhance your blogs with valuable content. If you're uncertain about whether blogging is suitable for you, consider reading this blog first: Why Businesses Should Blog as Part of Their PR Strategy.

Use of Keywords and Keyword Strings

Keywords are the guess work behind SEO, creating a list of words that the target audience is likely to search.  Tools like www.askthepublic.com can be useful when researching topic areas.  Keywords should be included in the title of your blog and early on to be most effective.

Aim for 350 words and include variations of the keywords but ENSURE the blog reads natural.

Spending some time understanding the keywords your target audience uses will give you a much better chance of showing up in the search results. 

For your blog to contain keywords that your audience will search, you should RESEARCH suitable keywords beforehand and structure your blog around them.  

Check out what your COMPETITORS are doing, especially those who appear at the top of Google – what keywords and keyword strings are they using?

The density of your keywords should appear natural and include variations and related phrases.  Write your blog as long as it needs to be, aiming for at least 350 words, longer if justified.

A keyword string could be “How can I get my product specified by architects”, “What is the best car for a large family”.  These keyword searches will become more important as “Voice Search” grows.

Give a clear idea to Google what your blog is about using keyword phrases that allow a more precise search, for example:  anthracite grey casement windows. 

Clever stuff…. specific keywords can signal commercial intent, that the searcher is ready to act or buy.  For example, phrases like: “find an architect in Wolverhampton” or “buy trade guttering Sheffield”.

Use of Internal Links

The effective use of internal links in blog keep people on the website for longer and lessen bounce rate.

"If visitor leaves Linked or Facebook to read your post, consider how will you convert them? Ensure that you have included a “call to action” and links to other RELEVANT services so your visitors can discover what you all about."

Use Images & Alt Tags

Relevant images make for a more interesting blog and break up large amounts of text. 

Image alt tags tell search engines what the image is about, and it is good SEO practice to optimise tags writing descriptions for each image and using keywords where possible.

"If you are using Wordpress complete the “press title and description” sections. Applying alt tags means that your images can show up in search results too, which is a bonus."

By using images in blog posts they receive 94% more views.

About Clear Goal Marketing

Clear Goal Marketing is a friendly bolt-on outsourcing solution for small to medium sized businesses, providing marketing advice and management services on a flexible basis. 

The services we provide includes strategic marketing planning and campaign planning for business growth as well as monthly support packages.

Marketing campaigns, literature, copywriting, social media, case studies, blogs, websites and social media management.  The secret to achieving the greatest impact is to get the mix of activity exactly right and implement an integrated approach with a strong focus on consistency of messaging. 

Clients can choose to outsource all their marketing or just certain elements, freeing up their time so they can focus on running their businesses.  For further information email hello@cleargoalmarketing.co.uk or call 07980 707198.